Outside of acting, Matlin is a prominent member of theNational Association of the Deaf, and her interpreter is Jack Jason.[7][8] She has published four works and won recognitions for her advocacy. A documentary about her life and work,Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, was released in 2025.
Matlin was born inMorton Grove, Illinois, on August 24, 1965, to Libby (née Hammer; 1930–2020)[9] and Donald Matlin (1930–2013), who was an automobile dealer.[10] Matlin lost all hearing in her right ear and 80% of the hearing in her left ear at the age of 18 months due to illness and fevers. In her autobiographyI'll Scream Later, she suggests that her hearing loss may have been due to a genetically malformedcochlea.[11] She is the only member of her family who is deaf. She has a sense of humor about her deafness: "Often I'm talking to people through my speakerphone, and after 10 minutes or so they say, 'Wait a minute, Marlee, how can you hear me?' They forget I have an interpreter there who is signing to me as they talk. So I say, 'You know what? I can hear on Wednesdays.'"[12][13]
Matlin and her two older brothers, Eric and Marc, grew up in aReform Jewish household. Her family roots are in Poland and Russia.[14][15] Matlin attended a synagogue for the Deaf (Congregation Bene Shalom), and after studyingHebrew phonetically, was able to learn herTorah portion for herBat Mitzvah.[16] She was later interviewed for the bookMazel Tov: Celebrities' Bar and Bat Mitzvah Memories.[17] She graduated fromJohn Hersey High School inArlington Heights and attendedHarper College inPalatine, Illinois.[18] She had planned a career in criminal justice.[19] In her autobiography, Matlin described two instances in which she wasmolested: by a babysitter at age 11, and by a teacher in high school.[20]
Matlin made her stage debut at the age of seven, as Dorothy in anInternational Center on Deafness and the Arts (ICODA) children's theatre production ofThe Wizard of Oz,[21] and continued to appear with the ICODA children's theatre group throughout her childhood.[22] At the age of thirteen, she won second prize in the Chicago Center's Annual International Creative Arts Festival for an essay titled, "If I Was not a Movie Star."
She was discovered byHenry Winkler during one of her ICODA theater performances, which ultimately led to her film debut inChildren of a Lesser God (1986).[23] The film received generally positive reviews and Matlin's performance as Sarah Norman, a reluctant-to-speak deaf woman who falls for a hearing man, drew high praise:Richard Schickel ofTime magazine wrote: "[Matlin] has an unusual talent for concentrating her emotions -- and an audience's -- in her signing. But there is something more here, an ironic intelligence, a fierce but not distancing wit, that the movies, with their famous ability to photograph thought, discover in very few performances."[24]Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" credits her with "carrying scenes with a passion and almost painful fear of being rejected and hurt, which is really what her rebellion is about,"[25] and Paul Attasanio ofThe Washington Post said, "The most obvious challenge of the role is to communicate without speaking, but Matlin rises to it in the same way the stars of thesilent era did -- she acts with her eyes, her gestures."[26]Children of a Lesser God brought her aGolden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama and anAcademy Award for Best Actress. Only 21 years old at the time, Matlin remains theyoungest actress to receive the Oscar in the Best Actress category. She was the onlyDeaf nominee and recipient in any category for 36 years until 2022, when deaf actor and filmmakerTroy Kotsur won forBest Supporting Actor for his role inCODA, in which Matlin also played a supporting role.[27]
Two years later, she made a guest appearance onSesame Street withBilly Joel performing a revised version of "Just the Way You Are" with lyrics byTony Geiss.[28] Matlin used sign language during the song and huggedOscar the Grouch during the song's conclusion. One year after that,Billy Joel invited her to perform in his video for "We Didn't Start the Fire".[29] In 1989, Matlin portrayed a deaf widow in the television movieBridge to Silence. In that role, she spoke in addition to using sign language.People magazine did not like the film, but praised Matlin's work, writing, "the beautiful, emotionally moving Matlin is too good for this well-intentioned but sentimental slop."[30] Matlin attended the 1988 Oscars to present the Academy Award for Best Actor. After signing her introduction in ASL, she spoke aloud the names of the nominees and of Michael Douglas, the winner.
In 2004, she hosted the 3rd Annual Festival for Cinema of the Deaf in Chicago.[33][34] That same year, she also starred in the movieWhat the Bleep Do We Know!? as Amanda. In 2006, she played a deaf parent inDesperate Housewives. She had a recurring role inMy Name Is Earl as public defender forJoy Turner (who made many jokes about Matlin's deafness at Matlin's expense), and played the mother of one of the victims in an episode ofCSI: NY. That same year, Matlin was cast in season 4 ofThe L Word asJodi Lerner, alesbian sculptor and girlfriend of one of the show's protagonists,Bette Porter, played byJennifer Beals.[32]
On May 6, 2009, Matlin received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[36] On November 8, 2009, Matlin appeared onSeth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show, hosted bySeth MacFarlane andAlex Borstein. After Borstein imitated Matlin callingMovieFone and singing "Poker Face," Matlin herself appeared and launched into a comical tirade against Borstein over being made fun of, and how she was not invited to provide her own voice forFamily Guy. Matlin went on to voiceStella,Peter Griffin's coworker, in theSeason 10 episode "The Blind Side;" Stella later became a recurring character.
