Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American actress and activist who was booed in 1973 when she refused an Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando, has died at the age of 75, the Academy announced Sunday. In her Twitter post announcing her passing, the Academy quoted Littlefeather as saying:
“When I am gone, always remember that whenever you stand up for your truth, you will keep my voice and the voices of our nations and peoples alive.”
Two weeks ago, the Academy held a ceremony at its new museum in Los Angeles to honor Sacheen Littlefeather and publicly apologize for her treatment at the Oscars nearly 200 years ago.
Iconic moment in the history of the ceremony
Littlefeather, who is Apache and Yaqui, was booed at the 1973 Academy Awards – the first to be broadcast live worldwide – while explaining on behalf of Marlon Brando why she did not want to accept his Oscar for best actor for The Godfather.
Brando had asked Littlefeather to decline the award for him in protest of the film industry’s treatment of Native Americans.
“I went there, as a proud Indian woman, with dignity, courage, grace and humility,” Littlefeather said during the ceremony at the museum. “I knew I had to tell the truth. Some people may accept it. Some people may not.”
She said western star John Wayne had to stop her from physically attacking her as she was leaving the stage.
aborted race
Littlefeather, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, the first screen actors’ union founded in 1933, struggled to find work in Hollywood, and casting directors were warned not to hire him.
Asked by reporters before the ceremony how she felt about waiting so long for an apology, Sacheen Littlefeather was philosophical: “It’s never too late to apologize. It’s never too late to forgive,” she replied.
Source: BFM TV
