Marlee Matlin, American actress and producer
Marlee Beth Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, author, and activist. Deaf since she was 18 months old, Matlin made her acting debut playing Sarah Norman in the romantic drama film Children of a Lesser God (1986), which won her the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. She is the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award, as well as the youngest winner in the Best Actress category.Matlin starred in the police drama series Reasonable Doubts (1991–1993), which earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations, and her guest roles in Seinfeld (1993), Picket Fences (1993), The Practice (2000), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004–05) earned her four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. For her role in CODA (2021), she won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Matlin is a prominent member of the National Association of the Deaf, and her interpreter is Jack Jason. In 2009, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.