"[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". The Apache and Yaqui activist respectfully waved off actor Roger Moore, who attempted to hand her the statue. Orlandi and Cruz just want the truth to be known about their family. All she was able to say was: The crowd cheered and booed. [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. [4] She said she chose the name Sacheen because that was the name her father called her before he died, and Littlefeather came from the feather she always wore in her hair. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group), Chief Phillip Whiteman Jr., Rebecca Brando, Sacheen Littlefeather (born Marie Louise Cruz, 1946 - 2022) and Christian Bale attend the Red Nation Film Festival And Awards Ceremony at Laemmle's Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre on November 15, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. [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. [40] As a spokesperson for the National American Indian Council, she protested President Richard Nixon's budget cuts to federal Indian programs in February 1973. Bettmann via. Attempts were made at non-violent protests the Alcatraz occupation was completely nonviolent although it lasted well over a year but there were times when violence seemed like the only way to bring attention to the problem. [109][110] She campaigned against obesity, alcoholism, and diabetes, and specifically assisted Native Americans with AIDS. "I later learned six security guards had to hold back John Wayne, who was in the wings and wanted to storm on the stage and drag me off," she claimed. The money raised was never donated to any campaign. She delivered a short speech on behalf of Brando declining acceptance of the award. [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. Consequently, Littlefeather alleged she was "blacklisted" by Hollywood and never worked again. [45] She continued to pursue acting opportunities, such as touring with the "Red Earth Theater Company". It was around the same time Littlefeather reportedly suffered a breakdown. When Brando was announced as the winner, Littlefeather took the stage dressed in full native regalia. [36] A year later in October 1973, after her Academy Award appearance fame, they ran the photographs of Littlefeather as a stand-alone feature. 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.. She committed herself to other health education work as well and worked with Mother Theresa doing hospice care for AIDS patients. 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. [57] She also said that media reports published several falsehoods, such as that she was not Native American or had rented the outfit for the occasion. 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. (Bettmann via Getty Images). Thank you on behalf of Marlon Brando. After giving brief remarks and announcing the five nominees, they declared Brando as the winner. 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][27] She reported having tuberculosis at age four and received treatment in an oxygen tent while hospitalized. And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industryexcuse me [booing and applause] and on television in movie re-runs, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee. I knew Sacheen and I don't think it was her idea at allI am sure Brando recruited her". Sacheen Littlefeather stunned Hollywood when she was sent on behalf of Marlon Brando to reject his 1973 Oscar for best actor in "The Godfather." "They should have at least had the courtesy to listen to her. 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. [10][11][12] After high school, she attended Hartnell Junior College and studied elementary education. In the statement, Littlefeather continues to claim to be Yaqui and White Mountain Apache. 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. [49][114][115] Littlefeather reported in 1991 that she was working on two shows for PBS, Remember Me Forever and The Americas Before Columbus, both scheduled for broadcast in 1992. (2021, December 6). [23] Later, though, Littlefeather said she was blacklisted by the Hollywood community and received threats. Riveting new S.F. [32][33][34] She worked at a radio station, KFRC, for about six months and did freelance reporting for PBS member station KQED. [77] In the years immediately following the protest, Littlefeather said that it had "had little effect on the course of her career". 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. She made this man out to be a monster. 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. Gilio-Whitaker, Dina. Want to advertise with us? Sacheen Littlefeather died Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, at her home in Marin County, Calif. She was 75. "[7], In January 1973, she appeared in "Make-up for Minority Women' and was identified as a professional model. Legal Statement. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. [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. Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American activist Marlon Brando sent to the 1973 Academy Awards to decline the lead actor Oscar he won for "The Godfather," died Sunday at age 75. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed the . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. [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. [68][69] At a later press conference, Littlefeather read to journalists the speech that Brando had prepared; The New York Times published the full text the next day. Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com. Littlefeather said her father was of Apache and Yaqui ancestry[1] and her mother was of European descent. Brando had written a much longer speech, but Littlefeather was instructed by the award ceremony's production team to keep the rejection to 60 seconds. