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Marlee Matlin

Origin: Morton Grove, Illinois
(August 24, 1965)

Heroic Values: Achievement, Caring, Courage, Faith,  Perseverance, Tolerance, Vision, Wisdom

Background

Marlee Matlin was born hearing on August 24, 1965, but at 18 months of age she became deaf after a bout of Roseola Infantum.  Being deaf never stopped her from pursuing her dreams of being an actress though; she performed for the first time at the age of 7 as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz in a local children’s theatre.

Not only is she a wife and mother to four but is also an Oscar winning actress (for Children of a Lesser God), owns her own production company, executively produced several made for T.V. movies and is now an author as well.  By accomplishing all she has, Matlin has destroyed the stereotypes and barriers for not only deaf and hard of hearing people, but all people with disabilities.  Many within the deaf community look up to her as an inspiration and aspire to accomplish what she has.  Over the course of her years, there have been times she was mocked publicly.  In standing up for herself, she stood up for the entire deaf community and throughout it all promoted deaf and HH awareness.  She has truly shown that being deaf is not a disability, but a challenge that can be overcome.

In addition to her busy career and home life, Matlin is also the national spokeswoman for TV closed captioning and has traveled the world speaking out in support of CC.  She also volunteers for several charities including the Starlight Foundation, Very Special Arts, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation, and the Red Cross celebrity cabinet.  In 1994, President Clinton appointed Matlin to the Corporation for National Service and served as chair of National Volunteer Week.  

Submitted By: Lisa Leibrand

Sources

Wikipedia
The online encyclopedia

Marlee Matlin Homepage
Official website

IMDB
The Internet Movie Database