Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Marlee Matlin

Highest Rated: 94% CODA (2021)

Lowest Rated: 6% Some Kind of Beautiful (2014)

Birthday: Aug 24, 1965

Birthplace: Morton Grove, Illinois, USA

Deaf almost from birth, actress Marlee Matlin became a respected Academy Award-winning actress. Born in Morton Grove, Illinois, she lost most of her hearing while still a baby. She began performing on stage as a youngster in productions with other hearing-impaired youth. She came to the attention of actor Henry Winkler who encouraged her to continue acting. Just out of her teens, she was cast opposite William Hurt in the drama "Children of a Lesser God" (1986), the film adaptation of Mark Medoff's Tony Award-winning play. Matlin starred as Sarah Norman, a reluctant to communicate deaf woman who becomes romantically involved with one of her teachers. The role earned her the Oscar for Best Actress, making her at 21 the youngest actress to win the award. Despite the success, she initially struggled to find follow-up roles. She had a supporting role in the drug drama "Walker" (1987) and starred in the television film "Bridge to Silence" (CBS, 1989). Her career began to find a groove in the 1990s. After starring in the French film "L'homme au masque d'or" (1990) with Jean Reno, she began finding steady work. She starred in the big screen thriller "Hear No Evil" (1993) and co-starred with Mark Harmon in the legal drama "Reasonable Doubt" (ABC, 1991-93). She had a memorable cameo appearance in Robert Altman's "The Player" (1992), as well as on "Seinfeld" (NBC, 1989-98), "The Larry Sanders Show" (HBO, 1992-98), and "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009). David E. Kelley cast her in the recurring role of Mayor Laurie Bey in his "Picket Fences" (CBS, 1992-96). She also played a non-hearing-impaired character for the first time when she starred in the TV movie "Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story" (Lifetime, 1994), playing a woman who was forcibly sterilized by the state of Virginia. She found steady work as well in films such as "It's My Party" (1996), "When Justice Falls" (1999), and "In Her Defense" (1999). An advocate of closed captioning, Matlin was instrumental in getting legislation passed requiring televisions to be outfitted with the technology necessary to provide the service. At the turn of the century, the actress began appearing on a recurring basis on Aaron Sorkin's presidential drama "The West Wing" (NBC, 1999-2006) playing political strategist Joey Lucas. She worked steadily on television, including guest appearances on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ), "Desperate Housewives" (ABC, 2004-12) and "My Name is Earl" (NBC, 2005-09). She had a recurring role on the LBGTQ landmark series "The L Word" (Showtime, 2004-09) playing deaf sculptor Jodi Lerner, one of the love interests of Jennifer Beals' Bette Porter. She played a guidance counselor and the mother of Sean Berdy's deaf character Emmett on the teen drama "Switched at Birth" (Freeform, 2011-17). The actress also appeared as a contestant on both "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 2005- ) and "The Celebrity Apprentice" (NBC, 2008-17). She continued her run of playing recurring characters, joining both "The Magicians" (Syfy, 2015- ) and "Quantico" (ABC, 2015-18) in that capacity. She also appeared on "This Close" (Sundance, 2018- ), a show created by deaf actors Joshua Feldman and Shoshannah Stern about hearing impaired best friends living in Los Angeles. Matlin then played the mother of fellow deaf actress Sandra Mae Frank in the sci-fi thriller "Entangled" (2020).

