Marlon Brando refuses Oscar (1973)
Everyone in Hollywood expected Marlon Brando to win Best Actor for his portrayal of mob patriarch Don Corleone in The Godfather–including Brando himself, who boycotted the ceremony and sent a woman named Sacheen Littlefeather to officially refuse the award on his behalf. Attired in full ancestral Apache wear, Littlefeather delivered a short speech decrying the stereotypical treatment given Native Americans by the film industry, which drew a smattering of polite applause, and a few boos, from the bewildered crowd.