Marlon Brando refused his Oscar for Best Actor, which he won for his role in "The Godfather" in 1973, as a protest against Hollywood's treatment and portrayal of Native Americans. He sent Sacheen Littlefeather, an Apache/Yaqui activist, to the ceremony to decline the award on his behalf and to deliver a statement highlighting the mistreatment of Native Americans by the film industry and referencing the Wounded Knee standoff that was happening at the time. Brando did not attend the ceremony and prioritized drawing attention to social justice issues over accepting the award himself.