Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American actress and activist who declined Marlon Brando's best actor Oscar in 1973, has died, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Sunday night. ", Sacheen Littlefeather is the subject of a new documentary titled 'Sacheen: Breaking The Silence.' Few Academy Awards ceremonies have been as eventful as the one held in 1973, when Marlon Brando sent Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather to explain why he was rejecting his award . Marlon Brando had a long history of supporting various social movements dating back to at least 1946 when he backed the Zionist movement for a Jewish homeland. One of the most shocking moments in Academy Awards history came in 1973, when Marlon Brando won Best Actor for his role in The Godfather. Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American activist Marlon Brando sent to the 1973 Academy Awards to decline the lead actor Oscar he won for "The Godfather," died Sunday at age 75. [70][7], The incident drew remarks from others at the same ceremony. Littlefeather, who appeared nervous during her speech and was booed by a few attendees, received both harassment and praise after the event. "He told me Id done a great job," she said. She graduated from Northwestern University with a BA degree in German studies and from Mills College with a MFA degree in creative writing and English. Sacheen Littlefeather stunned Hollywood when she was sent on behalf of Marlon Brando to reject his 1973 Oscar for best actor in "The Godfather." In an article in the San . The outlet shared that after the speech, Littlefeather went to Brandos house. The statement was read in full at An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather on September 17, an event honoring Littlefeather and featuring a conversation between her and producer Bird Runningwater (Cheyenne/Mescalero Apache/N.M. And Brando had decided to cast the 26-year-old aspiring actress as his Oscars proxy to reject the award, denounce the negative stereotyping of American Indians in entertainment and bring attention to the Wounded Knee Occupation protest in South Dakota. Littlefeather, a White Mountain Apache, said Brando was "delighted" by the performance, which was a protest he supported on the depiction of Native Americans by the film industry, Deadlinereported on Monday. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Famous Last Words: Fictional Characters, Books and Plays, Biography of Charlie Chaplin, Legendary Movie Comedian, M.A., American Studies, University of New Mexico, B.A., Native American Studies, University of New Mexico. To Orlandi, it was the beginning of Littlefeathers nearly half-century hoax. The actress had disputed similar claims before", "Screen: 'Trial of Billy Jack,' a Sequel", "Sacheen Littlefeather's Oral History: The Oscars, Marlon Brando and a Legacy of Activism", Text, audio, video of the Academy Award speech, Sacheen Littlefeather reads Brando's Oscar speech for first time publicly. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. [23] She played the role of Paleflower in Winterhawk, filmed in Kalispell, Montana. "I later learned six security guards had to hold back John Wayne, who was in the wings and wanted to storm on the stage and drag me off," she claimed. By 1949, they had moved to Salinas and opened up their own business, Cruz Saddlery. Littlefeather has long been an accepted and highly respected member of the Native American community despite lingering speculation about her identity. Two weeks before her death, the Academy honored her at an event called "An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather." When Brando was announced as the winner, Littlefeather took the stage dressed in full native regalia. [71], The audience in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was divided between applause and jeers. The social turbulence of the 1970s was a time of much-needed change in Indian country. Entertainment | The allegations emerged into public view in October when Native American journalist Jacqueline Keeler published an investigation into the Mexican ancestry of Littlefeathers California-born father, Manuel Cruz. The actress, who had breast cancer, died on Sunday . Its one of the biggest hoaxes certainly the biggest hoax since Iron Eyes Cody, said Dina Gilio-Whitaker, a Cal State San Marcos lecturer of American Indian Studies who was commissioned at one point to ghostwrite Littlefeathers memoir. [5][37] Littlefeather was personally criticized for what was seen as exploitation of her fame,[38] but she explained that it was "strictly a business agreement" to earn the money needed to attend the World Theater Festival in Nancy, France. [51] Littlefeather also said that she met Brando in Washington, D.C., where she was presenting to the Federal Communications Commission about minorities. This Spring, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Are Going on Tour Together, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Welcome Their Fourth Child, Brendan Fraser Surprises Fans and Gets Warm Reception at a Screening of The Mummy. The San Francisco Ballet confirmed she worked as an advisor for the Emmy-winning 1984 telecast of Michael