Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American activist and actress, dead at 75

CNN  — 

Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American histrion and activistic who made past erstwhile she declined the Best Actor Oscar connected behalf of Marlon Brando, has died astatine the property of 75.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced her decease connected Monday successful a station shared connected Twitter.

The tweet, accompanied by an representation of the Apache and Yaqui actress, read: “Sacheen Littlefeather, Native American civilian rights activistic who famously declined Marlon Brando’s 1973 Best Actor Academy Award, dies astatine 75.”

While nary origin of decease was instantly given, Littlefeather disclosed successful a Facebook post successful January past twelvemonth that she had metastasized bosom cancer.

Littlefeather made past erstwhile she stepped connected signifier astatine the 1973 Oscars connected behalf of “The Godfather” prima Brando, who decided to boycott the grant ceremonial successful protestation astatine the portrayal of Native Americans connected the large screen. Brando was besides reacting to the effect of national instrumentality enforcement to the concern of the South Dakota municipality of Wounded Knee by members of the American Indian Movement.

Her abbreviated speech, for which she wore a buckskin formal and moccasins, was met with a substance of boos and applause. It outgo the budding actress, whose movie credits included “Winterhawk,” “Shoot the Sun Down” and “The Trial of Billy Jack,” her vocation arsenic she was soon blacklisted from the movie manufacture and shunned by the amusement world.

In August, the Academy formally apologized to Littlefeather for the mistreatment she experienced during her code and successful the years that followed.

A missive from erstwhile Academy President David Rubin to Littlefeather said the maltreatment she endured was “unwarranted and unjustified.”

He added: “The affectional load you person lived done and the outgo to your ain vocation successful our manufacture are irreparable. For excessively agelong the courageousness you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we connection some our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.”

Describing the apology arsenic a “dream travel true,” Littlefeather said: “We Indians are precise diligent radical – it’s lone been 50 years!

“We request to support our consciousness of wit astir this astatine each times. It’s our method of survival,” she added.

Last month, the Academy hosted an lawsuit astatine its movie depository successful Los Angeles that featured Littlefeather arsenic a keynote talker alongside different Indigenous performers.