Anna Kashfi
Encyclopedia
Anna Kashfi is a former film actress, who had a brief Hollywood career in the 1950s and is best known for having been married to Marlon Brando
.
-born steel worker of Irish descent, who had been a traffic superintendent on the Indian State railways; his wife was English and told the press "there is no Indian blood in my family or my husband's family". In her book, Brando for Breakfast, published in 1979, however, Kashfi claimed that she really is half-Indian and that the press incorrectly believed that William O'Callaghan was her real father when he was, she stated, her stepfather. Kashfi wrote that her biological father was Indian and that she was the result of an "unregistered alliance" between her parents. Film director Edward Dmytryk
, who directed the actress in her first film, stated that he knew her real surname was Irish but he said he assumed that she was half-Indian.
and in a butcher shop before moving to London
, where she became a model
The actress made her debut screen appearance using the stage name Anna Kashfi as a Hindu
girl in The Mountain
(1956) for Paramount
with Spencer Tracy
and Robert Wagner
. In her next film she co-starred with Rock Hudson
as a Korea
n girl in Battle Hymn
(1957). This was followed by Cowboy (1958) with Glenn Ford
and Jack Lemmon
in which she played a Mexican
. Her next and last film during this period was Night of the Quarter Moon (1959). She made a few appearances on television, including the series Adventures in Paradise
, though drug and alcohol problems reportedly contributed to the premature end of her acting career
magazine as saying, "That's our daughter, and both me and missus were born in London." The magazine further stated that "MGM, which likes Johanna-Anna in her off-shoulder sari, first hedged, then admitted her identity."
The Brandos had a son, Christian Devi Brando
, (1958–2008), and fought bitterly over custody of the boy, with Brando eventually obtaining custody. Kashfi married James Hannaford, a salesman, in 1974. They remained married until his death.
In the 1990s, her son, Christian, whom she called "Devi", was tried for killing his half-sister Cheyenne Brando's boyfriend, Dag Drollet. Christian Brando died of pneumonia in Los Angeles in 2008, aged 49. Kashfi has one grandson, Michael Brando (born 1988).
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
.
Early life and origins
Johanna O'Callaghan was born in Darjeeling and raised in Calcutta, India and, later, Cardiff, Wales, where the family moved in 1947. William P. O'Callaghan was a LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-born steel worker of Irish descent, who had been a traffic superintendent on the Indian State railways; his wife was English and told the press "there is no Indian blood in my family or my husband's family". In her book, Brando for Breakfast, published in 1979, however, Kashfi claimed that she really is half-Indian and that the press incorrectly believed that William O'Callaghan was her real father when he was, she stated, her stepfather. Kashfi wrote that her biological father was Indian and that she was the result of an "unregistered alliance" between her parents. Film director Edward Dmytryk
Edward Dmytryk
Edward Dmytryk was an American film director who was amongst the Hollywood Ten, a group of blacklisted film industry professionals who served time in prison for being in contempt of Congress during the McCarthy-era 'red scare'.-Early life:Dmytryk was born in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada,...
, who directed the actress in her first film, stated that he knew her real surname was Irish but he said he assumed that she was half-Indian.
Career
She worked as a waitress in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and in a butcher shop before moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where she became a model
The actress made her debut screen appearance using the stage name Anna Kashfi as a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
girl in The Mountain
The Mountain (1956 film)
The Mountain is a 1956 dramatic film starring Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner. The supporting cast included Claire Trevor, Richard Arlen, William Demarest, and Anna Kashfi...
(1956) for Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
with Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
and Robert Wagner
Robert Wagner
Robert John Wagner is an American actor of stage, screen, and television.A veteran of many films in the 1950s and 1960s, Wagner gained prominence in three American television series that spanned three decades: It Takes a Thief , Switch , and Hart to Hart...
. In her next film she co-starred with Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
as a Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n girl in Battle Hymn
Battle Hymn (film)
Battle Hymn is a Universal Studios feature film starring Rock Hudson as Colonel Dean E. Hess, a real-life United States Air Force fighter pilot in the Korean War. Hess's autobiography of the same name was published concurrently with the release of the film. He donated his profits from the film and...
(1957). This was followed by Cowboy (1958) with Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
and Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
in which she played a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Her next and last film during this period was Night of the Quarter Moon (1959). She made a few appearances on television, including the series Adventures in Paradise
Adventures in Paradise
Adventures in Paradise is an American television series which ran on ABC from 1959 until 1962. It starred Gardner McKay as Adam Troy, the captain of the schooner Tiki III which sailed the South Pacific looking for passengers and adventure. The show was created by James Michener...
, though drug and alcohol problems reportedly contributed to the premature end of her acting career
Personal life
Kashfi married Marlon Brando on October 11, 1957, and they were divorced on April 22, 1959. According to The New York Times (October 14, 1957), though Kashfi's parents had been identified as the O'Callaghans, she did not identify them as her parents on her marriage license, instead stating that her father was Devi Kashfi and her mother was Selma Ghose; a friend of the bride stated that Kashfi's purported Indian father had died six weeks before the Brandos' wedding. The O'Callaghans' were adamant that Kashfi was their child, and William O'Callaghan was quoted in TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine as saying, "That's our daughter, and both me and missus were born in London." The magazine further stated that "MGM, which likes Johanna-Anna in her off-shoulder sari, first hedged, then admitted her identity."
The Brandos had a son, Christian Devi Brando
Christian Brando
Christian Brando was the eldest child of actor Marlon Brando. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of the boyfriend of his half-sister Cheyenne. On May 16, 1990, Christian Brando had shot Dag Drollet to death at Marlon Brando's residence on Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles. He was...
, (1958–2008), and fought bitterly over custody of the boy, with Brando eventually obtaining custody. Kashfi married James Hannaford, a salesman, in 1974. They remained married until his death.
In the 1990s, her son, Christian, whom she called "Devi", was tried for killing his half-sister Cheyenne Brando's boyfriend, Dag Drollet. Christian Brando died of pneumonia in Los Angeles in 2008, aged 49. Kashfi has one grandson, Michael Brando (born 1988).
Books
- Anna K. Brando and E. P. SteinRichard A. EpsteinRichard Arnold Epstein , also known under the pseudonym E. P. Stein, is a notable American game theorist.-Education:...
, Brando for Breakfast, Berkley Pub Group, 1980, ISBN 0425046982.
Filmography
- The MountainThe Mountain (1956 film)The Mountain is a 1956 dramatic film starring Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner. The supporting cast included Claire Trevor, Richard Arlen, William Demarest, and Anna Kashfi...
(1956) - Battle HymnBattle Hymn (film)Battle Hymn is a Universal Studios feature film starring Rock Hudson as Colonel Dean E. Hess, a real-life United States Air Force fighter pilot in the Korean War. Hess's autobiography of the same name was published concurrently with the release of the film. He donated his profits from the film and...
(1957) - Cowboy (1958)
- Night of the Quarter Moon (1959)
Television appearances
- Adventures In ParadiseAdventures in ParadiseAdventures in Paradise is an American television series which ran on ABC from 1959 until 1962. It starred Gardner McKay as Adam Troy, the captain of the schooner Tiki III which sailed the South Pacific looking for passengers and adventure. The show was created by James Michener...
(1959) - The DeputyThe Deputy (TV series)The Deputy is a 1959-1961 half-hour NBC western series featuring Henry Fonda as Chief Marshal Simon Fry of the Arizona Territory and Allen Case as Deputy Clay McCord, a storekeeper who tried to avoid using a gun.-Production:...
(1960) - BroncoBronco (TV series)Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James,...
(1960)