Sacheen Littlefeather, who famously declined Marlon Brando's Oscar, passes away at 75
File photo of Sacheen Littlefeather
Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American actress and civil rights activist who famously declined Marlon Brando's 1973 Best Actor Academy Award, has died. Littlefeather, 75, breathed her last on Sunday at her home in the Northern California city of Novato surrounded by her loved ones, said a statement from her caretaker.
In March 2018, Littlefeather had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, and according to reports, it had metastasized in recent years.
The sad news of the former actress' demise was also shared by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Sunday night via a social media post. The Academy had reconciled with Littlefeather in June and had even hosted a celebration in her honour just two weeks ago.
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For those unaware, 'The Godfather' actor MarlonBrando had decided to boycott the March 1973 Oscars award for best actor to protest how Native Americans were portrayed on the screen in the film at the time.
At the time whenBrando’s name was called out as the winner, Littlefeather, then 26, walked up to the stage in a traditional Apache dress and said that she "very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award."
"And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry … and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee," Littlefeather added. She was practically booed off the stage.
Nearly 50 years later, this summer the Academyapologised to Littlefeather for how she was mistreated during the famous speech and in the years that followed.
"The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified," former Academy president David Rubin wrote in a letter to Littlefeather. "The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration."