Tuki Brando
Encyclopedia
Tuki Brando is a French Polynesian fashion model from Tahiti
and currently the face of Versace menswear. The son of Cheyenne Brando
and Dag Drollet, he is the grandson of Academy Award
-winning American
actor Marlon Brando
and Golden Globe-nominated Tahitian actress Tarita Teriipia
.
, a Tahiti
an whom he met while filming Mutiny on the Bounty
in 1962
. His father, Dag Drollet, was killed by his mother's half-brother, Christian
, in 1990, before Tuki was born. Cheyenne Brando, suffering from alcohol and drug abuse was committed to a hospital and diagnosed with schizophrenia shortly after Tuki's birth. She committed suicide in 1995, by hanging herself in her mother's home. Tuki was subsequently raised in Tahiti by his grandmother Teriipia.
Despite seeing his grandfather regularly while growing up, 13-year-old Tuki Brando was omitted from the elder Brando's will, estimated to be worth over $22 million dollars. Brando's will did include Teriipia, friends and nine of his fourteen children.
shot Brando for L’Uomo Vogue, the Italian men's version of Vogue
: the magazine's cover and a 22-page spread inside. Photographer Mario Testino
spotted Brando in Milan
, Italy
and he quickly gained attention in the fashion world. Soon after, at 17, he was named the face of the 2007 Versace Fall men's campaign.
In 2011, Brando became one of the faces of Technomarine watches, photographed by Nicolas Guerin.
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
and currently the face of Versace menswear. The son of Cheyenne Brando
Cheyenne Brando
Tarita Cheyenne Brando was the daughter of Marlon Brando by his third wife Tarita Teriipia, a Tahitian whom he met while filming Mutiny on the Bounty in 1962....
and Dag Drollet, he is the grandson of Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-winning American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor Marlon Brando
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...
and Golden Globe-nominated Tahitian actress Tarita Teriipia
Tarita Teriipia
Tarita Teriipaia is a former actress of French Polynesian and Chinese descent most famous for being the wife of Marlon Brando...
.
Background
Tuki Brando's mother, Cheyenne Brando, was the daughter of Marlon Brando and his third wife Tarita TeriipiaTarita Teriipia
Tarita Teriipaia is a former actress of French Polynesian and Chinese descent most famous for being the wife of Marlon Brando...
, a Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
an whom he met while filming Mutiny on the Bounty
Mutiny on the Bounty (1962 film)
Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1962 film starring Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The film retells the 1789 real-life mutiny aboard HMAV Bounty led by Fletcher Christian against the ship's captain, William Bligh...
in 1962
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
. His father, Dag Drollet, was killed by his mother's half-brother, Christian
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...
, in 1990, before Tuki was born. Cheyenne Brando, suffering from alcohol and drug abuse was committed to a hospital and diagnosed with schizophrenia shortly after Tuki's birth. She committed suicide in 1995, by hanging herself in her mother's home. Tuki was subsequently raised in Tahiti by his grandmother Teriipia.
Despite seeing his grandfather regularly while growing up, 13-year-old Tuki Brando was omitted from the elder Brando's will, estimated to be worth over $22 million dollars. Brando's will did include Teriipia, friends and nine of his fourteen children.
Modelling career
Brando came to modelling when a family friend suggested him to a modelling agent. His first job was in 2006, when photographer Bruce WeberBruce Weber (photographer)
Bruce Weber is an American fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker. He is most widely known for his ad campaigns for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Pirelli, Abercrombie & Fitch, Revlon, and Gianni Versace, as well as his work for Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, Life, Interview, and Rolling Stone...
shot Brando for L’Uomo Vogue, the Italian men's version of Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
: the magazine's cover and a 22-page spread inside. Photographer Mario Testino
Mario Testino
-Early Life:Testino grew up in Lima, the eldest son of a businessman. When he was young he wanted to be a priest. Testino recalls being unpopular at school because of his flamboyance. He was good at math and went on to study economics at Universidad del Pacífico, where his insistence on wearing...
spotted Brando in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and he quickly gained attention in the fashion world. Soon after, at 17, he was named the face of the 2007 Versace Fall men's campaign.
In 2011, Brando became one of the faces of Technomarine watches, photographed by Nicolas Guerin.