Marlon Brando Loved This Cereal So Much He Turned It Into An Alter Ego

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From "On the Waterfront" to "Apocalypse Now," Marlon Brando's acclaimed screen career is the benchmark for Hollywood's Golden Age. Off-screen, Brando's diet was similarly the stuff of legend (think an entire jar of peanut butter in one sitting). The actor's lifelong passion for food led to his yo-yoed appearances, from the lean physique in "The Chase" to the bulldoggish frame of Vito Corleone in "The Godfather." The revolutionary method actor changed the film industry forever, immersing himself in myriad roles of diverse personalities. But, y'know what "coulda been a contender" for a witty, epicurean nickname for this silver-screen legend? "Branflakes."

Despite being a regular at Chez Jay in Santa Monica, it's widely reported that Marlon Brando was also a big fan of the simple stuff — namely, cornflakes. Per the lore, he even nicknamed himself "Branflakes" in honor of the cereal. In an Instagram video posted by @stillherehwood, fellow actor and years-long friend Ed Begley, Jr. ("This is Spinal Tap," "Pineapple Express," "Batman Forever") describes Brando as a playful, eccentric person, recounting a time when Brando called him up and said, "Edward, it's Branflakes. Give me a shout. There's a project I want to do with you." Not only would Brando refer to himself as "Branflakes," he even gave his buddy a food-based handle, as well: "I was Ed the Bagel," says Begley Jr., who has also previously shared this exchange between himself and Brando in other interviews from years back, apparently looking fondly on the memory between friends.

The Kellogg's Company was formed in 1906, so it's chronologically possible that Brando (born in 1924) grew up eating cornflakes. As an adult, a favorite Brando breakfast was reportedly a smorgasbord of cornflakes, sausages, eggs, bananas and cream, and a syrup-soaked pancake stack. Indeed, the actor was known to have more than a few unusual eating habits.

According to his co-star in "The Men" (1950), Richard Erdman, the trifecta of Brando's diet was comprised of junk food, takeout, and peanut butter. He also possessed a legendary sweet tooth: The actor was a superfan of Mallomars cookies and packaged cinnamon buns. Thanks to ice cream specifically, he reportedly split a whopping 52 pairs of pants during the filming of "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962). Brando's drastic weight fluctuations even forced Francis Ford Coppola to change the scene blocking for his character Colonel Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now" (1979); Kurtz was written as a gaunt character, but the near-300-pound Brando was filmed in shadow to conceal the gap.

According to friend Carlo Fiore, Brando maintained his physique by supplementing his main diet with sporadic dieting (once losing around 70 pounds during one of these diets in his later years).  While filming "Sayonara" (1957), his daily routine championed jogging and raw vegetables. Then, while filming "One-Eyed Jacks" (1961), says costar Karl Malden (who also costarred in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951), Brando's typical dinner featured two steaks, potatoes, two apple pies a la mode, and a quart of milk.