10 Fascinating Facts About Her

June 2024 · 9 minute read

On her own, Ninna Priscilla Brando is not famous but is one of the 11 acknowledged children of American actor, Marlon Brando. She was born during Marlon’s relationship with his long-term maid and mistress Maria Christina Ruiz.

Her father led a life in the spotlight and became one of the most iconic Hollywood actors of all time. He interpreted roles in Superman and The Godfather. For his exceptional performances for about 6 decades, Ninna’s father, Marlon, gained accolades, such as 2 Academy Awards out of 8 nominations, 3 British Academy Film Awards, and 4 Golden Globe Awards among others.

Fascinating Facts About Ninna Priscilla Brando no One Told You About

10. She is a Decendant of the Founder of New York

Ninna Pricilla Brando was born in the United States of America to Marlon and his former housekeeper, Maria Christina Ruiz. She is the descendant of Louis DuBois, a French Huguenot colonist who founded New York.

Her ancestry from her father’s side is mostly German, Dutch, English, and Irish. On the part of her mother, she is a descendant of Guatemala, a country in Central America that is bordered by Mexico, Belize, and the Caribbean.

Ninna celebrates her birthday on Novemer 11 of every year. However, the exact year she was born remains contradictory.

While there are sources that claim that she was born in 1988, others suggest that she was born in 1989. Despite this, her parents’ affair started in 1988 and lasted till 2001.

9. Who are Her Siblings?

Ninna has 10 siblings – 2 siblings born to her mother and father while 8 were born to her father from his previous relationships with Anna Kashfi, Movita Castaneda, and Tarita Teriipaia.

The siblings she shares the same parents with are Myles Jonathan Brando (born: 1992; Age: 31 years old), and Timothy Grahan Brando (Born: 1994; Age: 29).

Many of her siblings live private lives aside from actor Christian Brando and French model, Cheyenne Brando who is the most renowned.

Her half-brother Christian had a brief career as an actor. Yet, much of his fame was gathered through controversies. He drew attention to himself as regards the murder of his sister’s then-boyfriend, Dag Drollet.

As to why Christian committed the murder, it was alleged that Dag was abusive towards Ninna’s other half-sister Cheyenne. This prompted a confrontation that would lead to the killing in 1995.

Although he claimed that it was an accident, Cheyenne refused to testify and it wasn’t proven that the murder was premeditated.

Christian ended up receiving a 10-year sentence, but served about 5 and was later released before he was placed on probation.

This would not be the only time that Ninna’s sibling would be involved in a murder controversy. In 2001, Christian was as well accused of killing Bony Lee Bakley who at the time was married to the American actor, Robert Blake.

In the same light, Robert was also accused of the murder. The 2 men were accused of the murder because Bonny was killed after she had made a revelation that Christian was responsible for her pregnancy. However, DNA showed that Blake was responsible.

After investigations, none of the 2 men were found guilty and the mystery surrounding her murder remained unsolved.

In spite of the controversies that surrounded Christian, Ninna keeps herself away from the spotlight and there is no recorded scenario of her in controversy.

List of All Her Siblings

8. Her Father is Said to Have Sexually Molested Her Half-Sister

Ninna’s half-sister, Cheyenne alleged that she was sexually molested by their father, Marlon Brando.

Marlon denied the allegation but Cheyenne’s mother, Tarita Teriipaia confirmed the story in a tell-all book, Marlon, My Love & My Torment. According to her side of the story, Cheyenne wrote the account in her diary that Marlon would massage her as though he wanted her to pretend they were making love.

Tarita further claimed that perhaps, the abuse may have pushed the 25-year-old Cheyenne to commit suicide by hanging in 1995.

Even with this, there are documents on the mental health of Ninna’s half-sister, Cheyenne. Many of them claim that she sampled numerous drugs, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

As such, it is not out of place that people may wonder if the claim of the former model about her father was true, or if he was “lucky” that there was something he could shield himself with as regards the allegations.

Whatever the case, this would not be the only time that the former Hollywood star was involved in a sexual allegation. He was accused by actress, Maria Schneider of rape – but this time, it was on a movie set.

The rape was part of the script of Last Tango in Paris (1972). Even though she agreed to the scene, Schneider claimed that she did not consent to the use of butter as a lubricant. This would let her claim that she felt raped by Ninna’s father and the director, Bernardo Bertolucci.

Despite all of these claims, Ninna Lee Brando has not given any indication or statement as to experiencing any alleged molestation by her father or even a rape claim.

7. Her Family Has a History of Abuse

Right from her paternal grandparents,  there has been cases of abuse running in the family. Her father, Marlon Brando jnr., was raised by a father, Marlon Brando Sr., who physically abused him.

His mother, Ninna’s paternal grandmother was also no saint as she was an alcoholic. She was involved in the emotional abuse that Marlon had passed through.

