What do you think of when the late actor Marlon Brando comes to mind? His early films in which he played swaggering, roguish anti-heroes like On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire? Or his Academy Award-winning turn as the gravelly-voiced crime family boss Vito Corleone in the 1972 gangster classic The Godfather? Courtney Love has other thoughts about the iconic star, who died in 2004 at the age of 80.
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In fact, Love reportedly suspected that Brando was her grandfather. He allegedly had a fling with Love's grandmother Paula Fox way back on the 1940s. Love talked about the actor on April 1, 2026, when she was a guest on The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan.
Love Was Not Impressed With Brando
Courtney Love. 61, is the widow of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. Not mincing words, she bluntly shared with Corgan that Marlon Brando completely turned her off. "When I met him, I thought he was super repulsive and that tracked. I was like, 'Oh, I must be related to this guy.'"
Love was acquainted with Brando's neighbor, actor Warren Beatty. She reportedly persuaded Beatty to arrange an informal get-together with her and Brando. The circumstances were a little odd. Love claims she told Beatty, "'I just want to meet him. I don't want anything from Marlon Brando.' And then Warren, he said, 'Marlon wants a note from you.' So I wrote him a note. 'I don't want anything from you.'"
She Allegedly Thought of Stealing His Toothbrush for a DNA Sample
Courtney Love reportedly was in Brando's bathroom. She spied his toothbrush. The rocker considered grabbing it for a DNA sample that would prove or disprove her theory about him being her granddad.
But she nixed the idea. Love said, "Nah. Like, nah. Maybe I'm too much of a feminist, but I was like, 'I don't need your last name.' That's how I felt. Also, I gave my word. But I'm glad I didn't because it turned out he wasn't even my grandfather, so there's the comedy there."
Love's Grandmother and Brando Crossed Paths Decades Ago
Per People, Marlon Brando and Paula Fox were both staying with the illustrious acting coach Stella Adler during the 1940s. At that time, per the outlet, "Fox conceived Love's mother, Linda Carroll." She surrendered Carroll so she could be adopted.
Love did not mention the name of her grandfather. Paula Fox died nine years ago. In a 2013 article in The Observer, Fox made her dislike of Courtney Love very clear. She reportedly said, "She's awful, she's awful. She's terrible! I met with her for an hour, and the hour was like an hour in the devil's pocket, for both of us. Things last such a short time in this country. People have their moments. Courtney had her moment, and was very strong, and she had enormous vitality, but that moment is gone."
For her part, Love allegedly said, "Paula's absolute dislike of me is shocking and inexplicable."
