Sacheen Littlefeather Biography

Sacheen Littlefeather was an American actress and activist for Native American rights. She is best known for representing Oscar-nominated actor Marlon Brando at the 45th Academy Awards in 1973 while protesting against the stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans in the entertainment industry. After the Academy Awards speech, she continued her activism, actively working to solve a number of Native American issues. Born Marie Louise Cruz in Salinas, California, to a leather stamper mother, Littlefeather has a difficult childhood. Her father, who was a child of an alcoholic father himself, often abused alcohol and beat up the children. He died of terminal cancer at the age of 44. Following her graduation from California State College at Hayward, Littlefeather joined Indians of All Tribes and later participated in the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz. After changing her first name to Sacheen, she picked up radio and television commercials before eventually landing roles in films. In 2018, she was found to have developed stage 4 breast cancer. She died in 2022.