Sacheen Littlefeather, Brando’s ‘73 Oscar stand-in, says episode shadowed her life, career

Brando’s 1973 Oscar stand-in recounts fallout

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Sacheen Littlefeather says she paid a price when she decried Hollywood’s stereotyped portrayal of American Indians at the 1973 Oscars.

Littlefeather, who was sent by Marlon Brando to decline his best-actor award for “The Godfather,” says her high-profile advocacy put her life at risk and cut her acting career short.

She says when she visited Brando after the ceremony, bullets were fired at his front door. No one was injured.

Littlefeather, who went on to appear in just a handful of films, also claims the U.S. government encouraged the entertainment industry to avoid hiring her as part of its effort to quash American Indian activism.

She spoke Thursday during a presentation to TV critics on “Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian,” a documentary airing in November on the “Independent Lens” series.