Marlon Brando’s ‘Godfather’ Tuxedo Heads to Auction for the First Time
3 min
It’s an offer fans of The Godfather can’t refuse: The tuxedo Marlon Brando wore in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece will be heading to auction for the first time in September.
Carrying a pre-sale estimate of US$200,000, the complete formal tuxedo—which previously had been held in a private collection—was worn by Brando in the opening wedding scenes of his Academy Award-winning role as “Vito Corleone.” (According to Hollywood lore, Brando wore his own personal tuxedo in the film as he refused to have a fitting for a new one.) It’s just one of several Brando items scheduled to be sold by Studio Auctions; also going up for grabs will be his filming script (no estimate provided) from The Godfather , as well as his personal Rolodex containing the names and phone numbers of Hollywood’s elite. (Pre-sale estimate: US$40,000).
The three-day event—titled “From Bombshells to Blasters: An Auction You Can’t Refuse” —will be held from Sept. 20-22 at the auction house’s headquarters in Burbank, Calif.
Thann Clarke
“Each item tells a unique story and holds a piece of cinematic history that has left a major impact on American culture,”says Brad Teplitsky, co-founder at Studio Auctions.
“These pieces span generations and ensure there’s something for everyone, from Star Wars fans to admirers of Hollywood’s Golden Age.”
Collectors of Hollywood memorabilia will get the chance to own authenticated items from icons like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, as well as collectibles from classics such as The Wizard of Oz, Iron Man, and Alien . The auction will also feature the artwork collection of Academy Award-winning production designer/art director Rick Carter, which spans several films Steven Spielberg had a role in creating, including Back to the Future and Jurassic Park , as well as Avatar and Star Wars.
Thann Clarke
Among the instantly recognisable props never before seen at auction is the rare appearance of a screen-used character suit from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Iron Man’s “Mark 46 TA Hero Suit Torso,” worn by Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man: Civil War (2020). Constructed of cast fibreglass, resin, and mixed-media components, the electrically wired torso is expected to sell for upward of US$200,000.
Bidders will also have the chance to own the hero wand prop used on screen by Billie Burke as Glinda the “Good Witch of the South” in The Wizard of Oz (1939), which carries a pre-sale estimate of US$100,000.
“These are extremely rare items, and the fact that none of the mentioned pieces have ever been to auction before adds a layer of exclusivity,” says Teplitsky. “Owning something like Marlon Brando’s tuxedo from The Godfather , one of the most iconic movies of all time, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a fragment of cinematic history.”
The live auction will be streamed for bidders worldwide, and pre-bidding will open on Aug. 20 at StudioAuctions.com.
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The Federal Budget may have softened some of its proposed tax reforms, but it has exposed a bigger issue: too many families are relying on wealth structures that no longer reflect the realities of modern life.
3 min
For many Australians, the 2026 Federal Budget initially felt like a direct challenge to the way wealth is created, held and transferred between generations.
The headlines were immediate: changes to capital gains tax, reforms to discretionary trusts, restrictions on negative gearing and increased scrutiny of investment structures. Unsurprisingly, affluent families, business owners and investors began asking the same question:
Is the way we hold our wealth still fit for purpose?
In recent days, the government has announced several significant amendments following industry consultation and public feedback, including exempting testamentary trusts from the proposed 30 per cent minimum tax and expanding capital gains tax concessions for small businesses.
The backdown is welcome. But it also highlights something much bigger.
This Budget has accelerated a conversation that many Australian families have been postponing for years.
The conversation is not really about tax. It is about wealth stewardship.
For decades, Australians have built wealth through businesses, property, investments and careful long-term planning. Yet many families have not revisited the legal structures surrounding those assets in years, sometimes decades.
We often see clients who have spent years building significant wealth, only to discover their legal arrangements no longer reflect their current circumstances.
Their children are now adults. They may own multiple properties.
They may have sold a business, entered a second marriage, become grandparents or accumulated digital assets that did not exist when their original estate plans were prepared.
The trust that distributes income may need to be reconsidered. The bucket company may no longer be so attractive.
The Budget has simply exposed a reality that already existed: wealth structures cannot remain static while life continues to evolve.
Importantly, trusts themselves are not the issue.
Trusts are legitimate planning tools that provide flexibility, protection and continuity. When used appropriately, they allow families to adapt to changing circumstances over time.
And neither is tax the issue, really. Getting the fundamentals right is more important for long-term, sustainable wealth than a few favourable tax treatments around the edges.
The real issue is complacency.
Too often, families create structures and assume the job is done. It isn’t.
Estate planning is no longer a document you sign once and file away in a drawer. It is an ongoing process that should evolve alongside your life.
We are also seeing a broader shift in how Australians define wealth itself. It is no longer just the family home and an investment portfolio.
Modern wealth includes businesses, digital assets, cryptocurrency, intellectual property, frequent flyer points and increasingly complex family arrangements.
At the same time, Australians are living longer than ever before, meaning wealth may need to support multiple generations simultaneously. This creates new responsibilities and new risks.
How do you help your children enter the property market without exposing family wealth to relationship breakdowns?
How do you structure wealth so that it remains a source of opportunity rather than future conflict?
These are the questions families should be asking now.
The recent debate surrounding testamentary trusts also serves as an important reminder that policy decisions can have unintended consequences for vulnerable Australians. It is encouraging that the government has listened to feedback and clarified its position.
But the lesson remains: the wealth landscape is changing.
Increasingly, governments, regulators and tax authorities are paying closer attention to how wealth is held and transferred. That means families cannot afford to adopt a “set-and-forget” approach to their structures.
The families who will be best placed for the future are not necessarily those with the greatest wealth.
They are the families with the greatest clarity. Clarity around ownership, succession and governance. And clarity around how wealth will transition from one generation to the next.
Ultimately, preserving wealth is not about avoiding change.
It is about preparing for it.
Because the greatest risk is not change itself.
It is losing the ability to respond to it.
Anthony Hunt is Co-Founder of Wealth Lawyers and former COO of Westpac Private Bank. He advises business owners, investors and affluent Australian families on wealth protection, succession planning and intergenerational wealth transfer
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