Parent Mentors of Ohio

Marlee Matlin does not consider herself to be a deaf Academy Award-winning actress, but rather an actress who won an Academy Award — who just happens to be deaf. Marlee has tried to live her life teaching others the simple message that she is just like everyone else.

Marlee grew up in a suburb outside of Chicago and was the third child born to parents Don and Libby Matlin. Having lost a child the year before, her parents felt blessed to have a healthy baby girl. However, Marlee's health deteriorated at 18 months when she contracted roseola, a form of German measles. Though the illness did not seem to be serious, an resulting fever caused the permanent hearing loss in one of Marlee's ears and eighty percent loss in the other. 

Though the Matlin's knew little about raising a deaf child, they were determined to raise Marlee in a family environment, just like any other child. Her family learned sign language in order to become a larger part of her world. They also made the decision to speak to her while they signed, to which Marlee credits her proficiency in lip-reading and her speaking ability. The Matlins also enrolled her in public school where she was "mainstreamed" with other children. Consequently, Marlee was raised with an understanding that she was just like everyone else, but had a hearing impairment.

As a result, she was never held back by her hearing loss. When she was seven, she participated in a singing show at a summer camp. The show was her first experience with performing. She continued to perform at Chicago's Center on Deafness, a school that focused on arts education for deaf children. It was there that Marlee was once again bitten by the performing bug. Her teachers were quick to recognize her natural talent, and cast her as Dorothy in the school's production of The Wizard of Oz. 

She auditioned for a Chicago touring company's play, "Children of a Lesser God," and secured the supporting role of Lydia. This part won her an invitation to Hollywood to meet with a Paramount director looking to make the play into a movie. The director asked her not only to audition for the role of Lydia, but also for the lead role as Sarah. Marlee was so compelling that she was offered the lead immediately, starring opposite William Hurt.

The role quickly transformed Marlee's life. Not only did she meet and fall in love with Hurt, but her film debut garnered her both a Golden Globe for best actress in a dramatic film and the Best Actress Oscar for that year — all at the age of 21.

Marlee is also forging ahead with new projects as an actress and a producer. Her new production company is producing its first television movie, "Where the Truth Lies" for Lifetime Television. Through her work and her life, Marlee Matlin continues to shatter the stereotypes associated with deaf people.