American actress Marlee Matlin has overcome a profound loss of hearing to have a long and successful career. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 1987 for her role as Sarah Norman in the film Children of a Lesser God. She has made numerous guest star and recurring appearances in television series such as The West Wing, Desperate Housewives, Picket Fences, Seinfeld, The L Word and Law & Order: SVU. In 2008, she was a contestant on the reality series Dancing with the Stars.
Matlin wrote the book I'll Scream Later, which gives details of her life including her alleged abusive relationship with actor William Hurt and her addiction to marijuana and cocaine.ABC News: Inside Actress Marlee Matlin's Silent World (April 14, 2009) Access Hollywood: Marlee Matlin Reveals Alleged Abusive Relationship (April 13, 2009)
Fast Facts:
- Full name: Marlee Beth Matlin
- Born: August 24, 1965
- Birthplace: Morton Grove, Illinois
- Jewish
- Attended Harper College
- Lost all hearing in right ear and 80% in her left ear at 18 months old
- Film debut: Children of a Lesser God
- Spouse: Kevin Grandalski
- Children: Sara Rose, Brandon Joseph, Tyler Daniel and Isabelle Jane
- Once dated actor William Hurt
- Wrote the book I'll Scream Later
Film and Television
- 1986: Children of a Lesser God as Sarah Norman
- 1987: Walker as Ellen Martin
- 1991: The Linguini Incident as Jeanette
- 1993: Hear No Evil as Jillian Shanahan
- 1991-1993: Reasonable Doubts as Tess Kaufman
- 1996: It's My Party as Daphne Stark
- 1993-1996: Picket Fences as Mayor Laurie Bey
- 1998: In Her Defense as Jane Claire
- 1999: Two Shades of Blue as Beth McDaniels
- 2001: Askari as Paula McKinley
- 2000-2006: The West Wing as Joey Lucas
- 2006-2007: My Name Is Earl as Ruby Whitlow
- 2007-2009: The L Word as Jodi Lerner
- 2009: Silent Knights as Charlotte Manning
Marlee Matlin Timeline
Note: The IMDb links in this timeline have pop-ups.
1965: Born on August 24 in Morton Grove, Illinois
1986: Children of a Lesser God - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
1993: Hear No Evil - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
1991-1993: Reasonable Doubts - IMDb Listing | Wikipedia
1994: Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story - IMDb Listing
1993-1996: Picket Fences (TV Show) - IMDb Listing | Wikipedia
1996: It's My Party - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
2000: Two Shades of Blue - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
2004-2005: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - IMDb Listing | Wikipedia
2000-2006: The West Wing - IMDb Listing | Wikipedia
2006-2007: My Name is Earl - IMDb Listing | Wikipedia
2007-2008: The L Word - IMDb Listing | Wikipedia
2008: Sweet Nothing in My Ear - IMDb Listing
2008: Dancing with the Stars - IMDb Listing
2008: Sweet Nothing In My Ear - IMDb Listing
