Top 10 Facts about Marlee Matlin

Top 10 Facts about Marlee Matlin

Marlee Matlin receiving a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame Photo by Angela George Wikimedia Commons

Marlee Matlin, full name Marlee Beth Matlin, was born in Morton Grove, Illinois on August 24, 1965. She is an American actress and activist who became the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award for best actress for her role in Children of a Lesser God (1986). She has also been known for advocating for more representation of the deaf and other people with disabilities in films and television.

1. Matlin lost a majority of her hearing at 18 months old

Matlin was 18 months old when she lost all hearing in her right ear and 80% of her hearing in her left ear due to illness and fevers. Her hearing loss may have been caused by a genetically malformed cochlea, according to her autobiography “I’ll Scream Later”. She is the only deaf person in her family.

2. She grew up in a Reform Jewish household

Doorway to the Sinai Jewish Reform Synagogue, Roman Avenue Photo by Humphrey Bolton Wikimedia Commons

Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects over its ceremonial ones, and belief in a never-ending search for truth and knowledge that is closely linked to human reason and is not limited to the theophany at Mount Sinai. It is a highly liberal strand of Judaism that places less emphasis on ritual and personal observance, views halakha (Jewish law) as non-binding and the individual Jew as autonomous, and has a strong openness to external influences and progressive values.

Matlin grew up in a Reform Jewish household with her two older brothers, Eric and Marc. Her ancestors are from Poland and Russia. Matlin attended a Deaf synagogue (Congregation Bene Shalom) and was able to learn her Torah portion for her Bat Mitzvah by studying Hebrew phonetically. Later, she was interviewed for the book Mazel Tov: Celebrity Bar and Bat Mitzvah Memories.

3. She made her stage debut at the age of seven

Matlin made her stage debut as Dorothy in an International Center on Deafness and the Arts (ICODA) children’s theatre production of The Wizard of Oz when she was seven years old, and she continued to perform with the ICODA children’s theatre group throughout her childhood. She won second place in the Chicago Center’s Annual International Creative Arts Festival at the age of thirteen for an essay titled “If I Was Not a Movie Star.”

4. Matlin was the first deaf actor to win an oscar

Enlarged Oscar® statuette beside red carpet at 81st Annual Academy Awards in Kodak Theatre Photo by Greg in Hollywood Wikimedia Commons

Henry Winkler discovered her during one of her ICODA theater performances, which led to her film debut in Children of a Lesser God (1986). The film received generally positive reviews, with Matlin receiving praise for her performance as Sarah Norman, a reluctant-to-speak deaf woman who falls for a hearing man.

Her performance in Children of a Lesser God earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama and an Academy Award for Best Actress. Matlin, who was only 21 years old at the time, is still the youngest actress to win an Oscar for Best Actress. For 36 years, she was the only Deaf nominee and recipient in any category, until 2022, when deaf actor and filmmaker Troy Kotsur won Best Supporting Actor for his role in CODA, in which Matlin also appeared.

5. She has received four Emmy nominations

Matlin was nominated for an Emmy Award for her appearance on Seinfeld in 1994. She had a recurring role as Mayor Laurie Bey in the TV series Picket Fences from 1993 to 1996, for which she received a second Emmy nomination in 1994. Matlin was nominated for an Emmy a third time for a guest role on The Practice in 2000, and she received a fourth nomination for a guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2004. She portrayed a fictional photographer in the 2004 documentary What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? Matlin had recurring roles on The West Wing, My Name Is Earl, The L Word, Switched at Birth, and Quantico in the early twenty-first century.

6. Marlee is a writer

Books on Library Photo by Abhi Sharma Wikimedia Commons

Matlin published her first novel, Deaf Child Crossing, in 2002, which was loosely based on her own childhood. She later wrote and published a sequel, Nobody’s Perfect, which was staged in October 2007 at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in collaboration with VSA Arts.

Matlin’s autobiography, I’ll Scream Later, was released on April 14, 2009. In it, she discusses her drug addiction and how it led to her admission to the Betty Ford Center. She also discusses her rocky two-year relationship with Children of a Lesser God co-star William Hurt, whom she claims physically abused her. She also discusses her sexual abuse as a child at the hands of her female babysitter.

7. Matlin has a sign language app

Sign language alphabet Photo by Raziakhatun12 Wikimedia Commons

Marlee Signs is an iPhone sign language learning app that teaches you the fundamentals of American Sign Language (ASL). It is a collaboration between MEDL Mobile and Marlee Matlin, a well-known deaf actress who provides sign language lessons for the app. Marlee Signs is free to download from the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store.

Marlee Signs teaches the fundamentals of American Sign Language, from the alphabet to basic vocabulary, using video demonstrations from Matlin herself.

8. She has received presidential honors for her selfless work

Matlin was appointed to the Corporation for National Service by President Clinton in 1994.  It is an independent government agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer work programs in a variety of sectors. AmeriCorps VISTA, AmeriCorps NCCC, AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps Seniors, the Volunteer Generation Fund, and other national service initiatives are among these programs. The mission of the organization is to “improve lives, strengthen communities, and encourage civic engagement through service and volunteering.” The National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 established it. Although its official name remains unchanged, the agency will be rebranded as AmeriCorps in September 2020.

In 2010, she joined President Barack Obama at the White House to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

9. Marlee has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame 

A sidewalk inscription on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Photo by Visitor7 Wikimedia Commons

The Oscar winner received the 2,383rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony was presided over by Leron Gubler, President, and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Among those in attendance were her mentor and partner on “Dancing with the Stars,” Henry Winkler, Anne Sweeney, President of Disney-ABC Television Group, actresses Marrissa Jaret Winokur and Jennifer Beals, and Fabian Sanchez, Matlin’s partner on “Dancing with the Stars.” Matlin and guests were treated to a song performed by children from The International Center of Deafness & the Arts.

10. Matlin has received multiple honors for her activism role

Matlin received the 2016 Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion, a $120,000 prize given annually by Jay Ruderman of the Ruderman Family Foundation to one individual whose work excels at promoting disability inclusion, in recognition of her philanthropic work and advocacy for the inclusion of people with disabilities. In 2014, she received the Henry Viscardi Achievement Award for disability advocacy.

Matlin received the Bernard Bragg Young Artists Achievement Award in 1991 at the Center on Deafness’ Annual International Creative Arts Festival in Chicago. Matlin was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Gallaudet University in 1987. She was appointed to the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees in October 2007. Matlin received the Samuel S. Beard Award for Outstanding Public Service by a Person 35 Years or Younger in 1988, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.