Smuins Song for Dead Warriors, and she served as a board member of the American Indian AIDS Institute. [5][7] Both Geroldine and Manuel were saddlemakers. "For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. [47] An account from the night of the Oscar ceremony describes Francis Ford Coppola observing Littlefeather on a TV monitor backstage and stating "Sacheen Littlefeather. So, effectively what we hear at the podium is an improvised speech by the activist. She delivered a short speech on behalf of Brando declining acceptance of the award. Cody, a second-generation Italian American actor, has become infamous for falsely claiming to be Native American after playing the role in movies, TV and the Keep America Beautiful public service ads in the early 1970s. He died of cancer when Sacheen was 19, Orlandi said. It took nearly 50 years, but in June 2022 they issued a formal apology to Littlefeather and on September 17 an event was held in her honor at the Academy Museum. At the time, Brando was a top Hollywood supporter of the American Indian Movement and acquainted with Littlefeather through her neighbor, Francis Ford Coppola. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration." All rights reserved. [29] In an opinion piece following her death, Navajo writer and activist Jacqueline Keeler wrote that Littlefeather's sisters disputed that their father had been abusive and that Littlefeather's account of her childhood seemed to have been taken from that of her father, who had grown up in poverty and whose own father was abusive. He clearly understood the effect that this had not only on adults but, in particular, children. The lawyer's letter claimed that Cruz was her married name. [89][90][91] In 1978, it was reported that Littlefeather would travel to Newfoundland with the Greenpeace Foundation to protest the Newfoundland seal hunt along with politicians and other show business personalities. Still, in the short time she did have, Littlefeather made her voice heard. Littlefeather said her father was of Apache and Yaqui ancestry[1] and her mother was of European descent. Academy representatives have said the organization recognizes self-identification. But it has inserted a disclaimer at the start of a three-hour interview with Littlefeather, posted on its YouTube channel, that says oral histories should not be understood as statements of fact. In that interview, Littlefeather claims she was raised in poverty by an abusive alcoholic father and that she was abandoned by her parents who were too mentally ill to care for her. [1], Littlefeather died at her home in Novato, California, on October 2, 2022, at the age of 75. Some felt that Brando was making a mockery of the awards, while others felt that he was jumping on a social cause bandwagon. A few months after the Academy Awards, Brando was a guest on The Dick Cavett Show, where he eloquently explained his position and showed no regrets for asking Littlefeather to attend the Oscars. [43], In 1975, Littlefeather reported that she was working on a movie script about Edward S. Curtis with Cap Weinberger, Jr, who had written an article about Curtis for Smithsonian magazine. Tensions came to a head on the Oglala LakotaPine Ridge reservation in February 1973. I'm Apache and I am president of the National Native American Affirmative Image Committee. [4][5] She later said that she "learned early in life that there was probably a place for me in the dramatic art field, acting if you have a parent who's deaf, you naturally have to act out messages to them," referring to communicating with her father. [7] She said in a 2021 interview that the cancer had metastasized to her right lung and that she was terminal. [2], In 1974, Littlefeather attended classes at the American Conservatory Theater, studying acting, yoga, fencing, Shakespeare, dancing, and other various skills for her acting career. [121] In the piece, a character from Orange's novel There, There writes to Brando about what it meant to see Littlefeather at the Oscars. "They should have at least had the courtesy to listen to her. [20] She claims to have participated part-time in the occupation of Alcatraz in 1970, though this claim has been disputed. The strange, sad tale of Sacheen Littlefeather: Did icon fake a Native American identity? [53] Before the ceremony, Brando decided thatas the favorite to win[52]he would boycott as a protest led by AIM against the ongoing siege at Wounded Knee and his views on how Native Americans were represented in American films. [57] She also said that media reports published several falsehoods, such as that she was not Native American or had rented the outfit for the occasion. In this combination image, Native American Sacheen Littlefeather speaks at the 45th Academy Awards. Her speech made her famous literally overnight and her fame would be exploited by Playboy magazine. [8][113], In a 1991 article, Littlefeather was credited with co-founding the American Indian Registry for Performing Arts. She famously rejected an Oscar on Marlon Brando's behalf in 1973 due, in part, to "the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry on television [and] in movie reruns," and was blacklisted by Hollywood as a result. FILE - Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American activist, tells the audience at the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, March 27, 1973, that Marlon Brando was declining to accept his Oscar as best actor for his role in "The Godfather." [81][82], Coretta Scott King commended Brando for his non-violent stand, stating, "It is gratifying to see people in entertainment increasingly concerned about injustices in society and not just interested in making money. "[Brando] very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. Did Sacheen Littlefeather share true story about John Wayne trying to attack her? The letter, signed by Betty Cooper, director of the American Indian alcoholism program, and Sally Gallegos, director of the Consortium of United Indian Nations, was credited with Mandela's decision to meet with American Indian leaders in October 1990. Then came Marlon Brando to bring it all to center stage quite literally. At the 1973 Academy Awards, Sacheen Littlefeather refused the Academy Award for Best Actor on behalf of Marlon Brando who won for his role in The Godfather. Attempts were made at non-violent protests the Alcatraz occupation was completely nonviolent although it lasted well over a year but there were times when violence seemed like the only way to bring attention to the problem. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group), A 1957 snap shot of Geroldine Cruz shows her with her three daughters (l-r) Marie (who later become famous as Sacheen Littlefeather), Rosalind and Trudy during their days living in Salinas, Calif. (Photo courtesy Trudy Orlandi), Activist Sacheen Littlefeather (born Marie Louise Cruz, 1946 - 2022) attends teh Q&A at the SAG President's National Task Force For American Indians & NBC Universal Premiere Screening Of "Reel indian" & "American Indian Actors" At LA Skins Fest on November 20, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Sacheen Littlefeather (left) appeared at the 1973 Oscars to decline a Best Oscar trophy for Marlon Brando, introducing herself as Apache and saying "The Godfather" actor could not accept because . Brando, Littlefeather, and the Academy Awards. [105][106][107], In 1988, she served as the secretary and community member-at-large on the interim board of directors of the American Indian AIDS Institute of San Francisco. It was televised to 85 million people. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts. Indian activists had taken over the Bureau of Indian Affairs building the year before and the siege of Wounded Knee was underway in South Dakota. But the next night, Orlandi watched on live TV as Sacheen stoically ascended the Oscars stage in a buckskin dress and told a global audience of 85 million that she was Apache. Should We Celebrate Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims? [45] She continued to pursue acting opportunities, such as touring with the "Red Earth Theater Company". (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images). I thought, Oh great, this is the lengths you will go to to get into acting.'. [95] As the director of the First Nation Education Resource Center in San Francisco, Littlefeather commented on a letter from two American Indians in Oakland that was handed to Nelson Mandela, stating that the letter outlined problems facing American Indians, including healthcare and unemployment. My name is Sacheen Littlefeather. [49][114][115] Littlefeather reported in 1991 that she was working on two shows for PBS, Remember Me Forever and The Americas Before Columbus, both scheduled for broadcast in 1992. [28] She said her mother and two sisters were subject to their father's rage and beatings. [120] Author Tommy Orange was commissioned by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's Open Space platform to write a piece called "Dear Marlon Brando" as part of the magazine Alcatraz Is Not an Island, commemorating the 50th anniversary. [23] Later, though, Littlefeather said she was blacklisted by the Hollywood community and received threats. (AP Photo/File), Sacheen Littlefeather (born Marie Louise Cruz, 1946 - 2022) on stage at AMPAS Presents An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on September 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American activist and actress who famously declined an Oscar on behalf of actor Marlon Brando at the 45th Academy Awards, has died at 75, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Sunday. [42] In an interview published just before her Academy Awards appearance, she stated that she had helped send two Indian nurses to Wounded Knee and that she had relinquished her United States citizenship, along with seven Native Americans. [5], Littlefeather joined the audience minutes before the award for Best Actor was announced. [30][31], While living in the San Francisco Bay area in the early 1970s, Littlefeather participated in the 1971 American Indian Festival at Foothill College, judged a local 1972 beauty pageant as "Princess Littlefeather", and organized a 1972 American Indian Festival at the Palace of Fine Arts. Receive our Weekly Newsletter. But she also received death threats and was lied about in the media, including allegations that she wasn't Indian. [2][3], Littlefeather