Marlee Beth Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress,
author, and activist. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for
Children of a Lesser God (1986) and to date is the only deaf performer
to have won an Academy Award. Having won the award at the age of 21,
she is also the youngest winner in the category. 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, due to illness and high fevers, she is also a prominent member of
the National Association of the Deaf. Her longtime interpreter is Jack
Jason.Matlin was born in Morton Grove, Illinois, to Libby (née
Hammer) and Donald Matlin (1930â€"2013), who was an automobile
dealer.She lost all hearing in her right ear and 80% of the hearing in
her left ear at the age of 18 months. In her autobiography I'll Scream
Later, she suggests that her hearing loss may have been due to a
genetically malformed cochlea. She is the only member of her family
who is deaf. She and her two older brothers, Eric and Marc, grew up in
a Reform Jewish household. Her family roots are in Poland and Russia.
Matlin attended a synagogue for the Deaf (Congregation Bene Shalom),
and after studying Hebrew phonetically, was able to learn her Torah
portion for her Bat Mitzvah. She was later interviewed for the book
Mazel Tov: Celebrities' Bar and Bat Mitzvah Memories.
author, and activist. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for
Children of a Lesser God (1986) and to date is the only deaf performer
to have won an Academy Award. Having won the award at the age of 21,
she is also the youngest winner in the category. 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, due to illness and high fevers, she is also a prominent member of
the National Association of the Deaf. Her longtime interpreter is Jack
Jason.Matlin was born in Morton Grove, Illinois, to Libby (née
Hammer) and Donald Matlin (1930â€"2013), who was an automobile
dealer.She lost all hearing in her right ear and 80% of the hearing in
her left ear at the age of 18 months. In her autobiography I'll Scream
Later, she suggests that her hearing loss may have been due to a
genetically malformed cochlea. She is the only member of her family
who is deaf. She and her two older brothers, Eric and Marc, grew up in
a Reform Jewish household. Her family roots are in Poland and Russia.
Matlin attended a synagogue for the Deaf (Congregation Bene Shalom),
and after studying Hebrew phonetically, was able to learn her Torah
portion for her Bat Mitzvah. She was later interviewed for the book
Mazel Tov: Celebrities' Bar and Bat Mitzvah Memories.
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