The Native American actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather, who made history by denying Marlon Brando the Best Actor Oscar, has passed away at the age of 75.
Sacheen Littlefeather at an Academy function in Los Angeles last month. When she declined the Oscar on behalf of actor Marlon Brando, she stated that she was "supporting all Indigenous voices out there." Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
She passed away on Monday, according to a tweet from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
"Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American civil rights activist who famously denied Marlon Brando's 1973 Best Actor Academy Award, dies at 75," stated the tweet, which included a picture of the Apache and Yaqui actress.
Littlefeather revealed she had breast cancer metastasized in a Facebook post in January of last year, despite the fact that no specific cause of death was reported.
When Littlefeather appeared on stage at the 1973 Oscars on behalf of "The Godfather" actor Brando, who had elected to skip the ceremony in opposition to how Native Americans were portrayed on the big screen, she created Oscar history. Brando was also responding to how the federal police had handled the American Indian Movement's occupation of the South Dakota town of Wounded Knee.
She delivered a brief speech while dressed in a buckskin outfit and moccasins, to boos and cheers from the audience. It lost the aspiring actress, whose film credits included "Winterhawk," "Shoot the Sun Down," and "The Trial of Billy Jack," her career since she was quickly put on a blacklist by the movie business and ostracized by the entertainment community.
The Academy publicly apologized to Littlefeather in August for the bullying she endured during her speech and in the years thereafter.
Former Academy President David Rubin wrote to Littlefeather, calling the harassment "unwarranted and unreasonable."
"The mental weight you have endured, as well as the cost to your own career in our field, are irreversible," he continued. For far too long, your bravery has gone unnoticed. We sincerely apologize and express our admiration for this."
Littlefeather described the apology as a "dream come true," adding, "We Indians are pretty patient people - it's only been 50 years!"
"We must maintain our sense of humour at all times." "It's our way of surviving," she continued.
Littlefeather was a keynote speaker at the Academy's film museum in Los Angeles last month, with other Indigenous performers.
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