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The rebellious and unconventional Marlon Brando burst onto the screen in his late 20s and was considered one of Hollywood's greatest stars.

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One of his early roles was in a 1951 film version of Tennessee Williams's steamy Southern drama A Streetcar Named Desire, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh.

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The role opposite Leigh, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the day, was a huge coup for the relatively inexperienced Brando but clear proof of his talent.

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Brando's 1953 role in The Wild One established him as a powerful screen presence and his career flourished. His actress sister Jocelyn visited him on set during the shoot.

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In 1954, Brando took the part of Terry Malloy in the tough drama On the Waterfront.

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On the Waterfront saw Brando play a washed-up boxer turned dock worker, who becomes embroiled in the corrupt activities of his bosses.

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Brando was also visited at work by his parents, even though his relationship with them had been strained in childhood by his mother's drinking and his father's womanising.

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Brando's acclaimed performance in On the Waterfront won him the best actor Oscar, presented by actress Bette Davis.

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He later joked about his triumph with the legendary entertainer Bob Hope, who seemed keen to have the award for himself.

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By the late 1950s, Brando was a huge star and success spurred him on to more controversial roles in films such as The Young Lions and Guys and Dolls.

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The actor became notorious for his egotism yet hated being in public, preferring to relax at his Hollywood home.

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Working throughout the 1960s, he was in films such as The Ugly American, set in south east Asia, with Kukrit Pramoj (right) and directed by George Englund (left).

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Since the 1970s, after starring in the sexually explicit Last Tango in Paris, Brando opted out of lead roles and began to take cameo roles in films such as war drama Apocalypse Now.

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In 1972, he gave perhaps his most remarkable performance as Don Corleone in the Godfather epic and went on to win a second best actor Oscar.