In a 1974 interview, she stated that her mother left her father when she was 4 and took her to live with her maternal grandparents. ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/sacheen-littlefeather-academy-awards-2477981. Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American Activist Who Declined Marlon [76], According to Ann Brebner of the Brebner Agency, which handled Littlefeather's modeling bookings, she was deluged with mail and phone calls after her Oscars appearance, which led to radio and television appearances as well as the opportunity to read for several film roles. Sacheen Littlefeather, Who Delivered Marlon Brando's Oscar Rejection Speech, Dies at 75 The Academy formally apologized to the Native American activist and former actress in June after she. Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American activist who declined Marlon Brando's Best Actor Oscar for him in a memorable 1973 speech, passed away on Sunday. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Littlefeather passed away on Oct. 2 at the age of 75. None of Littlefeathers relatives identified as Native American, Keeler said. According to Littlefeather, she could "hear the boos and jeers" as she came on stage. "He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award," she said , citing "the treatment of American Indians today" by the film and television industry. The Native American actor and activist has died of breast cancer at age 75. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts. When we think today about his words and what representation meansespecially to childrenone can't help but applaud his willingness to speak out in a time when it wasn't popular to do so. And it's just insulting to my parents', "A Recent TV Slur Revives Debate About Sacheen Littlefeather and Her Role in Marlon Brando's Oscar Refusal", "4-H Home Ec Results Listed At Monterey County Fair", "DeSerpa Is Elected Hartnell Student V-P", "Sacheen Littlefeather: Fact Or Fiction? The actress, who had breast cancer, died on Sunday . "I beg at this time that I have not intruded on this evening, and that in the future our hearts and our understandings will meet with love and generosity," Littlefeather added as she rejected the Academy Awardfor Brando. [27] During a 1976 television interview she described her father as abusive. LIttlefeathers longtime Bay Area friend, Bridget Neconie, said she and others never doubted Littlefeather was Apache or Yaqui. VisitMy Modern Met Media. Debunking a Hollywood myth", "John Wayne and the Six Security Men: An Investigation", "Clint Eastwood Faces Online Scrutiny for 1973 Academy Awards Comment", "Catching up with Sacheen Littlefeather, 40 years after her controversial brush with Oscar history", "Yoko Ono, Sacheen Littlefeather deliver Summer TV Tour into the past", "Sacheen Littlefeather recounts blacklisting, assassination attempts", "Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian", "Meet the woman who refused Marlon Brando's Oscar and inspired Jada Pinkett Smith's boycott", "Academy Apologizes to Sacheen Littlefeather for Her Mistreatment at the 1973 Oscars (Exclusive)", "Academy Issues Formal Apology to Sacheen Littlefeather for 1973 Oscars: 'I Never Thought I'd Live to See the Day', "38th Annual American Indian Film Festival Awards Ceremony", "NVTV-38th Annual-American Indian Film Festival Award Ceremony 2013", "Medium Rare Looks Inside the Indian Theater", "John Kauffman Jr., 42, Artistic Director, Actor", "Dance in America: A Song for Dead Warriors", "Letter made Mandela aware of Indians' plight", "Letting the Indian Go: The Evolution of the Tam Mascot", "Marin resident embarks on American Indian oral history project", "Trustees vote to retain Braves name for Tomales High mascot", "Welcome to the San Francisco Kateri Circle", "The Indian Way: Traditional Indian medicine joins science in the hospital", "St. Mary's to sponsor conference on traditional Indian medicine", "A partnership of a Catholic faith-based health system, nursing and traditional American Indian medicine practitioners", "Indian activist optimistic: Littlefeather says 'Wolves' has helped", "Mother Teresa Is Dead / The Bay Area was close to her heart", "First Lady Joins Memorial by Allen White", "Indian Philosopher's Words Will Come to Life in Play", "Films still stereotype Indians, actor says", "Experience An Historic Celebration The Americas Before Columbus", "Sacheen Littlefeather-Declaration to SD Attorney General's Office", "A Letter to Marlon Brando About Putting an Indian on the Oscar Stage", "Sacheen Littlefeather, who declined Brando's Oscar, dies at 75", "Publicity was not my reason for doing it", "Sacheen Littlefeather, Who Rejected Oscar for Marlon Brando, Has Stage 4 Cancer", "Sacheen Littlefeather, Who Delivered Marlon Brando's Oscar Rejection Speech, Dies at 75", "Sacheen Littlefeather, Activist Who Took the Stage to Decline Marlon Brando's Oscar, Dies at 75", "Sacheen Littlefeather and the Question of Native Identity", "Brando was a rebel in the movies, a character in life", "Sacheen Littlefather's sisters say she was not Native American. 