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. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group), Trudy Orlandi keeps of her sister Maria Cruz in the second grade at her home in San Anselmo, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. 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. The money raised was never donated to any campaign. After giving brief remarks and announcing the five nominees, they declared Brando as the winner. [99] In the 1980s, she led prayer circles for Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American Catholic saint. [116][117] In 2009, she gave testimony in the documentary Reel Injun about Native Americans in film. 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. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/sacheen-littlefeather-academy-awards-2477981. [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 stunned Hollywood when she was sent on behalf of Marlon Brando to reject his 1973 Oscar for best actor in "The Godfather." [25] In 1988, she stated that her parents lived next door to her maternal grandparents, Marie and Gerold "Barney" Barnitz, while she and her two younger sisters lived with those grandparents. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters, Sacheen Littlefeather was giddy as she hung up the phone in her San Francisco apartment in March of 1973. 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. 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. [15], While she attended California State College at Hayward (now California State University, East Bay) and studied dramatics and speech, she continued to cultivate a Native American identity. Check out what's clicking today in 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. Her speech made her famous literally overnight and her fame would be exploited by Playboy magazine. The speech was shared at a press conference after the ceremony and was published in its entirety by the New York Times. 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. 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 She added, "We need to keep our sense of humor about this at all times. "[83] Many years later, Littlefeather said that King called her to thank her for the speech. [23] Later accounts describe Coppola as Littlefeather's neighbor in San Francisco. Two weeks before her death, the Academy honored her at an event called "An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather." [27] Littlefeather participated in events related to a year-long celebration of the Americas before Columbus, but there is no record of a PBS show by either name being broadcast in 1992. (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 at the 1973 Oscars (Photo: UCLA Library Special Collections, CC BY 2.0). Gilio-Whitaker, Dina. Orlandi and Cruz just want the truth to be known about their family. Sacheen Littlefeather stunned Hollywood when she was sent on behalf of Marlon Brando to reject his 1973 Oscar for best actor in "The Godfather." Nearly 50 years later, the Native American. [28] She said her mother and two sisters were subject to their father's rage and beatings. In an email to The Times, Littlefeather's family confirmed her death, saying she died peacefully, surrounded by . Did Sacheen Littlefeather share true story about John Wayne trying to attack her? She also recorded an episode for the Academy Museum's podcast and a visual history for the Academy Oral History Projects. 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. So, effectively what we hear at the podium is an improvised speech by the activist. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. Sacheen Littlefeather fue la primera mujer nativa americana en subir al escenario de los scar. LIttlefeathers longtime Bay Area friend, Bridget Neconie, said she and others never doubted Littlefeather was Apache or Yaqui. "He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award," she said , citing "the treatment of American Indians today" by the film and television industry. [1][127] She stated that she was suicidal and hospitalized in a mental institution for a year. 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Sacheen Littlefeather Has Died. He had also participated in the March on Washington in 1963 and he supported the work of Dr. Martin Luther King. I knew Sacheen and I don't think it was her idea at allI am sure Brando recruited her". The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. [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. When he was nominated for an Oscar for his infamous portrayal of Don Corleone in "The Godfather," he refused to attend the ceremony. [20][35], Playboy magazine planned a spread called "10 Little Indians" in 1972, and one of the models was Littlefeather, but the spread was cancelled. "Brando, Littlefeather, and the Academy Awards." Entertainment | He instead sent Sacheen Littlefeather (born Marie Cruz), a young Apache/Yaqui activist who had participated in the Alcatraz Island occupation. Should We Celebrate Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims? [73] Brando and Littlefeather's protest was generally considered inappropriate for the awards ceremony. Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American actress and activist who made history when she declined the Best Actor Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando, has died at the age of 75. 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. None of Littlefeathers relatives identified as Native American, Keeler said. 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. She can rest assured that no one will take her bravery that night for granted; and long after her passing, she will continue to be a shining example for others. "Brando, Littlefeather, and the Academy Awards." 