Native American actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather passed away on Sunday at the age of 75. She became famous when she refused an Oscar on behalf of actor Marlon Brando in 1973 in protest at the film and television industry’s poor portrayal of Native Americans and to draw attention to Wounded Knee, an important village for the Sioux people in South Dakota that was then occupied by some 200 activists.
Littlefeather’s action at the live-TV Oscar gala drew a lot of criticism at the time. She was booed by the crowd and backstage she was met by an enraged John Wayne, the actor who played many cowboy roles.
In addition, reports emerged after the event that Littlefeather was not a real Native American and that she had agreed to the speech to promote her acting career. It was also widely speculated that she could be Brando’s mistress. Because she ended up on a blacklist after the movie gala, Littlefeather could hardly find work afterwards.
Only a few months ago, in August, was an apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organizer of the Oscars. David Rubin, former president of the Academy, sent her a letter apologizing for the “unwarranted” uproar that littlefeather, then 26, had experienced after her brief speech. The actress was pleasantly surprised to receive the letter. “I never thought I would live to see the day I would hear this,” she told the Hollywood Reporter.
Littlefeather, who was suffering from breast cancer, died at her home in Novato, California.