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 . [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. [51] Littlefeather also said that she met Brando in Washington, D.C., where she was presenting to the Federal Communications Commission about minorities. Sacheen Littlefeather, activist who declined Brando's 'Godfather' Oscar [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. Since the Native American hasnt been able to hear his voice heard or have his voice heard anywhere in the history of the United States, he shared, I felt that it was a marvelous opportunity for an Indian to be able to voice his opinion to 85 million people and I felt that he had a right to in view of what Hollywood has done to him.. Sacheen Littlefeather gets apology for abuse by John Wayne, others at 1973 Oscars Sacheen Littlefeather, who famously took to the stage when Marlon Brando won an Oscar for The Godfather to decline the award, has died at the age of 75. Littlefeather has long been an accepted and highly respected member of the Native American community despite lingering speculation about her identity. Sacheen Littlefeather - Wikipedia Legal Statement. Littlefeather died at her home in Novato, California, after a years-long battle with breast cancer, which eventually metastasized to her right lung. Sacheen Littlefeather: Oscars apologises to actress after 50 years As Brando clearly explained to Dick Cavett, while he understood that not everyone would share his opinion, he wished that they would take the time to listen to what Littlfeather had to say. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. He then shared that he knew that others were afraid to speak up about these issues, but felt that it was important not to be silent. Tensions came to a head on the Oglala LakotaPine Ridge reservation in February 1973. [111] In 1990, it was reported that Littlefeather's brother had died of AIDS. Orlandi grew up with her sister Maria Cruz, the woman who would later become famous as Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather. She was accompanied by Brando's secretary, Alice Marchak, and wore an Apache buckskin dress. "I was ostracized everywhere I turned. Sacheen Littlefeather, Who Carried Out Oscars Protest, Dies I knew Sacheen and I don't think it was her idea at allI am sure Brando recruited her". No one would listen to my story or give me a chance to work.". Brando was also highly dissatisfied with the way Hollywood treated American Indians. 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. I never saw my sister being beaten by my dad. "They should have at least had the courtesy to listen to her. Consequently, Littlefeather alleged she was "blacklisted" by Hollywood and never worked again. "I was a spokesperson, so to speak, for the stereotype of Native Americans in film and television," she later said. [18] She learned more about Native American customs from elders and other protesters, like Adam Fortunate Eagle (then known as Adam Nordwall). [122], In 1973, Littlefeather was married to engineer Michael Rubio. AIMcame about thanks to Native American college students in the cities and activists on the reservations who understood all too well that the conditions they were living under were a result of oppressive government policies. 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. Sacheen Littlefeather at the 1973 Oscars (Photo: UCLA Library Special Collections, CC BY 2.0). [56] In 1974, she stated that Marlon Brando sent her to a doctor when she was in a lot of pain and helped her recover, so she made the Oscar speech to repay him. Brando would later tell talk show host Dick Cavett that the Academy didn't want her there and didn't want the evening interrupted with that particular note. In fact, just minutes before the award was handed out, show producer Howard Koch had told Littlefeather that she needed to keep her comments to 60 seconds. Native American people were in the bottom strata of all socioeconomic indicators, and it was clear to American Indian youth that change was not going to happen without dramatic action. [84], In June 2022, the Academy sent Littlefeather a statement of apology, in which the organization's then-president David Rubin wrote: "The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Marlon Brando on The Dick Cavett Show in 1973 (Photo: Sipuede7 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0). [133] However, on her official website, a response to Ebert's article contradicts the lawyer and states that she was born Marie Cruz. Fox News Flash top headlines for October 2, Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves take bumpy second flight after 'CHAOS' on Lufthansa plane: 'Wish me luck', Kelsey Grammer wont apologize for the 'difference' that Jesus has made in his life, Person roaming in 'Scream' Ghostface costume prompts multiple police calls, Kelsea Ballerini kisses Chase Stokes after criticizing ex amid nasty divorce, Why Kevin Bacon refuses to share the secret to his 35-year marriage to Kyra Sedgwick. Still, in the short time she did have, Littlefeather made her voice heard. This guy cannot protect himself or his name or his reputation.. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images), It was mortifying, said Cruz, of Lake County, Montana, of the Oscars appearance. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American activist and actress, dead at 75 Entertainment | [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. During her speech, the audience's response to Brando's boycotting was divided between booing and applause. [79], In 2015, Littlefeather reported that her name and image were being used fraudulently to raise money claimed to be for the Lakota nation. LaNada War Jack, one of the student organizers of the 19-month-long Native American occupation of Alcatraz that started in 1969, told this news organization: We applauded her when she spoke at the Oscars but we knew she wasnt Native.. [132], Roger Ebert had disputed Littlefeather's Native American ethnicity in 2004 in an obituary for Marlon Brando, stating that after her attendance at the Oscars she was "identified as Maria Cruz, an actress who was not an Indian". Rather, he sent Apache activist Sacheen Littlefeather in his stead to reject the . (Bettmann via Getty Images). 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. Gilio-Whitaker, Dina. And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry excuse me and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee," she said, referencing the Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973. Learn How Marlon Brando & Sacheen Littlefeather Stood Up to Hollywood 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 . [108] Around this same time period, Littlefeather worked at the Gift of Love AIDS hospice in San Francisco, which was founded in 1988 by Mother Teresa, and had the opportunity to meet Mother Teresa during at least one of her five visits to the facility before her death in 1997. [62] Oscars producer Koch and director Marty Pasetta both later recalled that John Wayne was waiting in the wings and had to be restrained by six security guards to prevent him from forcing her off stage. 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. [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. I thought, Oh great, this is the lengths you will go to to get into acting.'. [6][5][7] Littlefeather's father was Manuel Ybarra Cruz of Oxnard, California,[8] who Littlefeather identified as having White Mountain Apache and Yaqui ancestry. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group), Trudy Orlandi remembers her late sister Maria Cruz, the woman who would later become famous as Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather, during an interview at her home in Marin County, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. or redistributed. 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. "[83] Many years later, Littlefeather said that King called her to thank her for the speech. [101] Although St. Mary's Hospital and Health Center did receive an Achievement Citation from the Catholic Health Association of the United States in 1986 for Traditional Indian Medicine's Role in the Carondelet Health System,[102] an article about the award only mentions the initiator of the program, Apache nurse Belinda Acosta, and the program coordinator, Ann Hubbert. [5] While traveling, she became interested in the food of other cultures and noted similarities between foods such as Spanish buuelos and American Indian fry bread as well as Russian pirozhki and the meat pies made by her Kiowa friends. 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. He had also participated in the March on Washington in 1963 and he supported the work of Dr. Martin Luther King. Sacheen Littlefeather gets apology for abuse by John Wayne, others at 1973 Oscars. Geroldine Cruz was not a battered wife or mentally ill, and their hearing-impaired father never touched alcohol or abused his children. [13][14], Littlefeather said that around age 19, she spent a year in a psychiatric hospital after previously hearing voices that pushed her to a suicide attempt, recounting what happened during a three hour visual history interview in 2022 with the director of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. "I was blacklisted or, you could say, redlisted," she explained. The activist had been battling. The Associated Press contributed to this report. [56], At the age of 29 her lungs collapsed. [75] She later said that she visited Marlon Brando's house after the Academy Awards and bullets were fired into his front door while they were talking. Thank you on behalf of Marlon Brando. In 1973, riding high off the success ofThe Godfather, actor Marlon Brando used his platform to give a voice to Native Americans. [10][11][12] After high school, she attended Hartnell Junior College and studied elementary education. [2][3] Furthermore, Cruz says Littlefeather fabricated a Native identity because she thought it was more "prestigious" to be Native American than to be Hispanic. For other uses, see, Last edited on 19 February 2023, at 08:33, Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Catholic Health Association of the United States, "Sacheen Littlefeather was a Native icon. She had no legal recourse to contest their publication because she had signed a model release. [132] The Pascua Yaqui Tribe stated neither Littlefeather nor her parents were enrolled tribal members. [5], Littlefeather joined the audience minutes before the award for Best Actor was announced. 