Tarita Teriipaia

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Tarita Tumi Teriipaia (born December 29, 1941 in Bora Bora , French Polynesia ) is a Polynesian dancer who owes her fame to her appearance in the film Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), in which she played the role of Maimiti. She is the mother of two children to Marlon Brando , the leading actor in the film.

Life

Tarita Teriipaia grew up with five siblings. Her parents were fishermen; the family had both Polynesian and Chinese roots. Teriipaia was discovered by an MGM film crew who had been in Tahiti since the end of 1960 to shoot the exterior shots for the film Mutiny on the Bounty . Teriipaia was working as a dishwasher and dancer in a restaurant at the time and was selected for the role because she danced wonderfully, was very beautiful and exactly the type of voluptuous, innocent South Seas beauty that the producers had in mind. The role was extremely undemanding as an actor, so Teriipaia's inexperience in front of the camera did not cause any problems. She received an industry-standard long-term studio contract from MGM and was later announced to the public as a "primitive" who had never worn shoes in her life. After filming Mutiny on the Bounty , she didn't get any more roles - Brando is said to have made sure of that.

Marlon Brando, who played the role of Fletcher Christian in the film and was a notorious womanizer , took over the personal care of Teriipaia during the filming and soon began a love affair with her that lasted - with many interruptions - until the end of his life. The son Teihotu was born on May 30, 1963, the daughter Tarita Zumi Cheyenne on February 20, 1970 ; Brando only gave both of them his name on February 12, 1973. Since the birth of Teihotu, Teriipaia lived mostly on a beach property in Papeete , which Brando bought for her at that time.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ according to ARD report on Marlon Brando from September 3, 2007

literature

Autobiography:

  • Tarita Teriipaia, Lionel Duroy: Marlon Brando - my love, my sorrow. Heyne, 2006. ISBN 3-453-60030-4 ; French original edition: Marlon Brando, mon amour, ma déchirure , Pocket, 2006, ISBN 2-266-15831-7

Book in which Teriipaia is mentioned frequently:

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Teriipaia, Tarita
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Teriipaia, Tarita Tumi (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French Polynesian actress
DATE OF BIRTH December 29, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Bora Bora , French Polynesia