Sacheen Littlefeather: Activist Who Declined Marlon Brando's 1973 Oscar

Sacheen Littlefeather was an American actress, activist and model, best known for appearing at the 1973 Academy Awards to decline Marlon Brando's Best Actor Oscar for The Godfather. Born Marie Louise Cruz on November 14, 1946, in Salinas, California, she identified as Native American.

At the 45th Academy Awards on March 27, 1973, she said Brando was declining the award because of the treatment of Native Americans by the film industry and the standoff at Wounded Knee. The audience response was mixed, with boos and applause, and she faced years of backlash. In 2022 the Academy issued a formal apology to her, which was read at an event honoring her on September 17, 2022.

Her film credits included The Trial of Billy Jack (1974) and Winterhawk (1975), and she later worked in hospice care and on Native American causes. After her death, her sisters and researchers disputed her claim of Native ancestry. She died at her home in Novato, California, on October 2, 2022, at age 75.

Achievements: Declined Marlon Brando's Oscar (1973), appeared in The Trial of Billy Jack (1974), received an apology from the Academy (2022).

Birth: November 14, 1946 - Salinas, California.

Profession: Actress and activist.

Interesting Facts: The Academy's apology came nearly 50 years after the 1973 ceremony. Her claimed ancestry has been disputed.