Brando auction set to raise €750,000
A treasure trove of Marlon Brando’s most prized and personal possessions will go under the hammer today in New York.
Classic memorabilia including the screen legend’s Godfather script will be sold alongside everyday items such as credit cards, summer camp medals and school year books.
More than 300 lots taken from the actor’s Beverly Hills home will be auctioned by Christie’s, who believe the sale was expected to raise more than €750,000 for his estate.
“We are expecting a wide variety of people,” she said. “There will be a lot of lifelong Brando fans as well as private collectors and film buffs.”
Ms Bailey said the Godfather script had caused the most interest and was “certainly the star of the show”.
Notes scrawled in the margins, such as “through the nose” and “high voice” reveal how Brando created classic character Don Corleone, which defined his career.
Mundane items such as driving licences and a chess set are coupled with mementoes from an illustrious Hollywood career.
A letter from Mario Puzo, written shortly after The Godfather was published, reading: “I think you’re the only actor who can play the Godfather” is estimated to fetch up to €1,000.
Other rare memorabilia include letters from legends such as Jack Kerouac, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Luther King.
His 1954 Oscar nomination certificate for On the Waterfront – Brando’s first Academy Award – is for sale, as well as the Bafta he won in 1953 for his role as Marc Antony in Julius Caesar.
Many items offer a glimpse into the reclusive actor’s private life. There are practical jokes such as a bloodied fake finger, bongo drums and a leather belt emblazoned with the words Mighty Moon Champion given to Brando by his Godfather co-stars.
A family feud emerged earlier this week when the actor’s 47-year-old son Christian demanded Christie’s pull Lot 150 – a 14-karat gold St Christopher’s medallion that his mother, Anna Kashfi, had given him.
The heirloom was returned and contrary to his lawyer’s claims, the auction house insisted all beneficiaries had inspected the items and retained what they wanted before the property was consigned for sale.
Brando had 11 children of whom Christian was the eldest, and the only one born to the actor’s first wife, Kashfi
