Marlon Brando was a film and stage actor who won an Oscar for his role in On the Waterfront. And he was dyslexic!
Brando was raised in Nebraska and California, and struggled in school. His father was not very supportive of his difficulties. Brando has been quoted as saying: “He enjoyed telling me I couldn’t do anything right. He had a habit of telling me I would never amount to anything.”
Despite his ongoing reading difficulties, Brando was very popular in school and excelled at theatre. He was a bit of a troublemaker too — he was expelled from one high school for riding his motorcycle through the halls!
When he hit the big time on stage, Brando’s career took off – though apparently, he claimed he never read a script! He was embarrassed by his reading difficulties and used to hide it from his fellow performers.
That didn’t hold him back from becoming one of the most celebrated actors in the world.
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Sarah Forrest is a Literacy Specialist for Oxford Learning Solutions, publishers of the Easyread System. Easyread is a highly successful and innovative program for struggling readers. Get a free trial at www.easyreadsystem.com