Marlee Beth Matlin, born August 24, 1965, is an American actress. She is the youngest woman in history and the only deaf performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, which she won for Children of a Lesser God. She appeared as herself on 'Glee in 2014.[1]
Her work in film and television has resulted in a Golden Globe award, with two additional nominations, and four Emmy nominations. Deaf since she was 18 months old,[2] she is also a prominent member of the National Association of the Deaf.
Personal life[]
Matlin is actively involved with a number of charitable organizations, including Easter Seals (where she was appointed an Honorary Board Member), the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, VSA arts, and the Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet.[3] She was appointed by President Clinton in 1994 to the Corporation for National Service and served as chair of National Volunteer Week. Matlin was a participant in the first-ever national television advertising campaign supporting donations to Jewish federations. The program featured "film and television personalities celebrating their Jewish heritage and promoting charitable giving to the Jewish community" and included Greg Grunberg, Joshua Malina, Kevin Weisman, and Jonathan Silverman.[4]
Matlin received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Gallaudet University in 1987.[5] In October 2007, she was appointed to the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees.[5] In 1988, Matlin received the Samuel S. Beard Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.[6]
Matlin attended the 1987 Oscars to present the Academy Award for Best Actor. After signing her introduction in ASL, she spoke aloud the "names of the nominees" and of Michael Douglas, the winner.
On April 14, 2009, Matlin released an autobiography, I'll Scream Later. In it she describes her drug abuse and how it drove her to check herself into Betty Ford Center. She also tells about her rocky, two-year relationship with actor William Hurt, who she claims was physically abusive to her and abused drugs during that time. She also addresses the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her babysitter.[7][8]
Matlin enjoys a sense of humor about her deafness: "Often I’m talking to people through my speaker phone, and after 10 minutes or so they say, 'Wait a minute, Marlee, how can you hear me?' They forget I have an interpreter there who is signing to me as they talk. So I say, 'You know what? I can hear on Wednesdays.'"
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Children of a Lesser God | Sarah Norman | Academy Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress (2nd place) |
1987 | Walker | Ellen Martin | |
1991 | The Linguini Incident | Jeanette | |
1991 | Grand Canyon | Sign Language Mom | |
1991 | L'Homme au masque d'or | María | |
1993 | Hear No Evil | Jillian Shanahan | |
1996 | It's My Party | Daphne Stark | |
1996 | Snitch | Cindy | |
1998 | When Justice Fails | Katy Wesson | |
1998 | In Her Defense | Jane Claire | |
1999 | Freak City | Cassandra | |
1999 | Where The Truth Lies | Dana Sue Lacey | |
2000 | Two Shades of Blue | Beth McDaniels | |
2001 | Askari | Paula McKinley | |
2004 | What the Bleep Do We Know!? | Amanda | |
2006 | What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole | Amanda | |
2009 | Silent Knights | Charlotte Manning | |
2012 | Excision | Amber | |
2013 | No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie | Marlee Matlin | |
2014 | The One I Love | Diner Patron |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991-1994 | Reasonable Doubts | Tess Kaufman | 44 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama (1992-93) |
1993 | Seinfeld | Laura | Episode: "The Lip Reader" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series |
1993-1996 | Picket Fences | Mayor Laurie Bey | 13 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series |
1994 | Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story | Carrie Buck | Television movie Nominated—CableACE Award for Best Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series |
1997 | The Larry Sanders Show | Herself | Episode: "The Book" |
1997 | Spin City | Sarah Edelman | Episode: "Deaf Becomes Her" |
1999 | ER | Sign Language Instructor | Episode: "Storm: Part 1" |
2000-2006 | The West Wing | Josephine "Joey" Lucas | 17 episodes |
2000 | The Practice | Sally Berg | Episode: "Life Sentence" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series |
2001 | Gideon's Crossing | Lindsay Warren | Episode: "Orphans" |
2004-2005 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Dr. Amy Solwey | 2 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series |
2005 | Desperate Housewives | Alisa Stevens | Episode: "There Won't Be Trumpets" |
2006 | CSI: NY | Mrs. Mitchum | Episode: "Silent Night" |
2006 | Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | Herself | Episode: "Family Llanes" |
2006-2007 | My Name Is Earl | Ruby Whitlow | 3 episodes |
2007-2009 | The L Word | Jodi Lerner | 29 episodes |
2008 | Sweet Nothing in My Ear | Laura Miller | Television movie |
2009 | Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show | Herself | Television short |
2011-2012 | The Celebrity Apprentice | Herself | 13 episodes |
2011 | Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump | Herself | Television movie |
2011 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Julia Holden | Episode: "The Two Mrs. Grissoms" |
2011-present | Switched at Birth | Melody Bledsoe | 19 episodes |
2012 | Family Guy | Stella | Episode: "The Blind Side" |
2014 | Glee | Herself | Episode: "City of Angels", Nationals judge |
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "Shoshannah Stern — Ready for Prime Time" Ability Magazine
- ↑ Matlin, Marlee, I'll Scream Later, New York: Simon and Schuster, c2009, pp. 3.
- ↑ Marlee Matlin, The Gift of Silence: A Conversation with Marlee Matlin. Voices Inc.com. April 4, 2007.
- ↑ Jewish Federations of North America: "Film and Television Celebrities Promote Jewish Federations in First-Ever National Television Advertising Campaign - Jewish Stars Promote Federations' Initiatives and Mission" August 2, 2004
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Profile: Marlee Matlin. Gallaudet University. Access date: December 26, 2007.
- ↑ http://www.jeffersonawards.org/pastwinners/national
- ↑ Marlee Matlin website
- ↑ "Marlee Matlin: Baby sitter's abuse led to life of drugs, violence." CNN. April 14, 2009.