Ten fun facts about Marlee Matlin

Fact 1
She was born Marlee Beth Matlin on August 24, 1965 in Illinois.

Fact 2
Marlee Matlin is the only deaf actor to have won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, which she got for the movie ”Children of a Lesser God”.

Fact 3
Her stellar performances in film and TV shows have resulted in a Golden Globe award, with 2 extra nominations and 4 Emmy nominations.

Fact 4
Marlee Matlin has been a prominent supporter of the National Association of the Deaf.

Fact 5
She has been profoundly deaf since she was 18 months old. Her right ear has complete loss, but her left ear has about 80% loss.

Fact 6
Originally, she believed that she was deaf since she was a baby because of roseola infantum but she later discovered that her deafness was caused because of a genetically malformed cochlea.

Fact 7
Marlee Matlin has been given a special award from the Screen Actors Guild for actors with disabilities.

Fact 8
At the age of 7, she played the role of Dorothy in a production of "Wizard of Oz" at the International Center on Deafness and the Arts.

Fact 9
In 2002, she got her first novel printed, Deaf Child Crossing, which is loosely based on her childhood. She also wrote a sequel called Nobody's Perfect.

Fact 10
Marlee Matlin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame On May 6, 2009.