God Forgives But Marlon Brando Doesn’t: Infamous Photographer Had To Wear a Football Helmet For Protection After Brando Broke His Jaw

One obsessive paparazzi met his match after crossing paths with Marlon Brando, who allegedly left the former with a broken jaw.

Photographer Ron Galella rose to notoriety in the 60s over his obsession with Jackie Kennedy.

But while he made a career out of his relentless pursuit of celebrities, his commitment to taking un-posed photos of major figures often landed him in a heap of trouble throughout his stint as a paparazzi.

Jackie Kennedy | Credit: Cecil Stoughton/ CC-CC0/Wikimedia Commons

One such instance occurred when he crossed paths with Marlon Brando, and the encounter apparently left him with a broken jaw.

But the incident did little to change his relentless tactics toward celebs.

Marlon Brando’s alleged payback left paparazzi with a broken jaw

Marlon Brando in The Godfather | Credit: Paramount Pictures

In his memoir, Songs My Mother Taught Me, Marlon Brando confessed to having a brief affair with Jackie Kennedy in the aftermath of John F.

Kennedy’s assassination.

Given Ron Galella’s relentless pursuit of Jackie Kennedy’s un-posed photos, which even landed the former in legal trouble, per Galella, the actor’s alleged punch was a “payback for Jackie”.

After the duo met in person, (via Vanity Fair) “[Brando] He knocked out five teeth and broke my jaw.”

Brando knew about the court battle with Jackie.

So he asked Cavett, ‘Which one is Galella?’ And he said, ‘The tall one.’

Brando called me over and said, ‘What else do you want?’ They both had sunglasses on even though it was at night, and so I started to say it’d be nice to get a shot without the glasses, and before I said that he socked me.

He knocked out five teeth and broke my jaw.

And I believe that was all payback for Jackie.

Although it can’t be said for certain if Brando’s apparent affair with Jackie Kennedy had anything to do with the alleged punch, Galella on the other hand refused to change his ways.

Ron Galella returned to the paparazzi landscape with additional gear

Marlon Brando in The Godfather | Credit: Paramount Pictures

Despite concurring a broken jaw after Brando’s alleged punch, which apparently knocked out five of his teeth, Galella ended up doubling down on his celebrity pursuit.

Moreover, the infamous paparazzi even secured a $40K sum in a lawsuit against the Oscar winner, and following his return, the photographer started wearing a football helmet as protection against celebs.

While shedding light on his methods that cemented his name as one of the most infamous figures in paparazzi history, Galella added (via The Telegraph):

You have to be sneaky, you gotta hide.

As soon as you see the celeb, you jump, try to beat the cops and, soon as they pull you away, it’s too late, you’ve got the picture already!

Even though paparazzi aren’t exactly a thing of the past, since the rise of social media, their presence has significantly reduced.