Marlon Brando was one of the most celebrated actors in Hollywood history, but one of the strangest stories about his private life had little to do with the big screen.
Years after his death, the late movie icon is still linked to claims that he secretly recorded phone conversations with some of the most famous people in the world.
As the July 1 anniversary of Brando’s death approaches, the unusual allegation has resurfaced, along with questions about what may have been captured on those tapes.
Peter Manso, author of “Brando: The Biography,” previously claimed Brando had an elaborate recording system installed inside his home.
According to Manso, the setup automatically recorded calls from several phone extensions throughout the property.
“All the calls were automatically taped,” Manso said in a resurfaced interview. “It was connected to his eight or nine phone extensions all over the house.”
Manso also claimed he legally received a shoebox filled with some of the recordings.
The biographer described Brando as a “consummate control freak” and said many of the actor’s friends and associates did not know their conversations were allegedly being recorded.
Once rumors of the recordings began circulating in Hollywood, the claims reportedly caused concern among some well-known figures.
Manso said certain celebrities and members of famous families feared the tapes could eventually be sold or released to the public.
The alleged recordings have drawn attention because of Brando’s extraordinary reach in Hollywood and beyond.
Over the course of his career, Brando formed relationships with some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, Brigitte Bardot, John Wayne, Sammy Davis Jr., Spencer Tracy, Bing Crosby, Paul Newman, Sophia Loren, Rod Steiger and Steve McQueen.
Manso alleged Brando heard and repeated private stories involving major stars, powerful families and personal scandals from Hollywood’s golden age.
One of the most notable claims involved Marilyn Monroe.
According to Manso, Monroe allegedly shared private information with Brando about the Kennedy family and other political matters. Brando, Manso claimed, later repeated some of those stories to people close to him.
Manso also said Brando spoke openly about actress Rita Moreno, one of the great romances of his life.
Brando and Moreno had a long and intense on-again, off-again relationship after starring together in the 1954 film “Désirée.”
It remains unclear how many recordings existed, what they contained or whether all of the claims surrounding them can be verified.
Still, the story has remained one of the more unusual pieces of Brando lore.
Brando first rose to national fame as Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” a role he had played on stage before bringing it to film.
He went on to build one of the most respected careers in American cinema, with landmark roles in “On the Waterfront,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Mutiny on the Bounty,” “The Godfather,” “Superman” and “Apocalypse Now.”
Brando died on July 1, 2004, at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 80.
His death was later attributed to respiratory failure caused by pulmonary fibrosis, along with congestive heart failure.
More than two decades later, the alleged secret recordings remain a fascinating and unsettling chapter in the life of one of Hollywood’s most complicated legends.
