Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American activist who declined Marlon Brando’s Oscar for The Godfather on stage in 1973, has died. She was 75.
Littlefeather passed away on Sunday (October 2). She lived in northern California and had breast cancer that had metastasised to her lung.
Last month she attended the Academy Museum as the subject of a tribute evening. The Academy repeated an apology for the manner in which Littlefeather was booed after she delivered her speech at the Oscars in favour of Native American rights nearly 50 years ago.
“Regarding the Academy’s apology to me,” Littlefeather said last month, “we Indians are very patient people – it’s only been 50 years! We need to keep our sense of humour about this at all times. It’s our method of survival.”
She continued, “This is a dream come true. It is profoundly heartening to see how much has changed since I did not accept the Academy Award 50 years ago.”
In June the Academy issued an apology signed by now former president David Rubin. It said, “As you stood on the Oscars stage in 1973 to not accept the Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando, in recognition of the misrepresentation and mistreatment of Native American people by the film industry, you made a powerful statement that continues to remind us of the necessity of respect and the importance of human dignity.
“The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified. The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.”
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