Marlon Brando appeared in a film.
The Academy Awards , now known officially as the Oscars , is a set of twenty-four awards for artistic and technical merit in the American film industry , given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) , to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy 's voting membership . Marlon Brando , Jr. ( April 3 , 1924 -- July 1 , 2004 ) was an American actor , film director and political activist . On the Waterfront is a 1954 American crime drama film directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg . The Wild One is a 1953 American film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer .