Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American actress who took the Oscars stage in 1973 to say no Marlon Brando’s award, died Sunday, the Academy of Movement Footage stated. She was 75.
“Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American civil rights activist who famously declined Marlon Brando’s 1973 Finest Actor Academy Award, dies at 75,” learn the tweet.
Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photograph Gallery
In 1973, Littlefeather acquired up on stage to say no Brando’s win for The Godfather the place she stated the next: “He very regretfully can not settle for this very beneficiant award. And the explanations for this being are the therapy of American Indians in the present day by the movie business… and on tv in film re-runs, and in addition with current happenings at Wounded Knee.”
Earlier this yr, a documentary titled Sacheen: Breaking The Silence had Littlefeather revealing she was “blacklisted” by Hollywood following the political stunt.
“It was the primary time anybody had made a political assertion on the Oscars,” Littlefeather says within the documentary. “It was the primary Oscars ceremony to be broadcast by satellite tv for pc all around the world, which is why Marlon selected it. I didn’t have a night gown so Marlon informed me to put on my buckskin.”
She additionally famous that John Wayne “was within the wings and wished to storm onto the stage and drag me off.”
In August of this yr, the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences issued a “assertion of reconciliation” the place they formally apologized to Littlefeather.
The actor issued a press release following the apology that learn, “Concerning the Academy’s apology to me, we Indians are very affected person folks—it’s solely been 50 years! We have to hold our humorousness about this always. It’s our methodology of survival,” stated Littlefeather in in the present day’s press launch.”
Littlefeather’s performing credit embrace Shoot the Solar Down (1978), Winterhawk (1975), Johnny Firecloud (1975), Freebie and the Bean (1974), The Trial of Billy Jack (1974), The Laughing Policeman (1973) and Counselor at Crime (1973).
