Native American Actress Who Declined Marlon Brando’s Oscar Was 75 – Deadline

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 mentioned. 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.

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In 1973, Littlefeather acquired up on stage to say no Brando’s win for The Godfather the place she mentioned the next: “He very regretfully can’t settle for this very beneficiant award. And the explanations for this being are the therapy of American Indians right this moment by the movie trade… and on tv in film re-runs, and likewise with latest happenings at Wounded Knee.”

Earlier this 12 months, 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 everywhere in the world, which is why Marlon selected it. I didn’t have a night costume so Marlon instructed me to put on my buckskin.”

She additionally famous that John Wayne “was within the wings and needed to storm onto the stage and drag me off.”

In August of this 12 months, 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, “Relating to the Academy’s apology to me, we Indians are very affected person individuals—it’s solely been 50 years! We have to hold our humorousness about this always. It’s our methodology of survival,” mentioned Littlefeather in right this moment’s press launch.”

Littlefeather’s appearing credit embody 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).