Marlon Brando was in a film.
Marlon Brando . After this , he was content with being a highly paid character actor in cameo roles , such as in Superman ( 1978 ) and The Formula ( 1980 ) , before taking a nine-year break from motion pictures . Superman ( informally titled Superman : The Movie in some listings and reference sources ) is a 1978 superhero film directed by Richard Donner and based on the DC Comics character of the same name . Superman stars Marlon Brando , Gene Hackman , Christopher Reeve , Margot Kidder , Glenn Ford , Phyllis Thaxter , Jackie Cooper , Trevor Howard , Marc McClure , Terence Stamp , Valerie Perrine , and Ned Beatty . The Formula is a 1980 American mystery film directed by John G. Avildsen and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . It features a preeminent cast including Marlon Brando , George C. Scott , John Gielgud , and Marthe Keller .