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 . Entertainment | At the time of the Oscars, she had known Brando for nearly a year. Littlefeather represented Marlon Brando at the 45th Academy Awards in 1973, where she on Brando's behalf declined the Best Actor award that he won for his performance in The Godfather. [18] She learned more about Native American customs from elders and other protesters, like Adam Fortunate Eagle (then known as Adam Nordwall). Still, in the short time she did have, Littlefeather made her voice heard. Geroldine Cruz was not a battered wife or mentally ill, and their hearing-impaired father never touched alcohol or abused his children. Littlefeather and a handful of other Native American women had posed for Playboy in 1972, but the photos were never been published until October 1973, not long after the Academy Awards incident. And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry, she said as the audience began to boo, and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.. [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. In that account, he called the radio station where she worked months after she sent the letter. 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. On Sunday, the Academy tweeted a quote the activist made about her legacy. She continued her activism for Native American issues including healthcare and unemployment, and produced films about Native Americans. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Market data provided by Factset. Marlon Brando on The Dick Cavett Show in 1973 (Photo: Sipuede7 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0). 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? [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". Instead, she was given 60 seconds. The Associated Press contributed to this report. "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. 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. Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American activist who declined Marlon Brando's Oscar for The Godfather on his behalf in 1973, has died aged 75. ", Sacheen Littlefeather is the subject of a new documentary titled 'Sacheen: Breaking The Silence.' Littlefeather, who just passed away on October 2, 2022 at age 75, was only 26 years old when she took the stage after Brando was announced as the winner of the Best Actor Award. 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. [32][33][34] She worked at a radio station, KFRC, for about six months and did freelance reporting for PBS member station KQED. Some of Littlefeathers claims about aiding Native American organizations can be verified. Receive our Weekly Newsletter. [109][110] She campaigned against obesity, alcoholism, and diabetes, and specifically assisted Native Americans with AIDS. (Photo by Beck Starr/FilmMagic/Getty Images). [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. Littlefeather, who just passed away on October 2, 2022 at age 75, was only 26 years old when she took the stage after Brando was announced as the winner of the Best Actor Award. The Native American actor and activist has died of breast cancer at age 75. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images). 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. Other claims appear to have been exaggerated or are simply false, including that she worked with Mother Teresa on AIDS patients, that she participated in the Native American protest/occupation at Alcatraz and that John Wayne tried to attack her at her Oscars appearance. "I beg at this time that I have not intruded upon this evening, and that we will in the future, our hearts and our understandings, will meet with love and generosity," she added. Sacheen Littlefeather refuses to accept the Best Actor Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando for his performance in "The Godfather" at the 45th annual Academy Awards in 1973. [132] The Pascua Yaqui Tribe stated neither Littlefeather nor her parents were enrolled tribal members. 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. [5], In 1972, Brando played Vito Corleone in The Godfather, which many critics consider one of the greatest films of all time. [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. But she also received death threats and was lied about in the media, including allegations that she wasn't Indian. [20] She claims to have participated part-time in the occupation of Alcatraz in 1970, though this claim has been disputed. 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. [4][5] Her mother, Geroldine Marie Cruz (ne Barnitz), was a leather stamper of French, German, and Dutch descent, and was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. It was televised to 85 million people. [79][7] Actor Jay Silverheels, who played Tonto in The Lone Ranger and later founded the Indian Actors Workshop, commented that he didn't think Littlefeather's appearance at Oscars "did any harm or any particular good. [87][88] Contemporary accounts of the founding of the Red Earth Performing Arts Company by Nez Perce actor and playwright John Kauffman, Jr in 1974 do not mention Littlefeather. [134], "Littlefeather" redirects here. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. "They should have at least had the courtesy to listen to her. 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. [10][11][12] After high school, she attended Hartnell Junior College and studied elementary education. All she was able to say was: The crowd cheered and booed. [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.

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