Sacheen Littlefeather Dies: Native American Actress Who Declined Marlon Brando’s Oscar Was 75
where she said the following: “He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry… and on television in movie re-runs, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.”Littlefeather revealing she was “blacklisted” by Hollywood“It was the first time anyone had made a political statement at the Oscars,” Littlefeather says in the documentary.
She also noted that John Wayne “was in the wings and wanted to storm onto the stage and drag me off.” In August of this year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a “statement of reconciliation” where theyThe actor issued a statement following the apology that read, “Regarding the Academy’s apology to me, we Indians are very patient people—it’s only been 50 years! We need to keep our sense of humor about this at all times. It’s our method of survival,” said Littlefeather in today’s press release.
Just last month, in September, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in LA held an event with Littlefeather as they recognized the impact she had on the history of the cinematic industry.