Sacheen Littlefeather, who declined Brando's Oscar, dies at 75
Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American actress and activist who made Oscars history in 1973, declining the best actor prize on behalf of Marlon Brando and jolting the Academy — and an estimated 85 million television viewers — with her speech condemning the mistreatment of American Indians, died Oct. 2 at home in Marin County, Calif. She was 75.
The cause was breast cancer, said Calina Lawrence, her niece and caregiver. Ms. Littlefeather was diagnosed in 2018 with breast cancer that spread to her right lung, according to an article in A.frame, the digital magazine of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
For decades, the Oscars largely steered clear of politics and social issues, acquiring a reputation as Hollywood’s biggest night while serving as a glitzy showcase for the movies and the people who made them. Ms. Littlefeather’s speech helped change that, ushering in an era in which actors and filmmakers increasingly used their acceptance speeches to call out injustice, criticize politicians and urge the industry to diversify its ranks and better represent women and people of color.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/10/03/oscars-activist-sacheen-littlefeather-dead/
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She was back in the spotlight after last year's Oscar "incident" and so many really did not understand what she sought to achieve via the opportunity afforded by Brando. Whether one thinks politicizing the Oscars is verboten or not, the fact that the racist John Wayne had to be restrained from attacking her and physically removing her while she spoke says everything one needs to know about the issue, IMO. In old age, Brando started (at least) to "get it;" People like Wayne, apparently, never did.