In 2010, Matlin produced a pilot for a reality show she titledMy Deaf Family, which she presented to various national network executives. Although they expressed interest, no network purchased rights to the show. On March 29, 2010, Matlin uploaded the pilot to YouTube and launched a viral marketing campaign.[37] Matlin played the recurring character of Melody Bledsoe onSwitched at Birth. In 2013, Matlin played herself inNo Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie. In September 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the revival production of the musicalSpring Awakening.[38]
Beginning in 2017, Matlin played the recurring role of Harriet on the Syfy television series,The Magicians.[39] On July 31, 2017, it was announced byDeadline that Matlin joined as a series regular in the third season of theABC thrillerQuantico. She starred in the role of ex-FBI agent Jocelyn Turner.[40] In 2019, Matlin was mentioned in an article byHearing Like Me[41] as somebody that could bring more #DeafTalent to "Life and Deaf," a new comedy show set in the 1970s that aims to explore the life of a kid with deaf parents. This show was to be executive produced by Marlee Matlin according toDeadline.[42]
Matlin is actively involved with charitable organizations such asEaster Seals (where she was appointed an Honorary board member), the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation,Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation,VSA arts, and theRed Cross Celebrity Cabinet.[44] She has been a strong advocate for therights of deaf people, accepting television roles only if producers commit to caption the films, remaining openminded and respectful of both signed and spoken communication preferences, and promoting telephone equipment specifically designed for deaf persons. She has testified before theSenate Committee on Labor and Human Resources in support of the establishment of the National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders. Matlin has also been active in the fight against AIDS, the "Victory Awards" for theNational Rehabilitation Hospital, and other causes.[19] She is also a lifetime member of Hadassah Women's Zionist Organization of America.[45] Matlin has been a frequent guest narrator atDisney's Candlelight Processional atWalt Disney World.[46]Matlin received an honoraryDoctorate of Humane Letters degree fromGallaudet University in 1987.[47][48][49] In 1988, Matlin received the Samuel S. Beard Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.[50][51] In 1991, Matlin received the Bernard Bragg Young Artists Achievement Award at the Annual International Creative Arts Festival sponsored by the Center on Deafness in Chicago.[19] Matlin was appointed by PresidentBill Clinton in 1994 as a member of the Board of Directors of theCorporation for National and Community Service and served as chair ofNational Volunteer Week.[52] Matlin was a participant in the first-ever national television advertising campaign supporting donations to Jewish federations. The program featured "film and television personalities celebrating their Jewish heritage and promoting charitable giving to the Jewish community" and includedGreg Grunberg,Joshua Malina,Kevin Weisman, andJonathan Silverman.[53]
In October 2007, she was appointed to the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees.[49] On July 26, 2010, Matlin signed a speech at an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of theAmericans with Disabilities Act.[54] In the following year, Matlin was a finalist on the NBC showThe Celebrity Apprentice, competing to win money for her charity, TheStarkey Hearing Foundation,[55] finishing in second place. However, on one episode ofThe Celebrity Apprentice, "The Art of the Deal", which was transmitted on April 3, 2011, she raised more funds than had ever been raised for charity in a single event on any television show before, $986,000.[56]Donald Trump, who was then hostingThe Celebrity Apprentice, donated an additional $14,000 to make the contribution an even million.[56]
As of January 2015[update], Matlin acts as theACLU's celebrity ambassador for disability rights.[57] As a "celebrity ambassador" for the ACLU, in attempts to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the deaf community, Matlin discussed the communication barriers when deaf individuals are stopped by the police.[58] In recognition of her philanthropic work and her advocacy for the inclusion of people with disabilities, Matlin received the 2016Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion, a $120,000 prize given annually byJay Ruderman of the Ruderman Family Foundation to one individual whose work excels at promoting disability inclusion. She won theHenry Viscardi Achievement Awards for disability advocacy in 2014.[59]
Matlin married Burbank police officer Kevin Grandalski on August 29, 1993, at the home of friend and fellow actorHenry Winkler.[60] The couple first met while she was filming a scene fromReasonable Doubts outside the studio grounds; the police department had assigned Grandalski to provide security and control traffic.[61] They have four children: Sarah (born 1996), Brandon (born 2000), Tyler (born 2002), and Isabelle (born 2003).[62]
In 2002, Matlin published her first novel, titledDeaf Child Crossing, which was loosely based on her own childhood. She later wrote and published a sequel titledNobody's Perfect, produced on stage at theJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in partnership withVSA Arts in October 2007.
Matlin'smemoir,I'll Scream Later, was published in April 2009. In the book, she writes about her drug abuse and how it drove her to check herself into theBetty Ford Center. She discusses her rocky, two-year relationship with her significantly olderChildren of a Lesser God co-starWilliam Hurt, who she says physically abused and raped her.[63] She also discusses thesexual abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her female babysitter.[64]
Following her breakout role inChildren of a Lesser God, Matlin has made occasional film appearances (mostly due to lack of substantial roles for deaf actors), but has focused most of her work in television. She won theAcademy Award for Best Actress forChildren of a Lesser God. She was the only deaf performer to have won anAcademy Award until 2022, whenTroy Kotsur received the award forBest Supporting Actor forCODA, which Matlin also starred in. Matlin received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in 2009.
^Attasanio, Paul (October 3, 1986)."Children of a Lesser God".Washington Post.Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. RetrievedDecember 27, 2012.
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