Sacheen Littlefeather, the late actress and activist who claimed to be of White Mountain Apache heritage and at the 1973 Academy Awards criticized Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans while refusing the best actor Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando after his win for “The Godfather,” in fact spent decades lying about her Native American ancestry, her sisters told The San Francisco Chronicle.
“It’s a lie,” sibling Trudy Orlandi told Native American writer and activist Jacqueline Keeler, explaining that their California-born father’s family was in fact Mexican — and Littlefeather’s real name was Maria Louise Cruz.
“It is a fraud,” echoed sister Rosalind Cruz. “It’s disgusting to the heritage of the tribal people. And it’s just … insulting to my parents.”
