Michael Chmiel

Marlee Beth Matlin is an American actress. Matlin, who is deaf, is best known for her performance in her debut film, Children of a Lesser God. She was born in Morton Grove, Illinois in 1965 to Libby and Donald Matlin, a Jewish couple. She was born deaf in her right ear and lost hearing in her left ear at 18 months old. She has two older brothers, Eric and Marc. After attending John Hersey High School, she graduated from Harper College. At the age of seven, she joined a children's theatre group at her school, where she was discovered by director and producer Henry Winkler. In 1986, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Children of a Lesser God, becoming the youngest person to ever win the award. She also won a Golden Globe Award for the same film. Marlee Matlin wrote a novel about her childhood in 2002, and has also been a dancer, played softball, and acted consistently in film and television. She has done significant work advocating for the deaf community and with AIDS foundations. She married police officer Kevin Grandalski in 1993 and they have four children: Sarah (b. 1996), Brandon (b. 2000), Tyler (b. 2002), and Isabelle (b. 2003).