Ruefully, Ninna’s father also had his demons to fight. In his case however, those demons were in the form of sexual abuse cases.

In a similar case, Ninna Priscilla Brando’s half-brother, Christian was also involved in physical assault. He was sued by his ex-wife Deborah Presley for physically abusing her.

Christian also dealt with being verbally abusive, and to crown it all, there was murder! The abuse however may largely surround Ninna’s family but there is no case of her being in a similar position.

6. Is Ninna Priscilla Brando Related to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson?

Ninna may not have any biological connection to the 2 American music legends, Elvis Presley, or Michael Jackson. However, her family has connections with both men in different ways.

With respect to the Can’t Help Falling in Love singer, Presley, her half-sibling Christian was married to Deborah Presley. She is an actress and claimed to be an illegitimate daughter of Elvis Presley. As a result of the marriage, Ninna could have been an in-law to Presley, or maybe not!

Her relationship with the African-American musician and dancer Micheal Jackson (died: 2009), was a closely knitted and trusted one.

Based on some reports, Nina’s father and Michael were so close that the older Brando spent a lot of his last days with the Moon Walk dancer.

Her brother Miko Brando was also the driver and security guard for Jackson further solidifying their family relationship.

Judging by the closeness of her family to Jackson, it may not be out of place that she could have had a platonic relationship with the musician.

5. Her Mother Filed a Lawsuit Against Her Father

Maria Christina Ruiz, Ninna’s mother who was a maid in the Brando household, had an affair with Marlon Brando from the 1990s to around 2001. She bore him 3 children and Ninna Priscilla was the first.

In 2002, Maria filed a lawsuit, demanding $100 million against Marlon. She claimed that he promised to support her forever, but did not fulfill the promise. At the time of the lawsuit, Ninna was no lesser than 13 years.

Nonetheless, a report by Daily Mail affirmed that at the time of the lawsuit, Marlo’s estate was only worth about 20 million euros, hence he could not afford what she was demanding.

Furthermore, the court thought the promise was not documented and for that, she did not get what she wanted. Yet, she was given a $125,000 out-of-court settlement.

4. Is Ninna Priscilla Brando Gay?

While there is no clear knowledge of Ninna’s sexual orientation, her supposed Facebook page has many pictures of her with another woman that may suggest intimacy.

Regardless, her father was also said to be a man of many sexual adventures with people, including famous men.  He reportedly slept with James Baldwin, Richard Pryor, and Marvin Gaye; even though he was married 3 times to women.

The story of his being bisexual was further confirmed by his previous wife – Jenniffer Lee.

3. How Her Father Died

Ninna’s father, Marlon, had suffered from obesity in the early-to-mid-1990s. He was over 300 pounds (140kg), suffered from Type 2 diabetes, and had liver cancer.

On July 1, 2004, the highly celebrated actor died of respiratory failure from pulmonary fibrosis (a condition that causes the lungs to become scarred over time) with congestive heart failure. He died at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center when Ninna was a teenager.

His body was cremated, and his ashes were subsequently scattered in Tahiti and Death Valley.

See Also: Jelani Asar Snipes Is Wesley Snipes’ Son: 7 Unknown Facts

2. What is Her Net Worth?

The exact net worth of Marlon Brando’s daughter remains a mystery but may be up to $100,000 in estimation.

How she made the income is unclear since she has chosen to live a life away from the media.

Be it as it may, she was born to one of the most established American actors, Marlon, and his net worth is estimated at $100 million at the time of his death.

He made his wealth majorly from his professional acting career that started in the 1940s. He brought to life the characters of Johnny Strabler in The Wild One (1953), Freddy Benson in Bedtime Stories (1964), Paul in Last Tango in Paris (1972), and Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972).

Apart from his acting credits, Marlon is famous for directing One-Eyed Jacks (1961) and producing Lying for a Living (2002). He again served as a cinematographer.

At the height of his career, as recorded by the Guinness Book of Records, Marlon was paid a record $3.7 million ($17 million in inflation-adjusted dollars). In addition, he supposedly received 11.75% of the gross profits for his contribution to Superman. 

Even though the career of Ninna’s father boomed very well in the 1950s to 1970s, his career later declined as it was reported that he was becoming too difficult to handle.

This caused his wealth to decline as well. He, nevertheless, won several notable awards, including 2 Academy Awards.

Following the death of the older Brando, his wealth was inherited by his producer, other associates (that may or may not include Ninna Brando), and Angela Borlaza – his longtime housekeeper.

1. Where is Ninna Priscilla Brando Now?

There is barely any information about the Hollywood actor’s daughter. What is certain is that she lives a quiet life as compared to a number of her family members.

Ninna Priscilla Brando is an American celebrity love child of The Godfather actor, Marlon Brando. Despite enjoying fame through her father who died in 2004 at the age of 80, Ninna chose a private life. In her own right, she may be achieving greatness in stillness, but will she one day come into the spotlight?

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