Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American Actress, Passes Away at Age 75

Sacheen Littlefeather Passed Away

Born Marie Louise, Sacheen Cruz Littlefeather is an American actress, model, and Native American civil rights, activist. She joined the Native American activist movement during the Alcatraz occupation in 1969.

Early life and Education of Sacheen Littlefeather

On November 14, 1946, Marie Louise Cruz, best known by her stage name as Littlefeather, was born in Salinas, California. Her mother is Geraldine Marie Barnitz and her father is Manuel Ybarra Cruz. Littlefeather had a challenging upbringing.
Littlefeather was a student at North Salinas High. After graduating from high school, she pursued a degree in elementary education at Hartnell Junior College. With a portfolio of photographs produced by Kenneth Cook of Cook’s Photography, she later sought a modeling career. She studied at Hayward’s California State College. Although she couldn’t reside on the island full-time because she was a student, she took part in the occupation of Alcatraz in 1970 and went by the name Sacheen Littlefeather.

Acting Career Of Sacheen Littlefeather

Sacheen Littlefeather’s introduction to the performing arts came through radio and television advertisements. She appeared in a cameo as Maggie in the Italian-Spanish criminal drama “Counselor at Crime” in 1973. She also appeared in the movies “The Laughing Policeman,” “Freebie and the Bean,” “Billy Jack,” “Winterhawk,” and “Shoot the Sun Down.” In the 1990s, Littlefeather contributed to a few PBS shows, including “The Americas Before Columbus” and “Remember Me Forever.” In 2009, she appeared in the documentary “Reel Injun” playing herself. She released a self-named documentary titled “Sacheen” in 2018.

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Social Work and Activism Sacheen Littlefeather

Sacheen Littlefeather joined the Alcatraz occupation in 1969, a 19-month protest against the American government’s denial of native land claims that was organized by LaNada Means and Richard Oakes. After working at the Institute of American Indian Arts and St. Mary’s Hospital, she co-founded the National American Indian Performing Arts Registry in 1979. Littlefeather persisted in her work and eventually became well-known among the Native Americans in California. She helped Mother Teresa in 1988 by offering AIDS patients hospice care. Later, she founded the American Indian AIDS Institute in San Francisco. In 2010, she was appointed executive director of the Kateri Tekakwitha prayer circles in San Francisco.

Controversy Of Sacheen Littlefeather

At the 45th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, 1973, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, Marlon Brando was represented by Sacheen Littlefeather. AIM organized a boycott over the image of Native Americans in American cinema, and Brando, who was nominated for Best Actor for his role as Vito Corleone in the 1972 movie “The Godfather,” was boycotted from the ceremony. Littlefeather, who was serving as Brando’s representative, entered the room but turned down the Oscar Roger Moore and Liv Ullmann were holding out to her. Her statement inspired the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to forbid future acceptance of the Oscars by proxy. The Hollywood community blacklisted Littlefeather.

Health Issues and Death Of Sacheen Littlefeather

Littlefeather has frequently talked about her own struggles with fatal conditions like cancer, collapsing lungs, and internal bleeding. At 4 years age, she suffered from TB. She was 29 when her lungs finally gave up. At the beginning of the 1990s, she received a colon cancer diagnosis. 2018 saw Littlefeather’s stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis. At the age of 75, Littlefeather passed away in her Novato, California, home on October 2, 2022.