Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American activist and actress, lifeless at 75

USA Prime Time
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Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American actress and activist who made historical past when she declined the Best Actor Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando, has died on the age of 75.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences introduced her demise on Monday in a post shared on Twitter.

The tweet, accompanied by a picture of the Apache and Yaqui actress, learn: “Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American civil rights activist who famously declined Marlon Brando’s 1973 Best Actor Academy Award, dies at 75.”

While no explanation for demise was instantly given, Littlefeather disclosed in a Facebook post in January final yr that she had metastasized breast most cancers.

Littlefeather made historical past when she stepped on stage on the 1973 Oscars on behalf of “The Godfather” star Brando, who determined to boycott the award ceremony in protest on the portrayal of Native Americans on the large display screen. Brando was additionally reacting to the response of federal legislation enforcement to the occupation of the South Dakota city of Wounded Knee by members of the American Indian Movement.

Her quick speech, for which she wore a buckskin gown and moccasins, was met with a combination of boos and applause. It value the budding actress, whose movie credit included “Winterhawk,” “Shoot the Sun Down” and “The Trial of Billy Jack,” her profession as she was quickly blacklisted from the movie business and shunned by the leisure world.

In August, the Academy formally apologized to Littlefeather for the mistreatment she skilled throughout her speech and within the years that adopted.

A letter from former Academy President David Rubin to Littlefeather mentioned the abuse she endured was “unwarranted and unjustified.”

He added: “The emotional burden you may have lived via and the associated fee to your individual profession in our business are irreparable. For too lengthy the braveness you confirmed has been unacknowledged. For this, we provide each our deepest apologies and our honest admiration.”

Describing the apology as a “dream come true,” Littlefeather mentioned: “We Indians are very affected person individuals – it’s solely been 50 years!

“We must maintain our humorousness about this always. It’s our technique of survival,” she added.

Last month, the Academy hosted an occasion at its movie museum in Los Angeles that featured Littlefeather as a keynote speaker alongside different Indigenous performers.