Show Less Show More

Highest rated movies

94% 91% CODA Watchlist
85% 61% Excision
Watchlist
83% 76% The One I Love
Watchlist
81% 78% Children of a Lesser God Watchlist
50% 79% It's My Party
Watchlist
50% 76% The Linguini Incident
Watchlist
47% 66% Walker
Watchlist
34% 69% What the Bleep Do We Know!?
Watchlist
20% 35% Hear No Evil
Watchlist
6% 30% Some Kind of Beautiful Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
94% 91% CODA Jackie Rossi (Character) - 2021
No Score Yet 31% Multiverse Dierdre (Character) - 2019
6% 30% Some Kind of Beautiful Cindy (Character) - 2014
83% 76% The One I Love Diner Patron (Character) $511.6K 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet Foreclosed Ally Turner (Character) - 2013
No Score Yet 67% No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie Self - 2013
85% 61% Excision Amber (Character) - 2012
No Score Yet 73% Sweet Nothing in My Ear Laura Miller (Character) - 2008
No Score Yet No Score Yet Baby Einstein: My First Signs Unknown (Character) - 2007
No Score Yet No Score Yet Baby Einstein - Baby's Favorite Places First Words Around Town Unknown (Character) - 2006
34% 69% What the Bleep Do We Know!? Lead (Character) $10.9M 2004
No Score Yet 48% Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off Executive Producer - 2003
No Score Yet 40% Askari Paula McKinley (Character) - 2001
No Score Yet 62% Kiss My Act Casey (Character) - 2001
No Score Yet 74% Freak City Cassandra (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet 62% Where the Truth Lies Dana Sue Lacey (Character),
Executive Producer
- 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet Two Shades of Blue Beth McDaniels (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet 40% In Her Defense Jane Claire (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet 33% When Justice Fails Katy Wesson (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet 26% Dead Silence Melanie Charrol (Character) - 1997
50% 79% It's My Party Daphne Stark (Character) $562.0K 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet Snitch Unknown (Character) - 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story Carrie Buck (Character) - 1994
20% 35% Hear No Evil Jillian Shanahan (Character) $5.2M 1993
50% 76% The Linguini Incident Jeanette (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet 56% Bridge to Silence Peggy Lawrence (Character) - 1989
47% 66% Walker Ellen Martin (Character) $216.1K 1987
81% 78% Children of a Lesser God Sarah Norman (Character) $26.8M 1986

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Celebrity IOU Self 2024
61% 62% Accused Director 2023
No Score Yet 55% The Kelly Clarkson Show Guest 2021-2023
No Score Yet 50% New Amsterdam Bev Clemons (Guest Star) 2022
No Score Yet 28% The Drew Barrymore Show Guest 2022
No Score Yet 12% The View Guest 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Ellen DeGeneres Show Guest 2021-2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Variety Studio: Actors on Actors Guest 2022
No Score Yet 50% The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Guest 2022
No Score Yet 86% This Close Annie (Character) 2018-2019
70% 46% Quantico Jocelyn Turner (Character) 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet Larry King Now Guest 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet Battle of the Network Stars Guest 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hollywood Medium With Tyler Henry Unknown (Guest Star) 2017
No Score Yet 82% Switched at Birth Melody Bledsoe (Guest Star) 2011-2014 2017
No Score Yet 64% Family Guy Stella (Guest Voice) 2012 2014 2017
No Score Yet 82% Code Black Kathy Byrne (Guest Star) 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Operation Change Guest 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet Tavis Smiley Guest 2014
No Score Yet 80% Cosmos Unknown (Guest Voice) 2014
70% 72% Glee Herself (Guest Star) 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Doctors Guest 2012-2013
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Talk Guest 2011-2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Apprentice Guest,
Contestant
2011-2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Chew Guest 2011
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Nate Berkus Show Guest 2011
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Comedy Central Roast Unknown (Character) 2011
No Score Yet 80% CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Unknown (Guest Star) 2011
No Score Yet No Score Yet Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Unknown (Guest Star) 2004 2006 2010
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Wendy Williams Show Guest 2010
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dancing With the Stars Contestant 2008
74% 82% Nip/Tuck Barbara Shapiro (Guest Star) 2008
82% 88% My Name Is Earl Ruby Whitlow (Guest Star) 2006-2007
No Score Yet 82% CSI: New York Gina Mitchum (Guest Star) 2006
81% 95% The West Wing Joey Lucas (Guest Star) 2000-2002 2004-2006
78% 83% Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dr. Amy Solwey (Guest Star) 2004-2005
72% 89% Desperate Housewives Alisa Stevens (Guest Star) 2005
58% No Score Yet I'm With Her Unknown (Guest Star) 2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet Blue's Clues Unknown (Guest Star) 2003
50% No Score Yet Gideon's Crossing Unknown (Guest Star) 2001
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Practice Unknown (Guest Star) 2000
No Score Yet No Score Yet Judging Amy Unknown (Guest Star) 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Daily Show Guest 1999
No Score Yet 85% ER Sign Language Instructor (Guest Star) 1999
68% No Score Yet Spin City Unknown (Guest Star) 1997
82% 93% Picket Fences Unknown (Character),
Unknown (Guest Star)
1995-1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Outer Limits Jennifer Winter (Character) 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet Sweet Justice Unknown (Guest Star) 1995
89% 92% Seinfeld Laura (Guest Star) 1993
50% No Score Yet Reasonable Doubts Assistand DA Tess Kaufman (Character) 1991-1993