Even by Marlon Brando’s own standards, it was an extraordinary performance. Playing Mafia boss Don Corleone in The Godfather rescued his career and once again established him as one of Hollywood’s best and most influential actors.

But without me, he would never have taken the part.

It was 1972 and I had been working as Marlon’s personal secretary for 15 years. During this time Marlon used to receive many unsolicited books and scripts, and one such work to arrive at his home was Mario Puzo’s The Godfather.

I had heard good things about it and so I took it to Marlon. He dismissed it immediately. ‘I’m not going to glorify the Mafia,’ he muttered.

In 1957, Marlon Brando, a major film star, was preparing for a role that would become iconic. I was hired as his assistant despite his unconventional and candid nature. Shortly after starting the job, he informed me, almost casually, that he was getting married that day to actress Anna Kashfi, who was pregnant. Although their marriage didn’t last, they did reconcile after the birth of their son.

Marlon Brando’s bachelor lifestyle persisted even after his marriage to Anna Kashfi ended in 1959. During my time working for him, I witnessed his frequent romantic escapades and volatile behavior. Once, in a fit of rage, he shattered a banister when he mistakenly thought I had read a note from a girlfriend. He later apologized with flowers, but I made it clear that any physical aggression would not be tolerated.

Maintaining professionalism was difficult given his advances. He once offered me a million dollars for an affair, which I dismissed as unrealistic. Despite his charm and persistence, including love notes and grand gestures, I remained firm in keeping our relationship strictly professional.

In 1960, while Marlon Brando directed his only film, One-Eyed Jacks, we stayed at the Tickle Pink motel in Carmel, California. A Peeping Tom incident prompted Marlon to promise security, but he later admitted to being the culprit in a bizarre prank.

During the film’s production, Marlon’s personal life took a cruel turn. He revealed to an actress’s husband that he was having an affair with her, leading to the couple’s breakup, which Marlon saw as a joke.

Marlon’s turbulent relationship with his parents may have influenced his behavior. His mother’s alcoholism and his father’s strictness left a mark on him. Marlon’s advances toward me became more intense, culminating in an unsettling encounter. Despite my frustration, I continued working for him, especially after his father intervened.

After filming, Marlon set up an office for me at his home. There, I discovered his father was giving him a surprisingly modest weekly allowance of $50.

Within months, Marlon Brando handed over his financial management to a professional company, but he still had limited funds, leading me to use my credit card for his expenses and lend him my car. His extravagant lifestyle and divorce settlement left him deeply in debt.

In 1960, Marlon married Mexican actress Movita Castaneda, claiming casually that their baby was his. However, it soon emerged that Movita was already married, leading to a messy divorce in 1962. Struggling financially, Marlon told me he was broke and had to let me go. I continued working for him for free, and this strengthened our bond.

During the filming of Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), Marlon was more interested in Tahitian co-star Tarita Teriipia than the script. One day, I found Tarita tied up in Marlon’s bungalow; he later explained it was a punishment for lying. When Tarita announced she was pregnant and demanded $750,000 for an abortion, Marlon, financially strained, could not comply. Their son, Teihotu, was born in May 1963, adding to Marlon’s financial and familial responsibilities, which were compounded by frequent claims from other women about pregnancies.

In the mid-Sixties, despite being the highest-paid actor, Marlon Brando was financially troubled and overwhelmed by personal crises. His fame attracted numerous women claiming to be pregnant, but he refused to support them, feeling they were only after his money.

Brando’s life was chaotic, marked by excessive anger, political activism, and a facade of normalcy. His struggles included not only bulimia and amphetamine use but also a deep-seated rage linked to his troubled past. I once had to drive him to the hospital after he caused severe bleeding from inducing vomiting. Despite his resistance, doctors warned us he might not survive.

Marlon Brando survived a severe health scare but continued his unhealthy habits, particularly his excessive ice cream binges. Despite his ongoing issues, I stayed with him because he needed support, and I promised not to abandon him.

Throughout the years, there were brighter moments: Marlon’s charm, his humanitarian work, and his love for animals, including his ocelot, Tim. As his film career waned, we saw less of each other, and I reduced my involvement.

By early 2000, Marlon was in financial trouble, with only $12,000 left. He proposed various schemes to earn money, including selling products on QVC and a DVD of acting classes called Lying For A Living. He even planned to appear on QVC in disguise, wearing women’s clothes and a wig.

By the time Marlon Brando was in his late 70s, his bed had become his refuge rather than a playground. He remained charming but felt increasingly lonely, and his life seemed squandered despite his fame. In his final years, he expressed regret about the person he had become and distanced himself from friends, only speaking to me on the phone.

In our last conversation, he asked if he was as bad as people said. I chose not to be blunt, and he seemed content. I tried to call him the day before he died in July 2004 but couldn’t reach him, and I still feel saddened by the end of our long association.

In 1973, I witnessed a troubling incident involving Marlon’s son, Christian. At just 15, Christian was found with a gun pointed at his temple. I called Marlon, who refused to come out, and I pleaded with Christian to lower the gun, hoping to de-escalate the situation.

I knelt next to him, pleading with the boy to put the gun away. Christian eventually released it and I put my arms around him. I held him close as sobs racked his body.

I later took Christian to a psychiatrist but he soon stopped attending, saying it was his father who needed therapy not him.

Like his father, Christian was an angry man. The acorn, it seemed, had not fallen far from the tree.

In 1990, Christian shot dead the boyfriend of Cheyenne, his half-sister, on the Brando estate in LA.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and spent five years in jail. Christian died earlier this year from pneumonia.

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