Life And Contributions Of Marlee - 1396 Words

Marlee Beth Matlin was born on August 24, 1965 in Morton Grove, Illinois to Libby and Donald Matlin. She lost all hearing in her right ear and 80% in her left ear, when she was 18 months old due to genetically malformed cochlea. This essay will explore the life and contributions of Marlee Matlin including her early life, acting career, drug abuse, and advocacy for the deaf community. â€Å"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,† (Matlin). When Matlin was growing up, her parents told her she could do anything anyone else can and that she isn’t any different from them, her parents even went as far as to enroll her in public†¦show more content†¦She continued performing with this group as she was growing up and this is where she was eventually discovered by Henry Winkler. This led to her film debut in Children of a Lesser God, in which she played a student at a school for the deaf, where one of her teachers falls in love with her, even though she does not feel the same way. With this role Marlee became the first deaf actress to win an Academy Award, the other nominees for best actress in 1987 were: Jane Fonda for The Morning After, Sissy Spacek for Crimes of the Heart, Kathleen Turner for Peggy Sue Got Married, and Sigourney Weaver for Aliens. Even today Matlin is still the only deaf actress to win this coveted award. Her acting career continued to steadily grow, as she stared in the television show Reasonable Doubtss as Assistant District Attorney Tess Kaufman, Picket Fences as Mayor Laurie Bey, The West Wing as Joey Lucas, The L Word as Jodi Lerner, and is currently working on Switched at Birth as Melody Bledsoe. Marlee has been nominated for two golden globes for best performance by an actress in a television series - drama for Reasonable Doubts and won one for best performance by an actress in a motion picture for Children of a Lesser God. She also has four Primetime Emmy nominations for guest appearances in Law Order: SVU, The Practice, Seinfeld,