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. [2], In 1974, Littlefeather attended classes at the American Conservatory Theater, studying acting, yoga, fencing, Shakespeare, dancing, and other various skills for her acting career. People actually dont realize how deeply these people are injured by seeing themselves represented, he shared. Sacheen Littlefeather gets apology for abuse by John Wayne, others at 1973 Oscars Marlon Brando Jr. (Omaha, Nebraska, April 3, 1924-Los Angeles, California, July 1, 2004) was an American film and theater actor. My mom was a very sweet, kind person, Orlandi said. Littlefeathers sisters say those claims are false. They also said that their father, who was born in Oxnard, California, was of Spanish-Mexican descent and had no tribal ties. [54] Producer Howard W. Koch, she later said, told her "you can't read all that" in reference to the 739-word speech written by Brando,[55] so she condensed it all into 60 seconds. Dina Gilo-Whitaker is a lecturer of American Indian Studies at California State University San Marcos. (Photo by Beck Starr/FilmMagic/Getty Images). [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. On behalf of Marlon Brando, she refused the Best Actor award he was awarded for his role in . Were also on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flipboard. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Sacheen Littlefeather Has Died. FILE - Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American activist, tells the audience at the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, March 27, 1973, that Marlon Brando was declining to accept his. In June, the. [20] In 1970, as "Sacheen Littlefeather of Alcatraz", she was named Miss Vampire USA, a promotion for House of Dark Shadows. Marie Louise Cruz (November 14, 1946 October 2, 2022), better known as Sacheen Littlefeather, was an American actress, model, and activist on behalf of Native American civil rights. [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". After the Academy Award speech, Littlefeather worked in hospice care. My name is Sacheen Littlefeather. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Indian children seeing Indians represented as savages, ugly, nasty, treacherous, drunkthey grow up only with a negative image of themselves and it lasts a lifetime.. At the time, Brando was a top Hollywood supporter of the American Indian Movement and acquainted with Littlefeather through her neighbor, Francis Ford Coppola. [9][8] Geroldine Cruz continued to operate the business after her husband's death in 1966. However, Littlefeather admitted that the praise was bittersweet. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Her sisters say she was an ethnic fraud", "Big Littlefeather Lies Sacheen Littlefeather Lied About Native American Ancestry, Sisters Claim 'It is a fraud. [applause][60], Moore escorted Littlefeather off-stage, past several people critical of her, and towards the press. [2][3], Littlefeather was born Marie Louise Cruz on November 14, 1946, in Salinas, California. One of the most shocking moments in Academy Awards history came in 1973, when Marlon Brando won Best Actor for his role in The Godfather. 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. [73] Brando and Littlefeather's protest was generally considered inappropriate for the awards ceremony. But she also received death threats and was lied about in the media, including allegations that she wasn't Indian. "It was the first time anyone had made a political statement at the Oscars," Littlefeather said in the documentary, as quoted by the outlet. The San Francisco Ballet confirmed she worked as an advisor for the Emmy-winning 1984 telecast of Michael Smuins Song for Dead Warriors, and she served as a board member of the American Indian AIDS Institute. 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. I thought, Oh great, this is the lengths you will go to to get into acting.'. [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. When Brando was announced as the winner, Littlefeather took the stage dressed in full native regalia. 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. [80], At The Comedy Awards in 2012, comedian Norm Macdonald staged a parody of the speech in accepting an award on behalf of Melissa McCarthy. "Brando, Littlefeather, and the Academy Awards." Market data provided by Factset. [37][112] Obituaries for Littlefeather's father and maternal grandmother do not mention a biological son in the family, only Littlefeather and her two younger sisters. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images), It was mortifying, said Cruz, of Lake County, Montana, of the Oscars appearance. The activist had been battling. All rights reserved. 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. No one would listen to my story or give me a chance to work.". (AP Photo/File), Sacheen Littlefeather (born Marie Louise Cruz, 1946 - 2022) on stage at AMPAS Presents An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on September 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Later, however, he became critical of Israel and supported the Palestinian cause. [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. Orlandi grew up with her sister Maria Cruz, the woman who would later become famous as Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather. 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. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images). 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. Sacheen Littlefeather holds a written statement from actor Marlon Brando refusing his Best Actor Oscar on stage at the Academy Awards, Los Angeles, California. Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American activist who declined Marlon Brando's Oscar for The Godfather on his behalf in 1973, has died aged 75.
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