There's no shortage of rumors about these two famous figures, but one that involves both of them might still surprise you. In 1964, former First Lady Jackie Kennedy had been a widow for one year following the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy. Marlon Brando was a famous actor known for roles in A Streetcar Named Desire, Guys and Dolls, and On the Waterfront, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. He was also married to his third wife, actor Tarita Teriipaia. Both being such public figures, it makes sense that Jackie and Brando might have crossed paths, but according to one book, their connection went further than that.
The 2009 book Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story—which focuses on another rumored affair, between Jackie and Robert F. Kennedy—claims that Jackie and Brando had a very brief affair. According to the book by C. David Heymann, Brando attempted to tell the story but was blocked from publishing his account. Read on to find out more.
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Brando supposedly wrote about the affair.
For his book, Heymann said he obtained words that Brando had written about his sexual relationship with Jackie that the actor wanted to publish in his 1994 memoir Songs My Mother Taught Me. As reported by Page Six, Heymann said the story was in the first draft of the book, but that an editor friend of Jackie's stopped Brando from including it.
Brando wrote that Jackie asked him to spend the night.
Heymann's book claims that Brando said Jackie came on to him and asked him to stay the night with her when they were spending time together.
"[A]ccording to Brando, [their] three-hour meal included a good deal of drinking," the book reads (via Page Six). "Jackie and the actor danced and drank. During their dance, Jackie, deeply attracted to Brando, 'pressed her thighs' suggestively into his. They danced again, then sat down and began to 'make out.'"
The passage continues, "In Brando's words, 'From all I'd read and heard about her, Jacqueline Kennedy seemed coquettish and sensual but not particularly sexual. If anything, I pictured her as more voyeur than player. But that wasn't the case. She kept waiting for me to try to get her into bed. When I failed to make a move, she took matters into her own hands and popped the magic question. 'Would you like to spend the night?' And I said, 'I thought you'd never ask.'"
They had one more tryst.
Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story alleges that Brando and Jackie got together one other time. They are said to have met up at a New York City apartment belonging to one of Brando's friends.
Brando said, according to the book, "I'm not sure she knew what she was doing sexually, but she did it well." He also is said to have commented on her "boyish hips" and "muscular frame."
Heymann says that the affair didn't continue past these two occasions. "Having twice consummated her relationship with Brando, Jackie showed no interest in pursuing him further," the book reads.
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The book is about another rumored affair.
Jackie's reported affair with Brando is only one small part of Heymann's book. It focuses overall on a long-rumored affair between Jackie and JFK's brother, Robert, which the book claims began six months after John's death. Robert had been married to his wife, Ethel Kennedy, since 1950, and they were together until he was assassinated in 1968. The book claims the affair lasted four years and includes pieces of evidence sources close to the pair shared during their lifetimes.
Franklin Roosevelt Jr., who was JFK's Under Secretary of Commerce said in the book (via Today), "Everybody knew about the affair. I suspect Bobby would've liked to dump [his wife] Ethel and marry Jackie, but, of course, that wasn't possible."
The book did not go over well with everyone implicated. The Daily Mail reported that sources close to the Kennedys denied the claims.
Brando and Jackie both had full romantic lives.
After her marriage to JFK—and alleged affairs with Brando and RFK—Jackie married Aristotle Onassis in 1968 and was with him until his death in 1975. Jackie died nearly 20 years later in 1994 at age 64.
As for Brando, he and Teriipaia divorced in 1972. The actor had many relationships during his lifetime and fathered 11 children. In addition to Jackie, he was also publicly said to have had affairs with other men, including comedian Richard Pryor. Brando's friend Quincy Jones dropped the bombshell in an interview, and Pryor's widow confirmed it; though it was denied by Pryor's daughter and one of Brando's sons. Brando died in 2004 at age 80.
Lia Beck Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more.Read moreFiled UnderCelebrities • Entertainment • Old HollywoodRead This NextSee Jackie Kennedy's Lookalike Granddaughter
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