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. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/sacheen-littlefeather-academy-awards-2477981. It was around the same time Littlefeather reportedly suffered a breakdown. In this combination image, Native American Sacheen Littlefeather speaks at the 45th Academy Awards. [2][3], Littlefeather was born Marie Louise Cruz on November 14, 1946, in Salinas, California. Sacheen Littlefeather, the actor and activist who declined Marlon Brando's 1973 Academy Award for "The Godfather" on his behalf in an indelible protest of Hollywood's portrayal of Native. Legal Statement. Brando's speech addressed the stereotypes of Native Americans in films long before the subject would be taken seriously in the industry. 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. "[48], A 1974 article about a Littlefeather interview stated that she was working for a San Francisco radio station when she applied for work with Coppola and that he then referred her to Brando, "knowing Brando's interest in the Indian". [7] She played a role in the mascot change at Tamalpais High School in the late 1980s, first becoming involved when she visited the high school as a guest director for the drama class play, "Grandmother Earth". 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. Sacheen Littlefeather, the activist for Native Americans who declined Marlon Brando's Oscar for "The Godfather" on his behalf at the 1973 Academy Awards, died Sunday at 75, the Ac A group of heavily-armed Oglala Lakota and their American Indian Movement supporters overtook a trading post in the town of Wounded Knee, the site of the 1890 massacre. I'm representing Marlon Brando this evening, and he has asked me to tell you in a very long speech which I cannot share with you presently, because of time, but I will be glad to share with the press afterwards, that he very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. When Brando was announced as the best actor winner for his role in "The Godfather," Littlefeather took the stage to make a powerful and poignant statement about the depiction of Native . Since Littlefeathers death in Novato on Oct. 2 at age 75, Orlandi, 72, and another sister, Rosalind Cruz, 65, have ignited an uproar in Native American circles by alleging their estranged activist sister spent 50 years faking an identity as White Mountain Apache and Yaqui. All rights reserved. She continued her social justice work for Native Americans from her home in the San Francisco Bay area and worked as an advocate for Native American AIDS patients. Sacheen Littlefeather, Activist Who Took the Stage to Decline Marlon "When I am gone, always be reminded that whenever you stand for your truth, you will be keeping my voice and the voices of our nations and our people alive," the quote read. 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. [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. Littlefeather's family asked mourners to make donations to American Indian Child Resource Center in Oakland, California. Sacheen Littlefeather Has Died. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Daily Question: In 1973, Sacheen Littlefeather declined an Oscar on which actor's behalf? How forward-thinking Brando's decision was and the bravery Littlefeather displayed has only been recently recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [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. 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. 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. Entertainment | In an article in the San . [123], Littlefeather studied orthomolecular nutrition and later said that she had "wanted to see where all the 'white' food came from" so she went to Sweden and lived in Stockholm. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images). Marlon Brando was one of those stars. [46], Accounts of how Littlefeather initially met Marlon Brando vary. Entertainment | [2][3] Although some of her distant family may have been born in Pima/Oodham tribal territory in Sonora, Mexico, scholars have stated that actual tribal members in these communities would have been a minority during the time. In an email to The Times, Littlefeather's family confirmed her death, saying she died peacefully, surrounded by . Dina Gilo-Whitaker is a lecturer of American Indian Studies at California State University San Marcos. Bettmann/Getty Images Sacheen Littlefeather declining Marlon Brando's Oscar in 1973. They say their sisters speech was the first time anyone in their Salinas family had ever talked about being Native American.