was born Marie Louise Cruz on November 14, 1946, in Salinas, California. Not only did he refuse the Academy Award for Best Actor, which he won for his role as Don Vito Corleone, but he sent Sacheen Littlefeather to the ceremony in his place. Martha Ross is a Bay Area News Group features writer for The Mercury News and East Bay Times who covers everything and anything related to popular culture, society, health, womens issues and families. She wore a buckskin dress and moccasins. [103] Littlefeather also described herself as one of the original teachers in St. Mary's Traditional Indian Medicine program,[5][104] which consisted of a series of conferences held between 1984 and 1990 and was coordinated by Comanche medicine man Edgar Monetathchi, Jr, who worked for the Indian Health Service and was the first medicine man to be employed full-time by a Catholic hospital. The strange, sad tale of Sacheen Littlefeather:, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Los Gatos: Hundreds still without power as Black Road repair project finishes early. Academy Apologizes to Sacheen Littlefeather for 'Mistreatment' Upon Turning Down Marlon Brando's Oscar Littlefeather was asked by Best Actor winner Brando to turn down the award in 1973. Sacheen Littlefeather on stage at AMPAS Presents An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on September 17, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. Where did that come from?. ACADEMY APOLOGIZES TO SACHEEN LITTLEFEATHER NEARLY 50 YEARS AFTER REJECTING AN OSCAR ON MARLON BRANDO'S BEHALF, At the 1973 Academy Awards, Sacheen Littlefeather refused the Academy Award for Best Actor on behalf of Marlon Brando who won for his role in The Godfather. Marie would later become famous as Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather. After giving brief remarks and announcing the five nominees, they declared Brando as the winner. [32][33][34] She worked at a radio station, KFRC, for about six months and did freelance reporting for PBS member station KQED. She couldnt have been more Native, said Neconie, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Acoma of New Mexico and former UC Berkeley assistant director of undergraduate admissions. "The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. https://www.thoughtco.com/sacheen-littlefeather-academy-awards-2477981 (accessed March 4, 2023). "It was the first time anyone had made a political statement at the Oscars," Littlefeather said in the documentary, as quoted by the outlet. The caller was Marlon Brando, she told her younger sister, Trudy Orlandi, and he had asked Littlefeather to appear on his behalf at the Academy Awards the following night, in case he won the best actor award for The Godfather.. [16][17] She said she had been treated with thorazine and other medications but "mostly stabilized with much help" from the San Francisco Bay Area Native American community. Sacheen Littlefeather holds a written statement from actor Marlon Brando refusing his Best Actor Oscar on stage at the Academy Awards, Los Angeles, California. [133] However, on her official website, a response to Ebert's article contradicts the lawyer and states that she was born Marie Cruz. In one of her first interviews after the speech, she mentioned that they met "through his interest in the Indian movement". Brando was unequivocal about his view that Hollywood was doing a disservice not only to Native Americans, but all minorities, thanks to their stereotypical portrayal of different cultures. People actually dont realize how deeply these people are injured by seeing themselves represented, he shared. According to Littlefeather, the institution was a "hell hole" and doctors used what she said was "psychodrama," role-playing her parents "while black-hooded figures listened in a dim-lit room" to help her "reconstruct memories of childhood abuse and abandonment. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. [44] She emceed an evening performance at the United National Indian Tribal Youth conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1976. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. Things did not go quite as planned. Keeler writes that the sisters state that their father, who was born in Oxnard, California, was of Mexican descent and had no tribal ties, nor was he related to the Yaqui tribes of Northern Mexico. Dina Gilo-Whitaker is a lecturer of American Indian Studies at California State University San Marcos. She has previously reported or edited for Bay Area news and lifestyle publications, including Walnut Creek Patch, and Diablo, Oakland and Alameda magazines, as well as The Nation in Bangkok, Thailand and The Economist. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. However, Littlefeather claimed she felt "abandoned" by Brando when she was faced withthe intense backlash. En marzo de 1973 la actriz y activista indgena Sacheen Littlefeather se present en la gala de los Premios scar y declin sostener la estatuilla que haba ganado Marlon Brando por su papel de Vito Corleone en El Padrino . In an email to The Times, Littlefeather's family confirmed her death, saying she died peacefully, surrounded by .
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