Marlee Matlin

Marlee Matlin Bio

Marlee Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress and activist whose career has redefined visibility and opportunity for deaf performers in film, television, and theater. Deaf since infancy, she rose to prominence with her screen debut in Children of a Lesser God and has maintained a wide-ranging career across dramatic television, film, voice work, stage and public advocacy.

Early Life and Background

Marlee Matlin was born in Morton Grove, Illinois, to Libby Hammer and Donald Matlin and grew up in a Reform Jewish household with two older brothers, Eric and Marc. She lost most of her hearing by 18 months and was active in the International Center on Deafness and the Arts (ICODA) children’s theater, making her stage debut at age seven as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

Matlin attended John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights and studied at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, where she once considered a career in criminal justice. Early theatrical training and community performance provided the foundation for her transition into professional acting and advocacy for deaf people in education and the arts.

Path to Celebrity

Matlin’s early theater work led to discovery by actor Henry Winkler during an ICODA performance, an encounter that opened the door to her film debut. Her expressive signing and stage experience translated quickly to the screen and positioned her as a distinct new presence in Hollywood at age 20.

From the outset she approached roles and collaborations with an emphasis on accessibility and authentic representation, insisting on captioning and inclusive practices in projects she joined. That stance shaped both her choice of parts and her parallel work as an advocate for disability rights and broader inclusion in entertainment.

Marlee Matlin Career

Early Career (1986–1990)

Matlin made her feature-film debut as Sarah Norman in Children of a Lesser God (1986), a performance that earned critical acclaim and major awards recognition. For the role she won the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, becoming the youngest winner in the Best Actress Oscar category and the first deaf performer to receive an Academy Award.

Following her breakthrough, Matlin made notable television and film appearances, including guest spots on Sesame Street and roles in television movies such as Bridge to Silence. Her early work demonstrated both a screen presence suited to dramatic lead roles and a capacity to attract projects that highlighted deaf characters and accessibility on set.

Breakthrough (1986–2006)

Children of a Lesser God remained Matlin’s signature breakthrough and established her as a prominent advocate for authentic casting of deaf characters. In the early 1990s she transitioned into television, starring as a district attorney on Reasonable Doubts (1991–1993), a role that brought Golden Globe nominations and reinforced her profile as a leading actor on network drama.

Across the 1990s and 2000s Matlin built a steady television résumé with guest appearances and recurring roles on series including Seinfeld, Picket Fences, The Practice, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The West Wing and The L Word. Those performances generated multiple Primetime Emmy nominations and showcased her range across comedy, procedural drama and serialized political storytelling.

Notable Works and Milestones

Marlee Matlin’s career highlights include her Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning debut in Children of a Lesser God, a long run of television roles that expanded representation for deaf characters, a 2009 star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a Broadway debut in the 2015 revival of Spring Awakening. In 2021 she appeared in the ensemble of CODA, which earned a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in 2022.

Marlee Matlin Award Nominations

Across her career Matlin has received nominations recognizing both film and television work, including a British Academy Film Award nomination and multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations for guest and supporting performances. She was also recognized by the Golden Globes for television work and received industry attention for recurring and guest roles that highlighted the craft of portraying deaf characters in mainstream series.

Marlee Matlin Awards Won

Matlin’s verified awards include the 1987 Academy Award for Best Actress and the 1987 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, both for Children of a Lesser God, as well as the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for CODA. She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009 and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Gallaudet University.

Marlee Matlin Family

Matlin is the daughter of Libby Hammer and Donald Matlin; her father worked as an automobile dealer. She grew up with two older brothers and was raised in a Reform Jewish household that supported her early engagement with Hebrew and synagogue life for the Deaf, where she learned portions for her Bat Mitzvah.

Personal Life

Marlee Matlin married Kevin Grandalski, a Burbank police officer, on August 29, 1993. The couple have four children: Sarah (born 1996), Brandon (born 2000), Tyler (born 2002), and Isabelle (born 2003). Matlin has been public about personal struggles and recovery, and she published a memoir, I’ll Scream Later, in 2009.

Outside of performance, Matlin is a long-standing advocate for deaf rights and inclusion, participating with organizations that promote accessibility, captioning, education and public policy. She has written fiction for younger readers and pursued projects that spotlight deaf talent and accessibility in entertainment.