William C. Melochick
December 11, 2006
Marlee Matlin
Marlee Matlin is a deaf actress
that has appeared in many popular movies and
television shows. She lost her hearing to a fever
associated with roseola, which is a form of measles.
She was only 18 months old at the time. Since then
she has learned to sign and even speak with the help
of modern technology. She also has used interpreters
that the production companies had provided when she
was a young acrtress. She also had a
Telecommunications device in her dressing room along
with a closed-captioned television. At home, Matlin
had many signaling devices that would let her know
when the doorbell rings, the phone rings, or when
her baby cries. She also uses the internet on a
daily basis to communicate with friends, family, and
fans(Williams, 2001).
Matlin started her acting career with a children’s
theater group when she was very young. She played
Dorothy from "The Wizard Of Oz" when she was only 7
years old. She was very young when she hit it big,
winning an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her
role in "Children of a lesser God." In 2005 she
starred in a movie called "The Bridge To Silence."
This was her first speaking role. She was the
youngest woman to win the best actress award. She
has gone on to star in many films such as "The
Player" and "Its My Party." Today she is best known
for her roles in many television shows. She has been
in many popular shows such as "The West Wing,"
"Desperate Housewives" and "Sienfeld."She has won
prime time Emmy awards for roles in "Law and Order"
and "Picket Fences." Matlin has also made many guest
appearances on many prime time and educational shows
(Matlin, 2006).
Matlin has been an inspiration to many deaf and hard
of hearing people. She says that she wants to be a
role model to everyone. In a recent interview she
stated that, " I hope that through my example, such
as my role on "The West Wing," I can help change
attitudes on deafness and prove we can really do
everything, except hear." (Williams, 2006) She has
used her acting career to help promote deaf
awareness and equality for deaf and hard of hearing.
In 2002 she wrote a book called "Deaf child
crossing," which is based on her life experiences
when she was growing up. She plans to write a sequel
to this book which will chronicle her adult and
acting experiences (Lammers, 2002).
I did not know anything about Marlee Matlin before I
did this blog. I am in awe of everything that she
has accomplished. I have only mentioned a few of the
projects that she is involved with. She has done
many more television, movie, and theater
productions. She is also involved with many
charities that benefit both the deaf and hearing
communities. She is a huge inspiration to everyone,
and she shows you that you can do anything you want
if you work hard at it.
Works cited
Lammers, Tim. "Actress Merges Life, Fiction For
'Deaf Child Crossing." An Interview with Marlee
Matlin. 10/31/2002.
<http://www.nbc4.tv/news/1752625/detail.html>
Matlin, Marlee. Official Website. <http://www.marleematlinsite.com/mylife/mylife.html>
Williams, John. "Marlee Matlin's World of
Possibilities." An Interview with Marlee Matlin
5/23/2001. Businessweek.com. <http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may2001/nf20010523_563.htm>