Marlee Matlin
Marlee Matlin | |
|---|---|
Matlin at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival | |
| Born | August 24, 1965 Morton Grove, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse |
Kevin Grandalski (m. 1993) |
| Children | 4 |
| Awards | Full list |
Marlee Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, activist, and author.[1] Deaf since she was 18 months old,[2] Matlin is known for her portrayals of deaf women, and for her activism on behalf of deaf individuals in Hollywood and other industries.[1] Her accolades include an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for a British Academy Film Award and four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2009, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Matlin made her acting debut playing Sarah Norman in the romantic drama film Children of a Lesser God (1986), winning the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama; she is the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award, the youngest winner in the Best Actress category, and one of four women to win the award for their screen debut.[3][4][5][6] For playing a district attorney in the police drama series Reasonable Doubts (1991–1993), she was twice nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She received a nomination for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her guest role in the comedy series Seinfeld (1993), and received three more nominations for Picket Fences (1993), The Practice (2000), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004–2005) in the drama category.
Matlin has primarily worked in television, as she has found more roles for deaf actors. She played Joey Lucas on the political drama series The West Wing (2000–2006), appeared in the drama series The L Word (2007–2009) and Switched at Birth (2011–2017), and voiced Stella in the animated sitcom Family Guy (2012–2021). She made her Broadway debut in the 2015 revival of Spring Awakening. For her role in the coming-of-age film CODA (2021), she won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Outside of acting, Matlin is a prominent member of the National Association of the Deaf, and her interpreter is Jack Jason.[7][8] She has published four works and won recognitions for her advocacy. A documentary about her life and work, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, was released in 2025.
- ^ a b Horn, Xian (December 13, 2021). "Marlee Matlin: Trailblazer And Queen Of Hearts". Forbes. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
- ^ Matlin, Marlee (2009). I'll Scream Later. Simon and Schuster. p. 3. ISBN 9781439117637. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
- ^ Renfro, Kim. "The 31 youngest Oscar nominees of all time". Insider. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ Evry, Max. "The 25 Youngest Oscar Nominees of All Time". MTV News. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ "The 59th Academy Awards Memorable Moments". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. August 26, 2014. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ "Oscars: Marlee Matlin on her Best Actress win". Entertainment Weekly. February 21, 2012. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ "Marlee Matlin: 'Do What You Have To Do'" Archived June 22, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, NPR, August 11, 2010.
- ^ Rick Rojas, "Jack Jason gives voice to, but doesn't talk over, Marlee Matlin", Los Angeles Times, May 21, 2011.