Marlee Matlin

Marlee Bethany Matlin, born in 1965, is a pioneering American actress whose career breakthrough came at 21 when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for "Children of a Lesser God," making her both the youngest woman and the only deaf actress to achieve this distinction. Her subsequent roles in film and television have garnered her a Golden Globe award and two additional nominations, alongside four Emmy nods. Deaf since early childhood, Matlin is not only a celebrated performer but also an influential advocate within the National Association of the Deaf.