Biography
Marlee Bethany Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress. She is the youngest woman and the only deaf actress to date to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, which she won at age 21 for Children of a Lesser God. Her work in film and television has resulted in a Golden Globe award, with two additional nominations, and four Emmy nominations. Deaf since she was 2 years old, she is also a prominent member of the National Association of the Deaf.
Known For
Complete Filmography

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore
2025
as Self
In 1987, Marlee Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award and was thrust into the spotlight at 21 years old. Reflecting on her life i...

Multiverse
2021
as Dierdre
Four brilliant university students are forced to confront themselves in terrifying ways when their Quantum Physics experiment leads to an entangled pa...

A Night at the Academy Museum
2021
as Self
Exclusive look at the movies' 120-year history as well as an insight into the largest institution in the U.S. dedicated to the arts, sciences and arti...

CODA
2021
as Jackie Rossi
As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds her...

A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote
2020
as Self
Taped at Los Angeles’ iconic Orpheum Theatre, this staged presentation of The West Wing’s “Hartsfield’s Landing” episode stars core cast members along...

The Paley Center Salutes Law & Order: SVU
2020
as Self
Go back to the beginning of television's longest-running primetime drama with behind-the-scenes footage, memorable scenes and exclusive interviews wit...

Feeling Through
2019
Executive Producer
A late-night encounter on a New York City street leads to a profound connection between a teen-in-need and a DeafBlind man.

Connecting the Dots: The Story of Feeling Through
2019
Executive Producer
'Connecting the Dots' follows the journey of making the groundbreaking film 'Feeling Through'.

CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion
2018
as Self
An investigation into the way media portrayals impact the actual inclusion of people with disabilities in society.

Some Kind of Beautiful
2015
as Cindy
By day, Richard Haig is a successful and well-respected English professor at renowned Trinity College in Cambridge. By night, Richard indulges his ow...

No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie
2013
as Herself
A deaf actor who plays a superhero on a TV show must look beyond the cape to inspire a deaf boy to believe in himself.

4Closed
2013
as Ally Turner
When a young family moves into a foreclosed house, the previous owner begins a campaign of intimidation and terror. The deranged man will stop at noth...

Excision
2012
as Amber
A misunderstood teenager Pauline, struggles with her abrasive Christian mother, her chronically ill sister, her aspiration to become a surgeon, and he...

Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade
2011
as Self
Award-winning singer Cee Lo Green is one of several stars set to perform in this year’s “Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade” on ABC.

Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump
2011
as Self
It's Donald Trump's turn to step in to the celebrity hot seat for the latest installment of The Comedy Central Roast.

Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show
2009
as Self
A commercial-free variety special starring Seth MacFarlane and his "Family Guy" co-star Alex Borstein. The half-hour special will highlight the duo's ...

Sweet Nothing in My Ear
2008
as Laura Miller
Family drama about a deaf and hearing couple who struggle to decide whether or not to give their deaf son a cochlear implant.

Dispatches from Nicaragua
2008
A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Alex Cox's 1987 film WALKER.
Through Deaf Eyes
2007
as Self - Actress
A look at deaf culture from the 19th century to the present.

What the Bleep! Down the Rabbit Hole
2006
as Amanda
Interviews with scientists and authors, animated bits, and a storyline involving a deaf photographer are used in this docudrama to illustrate the link...

Baby Einstein: Baby Wordsworth - First Words Around The House
2005
A playful introduction to words and sign language!As their communication skills continue to develop, little ones begin to recognize common words and m...

What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?
2004
as Amanda
Amanda is a divorced woman who makes a living as a photographer. During the Fall of the year Amanda begins to see the world in new and different ways ...

Eddie's Million Dollar Cook Off
2003
Executive Producer
Eddie Ogden is his pa's pride and joy as well as the Groundhogs team's only asset as baseball talent. Then Eddie discovers a taste and talent for cuis...

Askari
2001
as Paula McKinley
Set on a game reserve in Africa. Askari is an angry old elephant, the only survivor of the "A' family group which has been anhilitated in a government...

Where the Truth Lies
1999
as Dana Sue Lacey
Courtroom drama where an ambitious but inexperienced young lawyer defends a deaf political campaign manager accused of murder. But is her client too b...

Where the Truth Lies
1999
Executive Producer
Courtroom drama where an ambitious but inexperienced young lawyer defends a deaf political campaign manager accused of murder. But is her client too b...

When Justice Fails
1999
as Katy Wesson
A detective (Jeff Fahey) investigating the murders of two sex offenders gets involved with a beautiful district attorney (Marlee Matlin) who becomes a...

In Her Defense
1999
as Jane Claire
A lawyer has to defend his lover who's accused of a murder he has committed himself. Now he has to defend her in court without implicating himself.

Two Shades of Blue
1999
as Beth McDaniels
Susan Price has written a #1 bestseller, a steamy novel about a woman's search for the ultimate sexual experience entitled, "The Dark Side of Judith."...

Freak City
1999
as Cass
After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a rebellious young woman is disease-stricken. Upon being admitted to a nursing home, she finds hope in ...

Dead Silence
1997
as Melanie Charrol
Three escaped convicts take a group of deaf students hostage.

It's My Party
1996
as Daphne Stark
Nick, a gay, HIV-positive architect, begins to display severe symptoms of AIDS and makes preparations to kill himself before he is unable to function ...

Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story
1994
as Carrie Buck
Carrie Buck is a young intellectually disabled woman who is persuaded to fight against the courts for custody of her newborn daughter after it's taken...

Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
1994
as Self (archive footage)
Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! was a 1994 TV special that aired on ABC to celebrate Sesame Street's 25th anniversary....

Hear No Evil
1993
as Jillian Shanahan
Jillian Shanahan, a deaf woman, becomes the target of a ruthless and corrupt cop. The cop is looking for a stolen coin, which he plans to keep for him...

The Player
1992
as Marlee Matlin
A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one?

The Linguini Incident
1991
as Jeanette
A waitress, a barman and an underwear designer try to rob the New York restaurant where two of them work.

L'homme au masque d'or
1991
as Sœur Maria
In San Luis de la Paz, a small and and very poor town in northern Mexico, the priest Father Victorio manages an orphanage with nearly 50 children. He ...

Bridge to Silence
1989
as Peggy Lawrence
A hearing impaired woman suffers a mental breakdown when a drunk-driving accident kills her husband and she finds herself in a struggle with her mothe...

Walker
1987
as Ellen Martin
William Walker and his mercenary corps enter Nicaragua in the middle of the 19th century in order to install a new government by a coup d'etat.

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987
as Self
A TV special on the 100th anniversary of the birth of film.

Children of a Lesser God
1986
as Sarah Norman
Starting his new job as an instructor at a New England school for the deaf, James Leeds meets Sarah Norman, a young deaf woman who works at the school...
Run
N/A
as Holly
A lonely rural mechanic battles for survival after a tragic accident robs him of the life he's known. As he learns to love himself, he finds in the wo...