Marlee Matlin, deaf since she was eighteen months old, won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role in Children of a Lesser God. She was also nominated for Emmy Awards for her performances in Seinfeld, Picket Fences, The Practice and Law And Order: SVU. Marlee also guest starred on ABCs award winning Desperate Housewives, My Name is Earl and CSI: New York. In 2007 Marlee joined the cast of Showtimes cutting edge drama The L Word. Marlee is the author of the childrens books Deaf Child Crossing and Nobody's Perfect. She is affiliated with a number of charities primarily benefiting children. Marlee lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband and their four children.
Used to live with William Hurt.
Initially, she believed that she was rendered deaf in infancy by a bout of roseola infantum but later found out that roseola doesnt cause deafness. In the 1990s, a doctor told her mother that he believed that Matlin had a genetically malformed cochlea, which meant that she could likely hear when she was born but that her hearing receded over the first couple of years of her life.
Her husband, Kevin Grandalski, is a police officer.
Was married in Henry Winkler s (the Fonzs) backyard.
Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1986" in John Willis Screen World, Vol. 38.
Attended and graduated from John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
She presented the Vardon family with $50,000 from a charity for the Vardons son to go to the college of his choice. This was on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" . The Vardon family is made up of two deaf parents, a hearing older son (Stefan) and a younger son who is both blind and autistic.
One of a chosen few to win a Best Acting Oscar for a debut performance.
Youngest person to win the Oscar in the Best Actress Category at the age of 21 and 218 days old. She is also the only deaf actor to win an Academy Award.
Her daughter Sarah was born on the same day an episode of "Picket Fences" aired, in which her character, Laurie Bey, also gave birth.
As a child, she attended a synagogue for the deaf.
She is profoundly deaf. Her right ear has complete loss, while her left ear has around 80% loss. She is the only member of her family who is deaf.
Lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband, Kevin, and their four children [2009].
Close friends with Jennifer Beals.
Named godmother of Holland-America Line cruise ship the MS Noordam.
Credits ex-boyfriend William Hurt with helping her seek help for her drug abuse.
Found out about her Oscar nomination for Children of a Lesser God from her interpreter Jack Jason when she was in rehab in the Betty Ford Clinic for 26 days, seeking help because of her drug problems. She didnt want to field questions from the press about her nomination, since she didnt want them to know that she was in recovery, so she responded to Jack, "Ill scream later." That phrase became the title of her 2009 memoir.
Revealed in her biography "Ill Scream Later" that her relationship with William Hurt was physically abusive on both sides and that their fights were alcohol and drug-fueled.
Deaf actress Marlee Matlin has been handed a special award from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) for performers with disabilities.
Marlee started out as a stage actress.
At the age of 7, she played Dorothy Gale in a production of "The Wizard of Oz" at ICODA (International Center on Deafness and the Arts).
Gave birth to her first child at age 30: a daughter, Sara Rose Grandalski, on January 19, 1996. The childs father is her husband, Kevin Grandalski.
Gave birth to her second child at age 35: a son, Brandon Joseph Grandalski, on September 12, 2000. The childs father is her husband, Kevin Grandalski.
Gave birth to her third child at age 36: a son, Tyler Daniel Grandalski, on July 18, 2002. The childs father is her husband, Kevin Grandalski.
Gave birth to her fourth child at age 38: a daughter, Isabelle Jane Grandalski, on December 26, 2003. The childs father is her husband, Kevin Grandalski.
(April 2008) Eliminated during the sixth week of "Dancing with the Stars" .
Competing on the sixth season of "Dancing with the Stars" . Her dance partner was newcomer Fabian Sanchez.
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on May 6, 2009.
Was the 94th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won a Best Actress Oscar for Children of a Lesser God at The 59th Annual Academy Awards on March 30, 1987.
Her father was of Russian Jewish descent. Her maternal grandparents were Polish Jewish immigrants.
Is one of 4 actresses to win the Best Actress Oscar for her film debut ( Children of a Lesser God ). The others are Shirley Booth (for Come Back, Little Sheba (1952) ), Julie Andrews (for Mary Poppins ), and Barbra Streisand (for Funny Girl ).
Suffered a miscarriage in December 1998.
Delivered her children Sara, Tyler and Isabella via Caesarean section and her son Brandon via forceps.
The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth.
Silence is the last thing the world will ever hear from me.
The handicap of deafness is not in the ear; it is in the mind.
I hope I inspire people who hear. Hearing people have the ability to remove barriers that prevent deaf people from achieving their dreams.
The handicap of deafness is not in the ear it is in the mind.
Silence is the last thing the world will ever hear from me.
You can do anything if you set your mind to it. Look out for kids, help them dream and be inspired. We teach calculus in schools, but I believe the most important formula is courage plus dreams equals success.
What parent has it easy? I just never make the difficulty of it an obstacle. I just do it.
My parents were the ones who gave me the independence, who gave me the spark to do anything that you set your mind to, as all parents should do for their kids.
There is nothing better than being a parent. It is the most challenging job one could ever ask for. I love being a mom and I love being a friend to my children as well.
YouTube is akin to having my own network.
I want roles without anger and feistiness. I want to show weakness and sadness, some love, some happiness.
The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth. .
