He was a hell of an actor.
Look at his work in Marty (1955) for which he won an academy award.
Many people think of him as a comedic actor, but he had a great range.
He would have been the correct age for Vito as well (55).
Really doesn't matter, because Brando owned the role.
Absolutely. I only mentioned Dirty Dozen because I thought more people would recall that role over his others.