Sacheen Littlefeather — the Native American actress and activist who declined Marlon Brando’s 1973 Oscar win for 'The Godfather' on his behalf and was blacklisted in Hollywood— died on Sunday at the age of 75
“I was the first woman of color to ever make a political statement in the history of the Academy Awards,” she said in the doc.
Born Marie Louise Cruz in 1946 in Northern California , she was raised in Salinas mainly by her mother’s parents, and by the time she was attending California State University in Hayward, she was championing her heritage. This included her joining fellow activists in the Native occupation to attempt to reclaim Alcatraz Island in 1969.
She also began pursuing acting and received a scholarship at San Francisco’s Conservatory Theater. While she garnered some radio and TV commercial work, she found it difficult to score larger parts. And her speech on behalf of Brando at the Oscars effectively shut down her acting career. Yet despite that, she appeared in a handful of films, including before she abandoned acting and earned a degree in health to work in the wellness field.
“Be proud that we stand as survivors — all of us,” Littlefeather said during the Academy event in her honor earlier this month. “Please, when I am gone, always be reminded that whenever you stand for your truth, you will be keeping your voice, and the voices of our Nations and our people alive.”
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