Littlefeather was a budding model and actress, and she agreed to represent him. "He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award," she said , citing "the treatment of American Indians today" by the film and television industry. [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. 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. His theatrical training and instruction was carried out by Stella Adler, one of the most prestigious professors who developed Stanislavski's work in New York; some Saturdays he went to the Actor's Studio interested in Elia Kazan's classes. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! [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. Sacheen Littlefeather, who declined Marlon Brando's Oscar for "The Godfather" on his behalf at the 1973 Academy Awards, died Sunday, the Academy of Motion Pictures said. [15] In 1969, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue a modeling career with a portfolio of photos taken by Kenneth Cook of Cook's Photography. Brando's speech addressed the stereotypes of Native Americans in films long before the subject would be taken seriously in the industry. [59], The Best Actor award was presented by Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann and British actor Roger Moore. He objected to the way Native Americans were represented in the movies. [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. All rights reserved. At the time of the Oscars, she had known Brando for nearly a year. Littlefeathers sisters say those claims are false. [56] In other retellings of that night, Littlefeather said Koch told her that she had 60 seconds to deliver the speech or else she would be removed from the stage and arrested. Marlon Brando was one of those stars. Marlon Brando Michael Caine Peter O'Toole Laurence Olivier Later that night, before she announced the Best Actress winner, Raquel Welch said, "I hope the winner doesn't have a cause. Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanityfrom the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening. [63][64][65][66][67] This claim has since been disputed by film historian Farran Nehme and biographer Scott Eyman. Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American activist who declined Marlon Brando's Oscar for The Godfather on his behalf in 1973, has died aged 75. [1][127] She stated that she was suicidal and hospitalized in a mental institution for a year. [28] She said her mother and two sisters were subject to their father's rage and beatings. Littlefeather, who appeared nervous during her speech and was booed by a few attendees, received both harassment and praise after the event. [5], Over the years, Littlefeather described her personal experiences with serious health issues, including internal bleeding, collapsed lungs, and cancer. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the news on its social media accounts. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. So, effectively what we hear at the podium is an improvised speech by the activist. She had been instructed by Brando not to touch the Oscar and, rather, read an eight-page statement. But the next night, Orlandi watched on live TV as Sacheen stoically ascended the Oscars stage in a buckskin dress and told a global audience of 85 million that she was Apache. The truth, they say, is that their parents, self-employed makers of horse saddles, raised their three daughters in a loving middle-class home. The money raised was never donated to any campaign. Orlandi and Cruz just want the truth to be known about their family. or redistributed. [26] She characterized this as either being "adopted",[21] or in foster care. 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 He clearly understood the effect that this had not only on adults but, in particular, children. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts. (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. 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. [16][17] She said she had been treated with thorazine and other medications but "mostly stabilized with much help" from the San Francisco Bay Area Native American community. Two weeks before her death, the Academy honored her at an event called "An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather." "I was ostracized everywhere I turned. [27] A 1999 article stated she had developed colon cancer in the early 1990s. He was even known to have donated money to the Black Panthers. 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 . After the Academy Award speech, Littlefeather worked in hospice care. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images), LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 20: Activist Sacheen Littlefeather (L) and producer of the movie Christina Fon (R) attend the 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 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 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. [39] Looking back at the photo shoot, Littlefeather later said, "I was young and dumb. It was around the same time Littlefeather reportedly suffered a breakdown. 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. ", Sacheen Littlefeather is the subject of a new documentary titled 'Sacheen: Breaking The Silence.' I never saw my sister being beaten by my dad. Marlon Brando Jr. (Omaha, Nebraska, April 3, 1924-Los Angeles, California, July 1, 2004) was an American film and theater actor. [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. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. [79], In 2015, Littlefeather reported that her name and image were being used fraudulently to raise money claimed to be for the Lakota nation. She has previously reported or edited for Bay Area news and lifestyle publications, including Walnut Creek Patch, and Diablo, Oakland and Alameda magazines, as well as The Nation in Bangkok, Thailand and The Economist. (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. Legal Statement. (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. In one of her first interviews after the speech, she mentioned that they met "through his interest in the Indian movement". Littlefeather, a White Mountain Apache, said Brando was "delighted" by the performance, which was a protest he supported on the depiction of Native Americans by the film industry, Deadlinereported on Monday. 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. [50] In 2016, the 88th ceremony of the Academy Awards drew criticism for lack of diversity in nominations; actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who boycotted the ceremony, cited Littlefeather as inspiration to do so. [6], Littlefeather attended North Salinas High School from 1960 to 1964 and was active in 4-H, winning awards in home economics categories such as food preservation and fashion. 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. My mom was a very sweet, kind person, Orlandi said. [24], In interviews, Littlefeather said she had a difficult childhood. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration." Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. [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. [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. 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. Gilio-Whitaker, Dina. 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. In one of the most memorable moments in Oscars history, Littlefeather took the stage in his place and spoke out about Hollywood's negative treatment of Native Americans. Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American activist and actress who famously declined an Oscar on behalf of actor Marlon Brando at the 45th Academy Awards, has died at 75, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Sunday. [32][33][34] She worked at a radio station, KFRC, for about six months and did freelance reporting for PBS member station KQED. "I was blacklisted or, you could say, redlisted," she explained. [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. [applause][60], Moore escorted Littlefeather off-stage, past several people critical of her, and towards the press. [119] She participated in events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Occupation of Alcatraz, including serving as head pow wow judge. "[72][71] Michael Caine, the night's co-host, criticized Brando for "letting some poor little Indian girl take the boos" instead of "[standing] up and [doing] it himself". 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.. The registry was founded in the early 1980s by Muscogee actor Will Sampson, who worked with the American Native Association to publish a directory of American Indians in the arts and entertainment fields. [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. Entertainment | Sacheen Littlefeather made history in 1973 when she turned down the Academy Award for Best Actor on behalf of "The Godfather" winner Marlon Brando.Almost 50 years later, Indigenous activist . Legal Statement. Marlon Brando . [5] In an interview after her Academy Awards appearance, Fortunate Eagle confirmed that Littlefeather had supported the protest at Alcatraz;[22] According to Keeler's 2022 article published after Littlefeather's death, activist LaNada War Jack, who was at Alcatraz, said Littlefeather was not there. Winning the Academy Award in 1973 for "The Godfather," Brando sent a woman clad in Apache dress named Sacheen Littlefeather to turn down the award on his behalf. [42] In an interview published just before her Academy Awards appearance, she stated that she had helped send two Indian nurses to Wounded Knee and that she had relinquished her United States citizenship, along with seven Native Americans.