Deaf actors and actresses have long been a part of the entertainment industry and played a vital role in making film and television more accessible. From the days of silent films to hit shows and films today, these actors have shown that there is just as much room on stage for them as anyone else. In this article, we delve into Hollywood’s history with the deaf community and how hard of hearing actors and actresses continue to impact audiences today and fight for accessibility.
The era of silent films was not only Hollywood’s first foray into the motion picture industry, but this period also allowed for easier entry and access for actors who happened to be deaf or hard of hearing. Silent films did not utilize any dialogue or audio, making them more accessible for those with hearing loss to view and enjoy and participate in. Lasting from 1894 through 1929, the silent film industry offered more opportunities and options for the deaf and hard of hearing that would not have been available to them during this time. Job prospects during these years was lacking in equal employment opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, and the silent film industry helped to provide another option for work and enjoyment. Whether buying a ticket to watch a silent film or even acting in the movie, silent films gave deaf individuals in the early 1900s an outlet and some argue that silent films were more accessible than the movies produced today.
Although silent films predominantly featured hearing actors and actresses, there were deaf and hard of hearing actors who broke into the moving picture scene. Deaf actors who found roles behind the camera included Granville Redmond, a close friend of Charlie Chaplin, along with other talents like David Marvel, Albert Ballin and Emerson Romero. Not only did these actors help pave the way for other deaf performers during their time, showing that deaf actors were as talented and had as much of a right on screen as their hearing counterparts, but their contributions extend even into today’s modern age. Cuban-American silent film actor Emerson Romero, who went by the stage name of Tommy Albert, made a name for himself as a silent film actor but was also an innovator in how films were shot and produced, and was a pioneer of captioning. When Hollywood introduced “talkies”, now incorporating spoken dialogue and audio in films, Romero found himself out of work as an actor and began adding subtitles to films to make them more accessible for himself and others who were hard of hearing. The work of hard of hearing actors like Romero and his colleagues helped to pave the way to make entertainment and the film industry more accessible for deaf audiences and aspiring talent alike.
Actress Sandra Mae Frank, acclaimed for her role as Dr. Wilder in the hit TV show New Amsterdam, did not know she always wanted to be an actress, but learned early on the power of asking for what you want. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Frank has had to fight for the life she dreamed of since day one. Born three months premature, Frank was able to hear at birth, but slowly lost her ability to speak and her hearing began to fade until she was completely deaf at age three. As a child and teenager, Frank first attended the Louisville Deaf Oral School, now known as Heuser Hearing Institute and Learning Academy, and then duPont Manual High School. It was at duPont Manual High School that Frank first caught the acting bug. During her freshman year of high school, Frank boldly went after what she wanted by auditioning for the school play Crimes of The Heart and landed the role.
While Frank knew that the role was not intended for a deaf person, she knew she could do it and when she asked the school they gave her the chance to shine. This would not only be the first of many roles and the beginning of a lifelong love of acting, but also a lesson she still carries with her- to have the courage to ask for what you want.
To date, Sandra Mae Frank has graced the Broadway stage, television screen and even performed the national anthem at 2022’s Super Bowl. Each role and performance Frank embarks on serves as an example for other members of the deaf community that there is space for them in the acting world. Frank’s role as oncologist Elizabeth Wilder in NBC’s New Amsterdam, has had a multifold impact for deaf and hard of hearing viewers. The character of Elizabeth Wilder is also deaf, like Frank. Featuring a character who is a deaf medical professional and played by a deaf actress serves to further prove and inspire the hard of hearing that no matter the goal or the obstacles faced, everyone is capable of achieving their dreams. Another parallel between Frank and her character Dr. Wilder is that both belong to the LGBTQ community. While New Amsterdam’s Wilder is insinuated to be bisexual, Frank is openly pansexual and proud to represent the queer community. In her role as Dr. Wilder and in her own life, Frank boldly challenges any limitations others try to impose upon her and redefines what it looks like to be a deaf woman.
Acclaimed actress Marlee Matlin can credit much of her success to her own resolution to never put limitations on herself. Matlin was born in Morton Grove, Illinois as the youngest of three and the only daughter. While Matlin was born able to hear, the majority of her hearing had receded by the age of 18 months, likely from a genetically malformed cochlea as a doctor relayed to her mother. However, Matlin never let her hearing loss stand in the way of her dream and from a young age she knew she wanted to be an actress. She made her acting debut at the age of seven in the Children’s Theatre of the Deaf’s production of The Wizard of Oz and performed with the theater for several years following.
During an episode of the television show Happy Days, Matlin was inspired by the episode featuring the character Allison, a hard of hearing receptionist who the Fonz falls for. Seeing someone on TV communicating in her own language of American Sign Language (ASL) the young Matlin saw an opportunity for herself in Hollywood as well. Worlds collided when, at age 12, Matlin met Henry Winkler, star of Happy Days who played Fonzie, when he was in the audience of a talent show Matlin was in at Chicago’s International Center for Deafness and the Arts. The young Matlin went up to Winkler and shared her dreams of being an actor in Hollywood “just like him” and Winkler’s encouragement would be the beginning of a lasting friendship between the two and foundation of support for her acting career. While touring throughout Chicago and the Midwest as part of a production of a rendition of the Tony-winning play Children of A Lesser God, Matlin found her breakout role as she was then cast in the movie version of Children of A Lesser God and won the Best Actress Oscar. Since her film debut, Matlin has gone on to star in numerous television shows and the highly-acclaimed film, CODA.
Marlee Matlin has come full circle in her acting career since her days of being inspired by Happy Days and Henry Winkler’s words of encouragement. Through her accomplishments and advocacy, Matlin has become a role model for many in the Deaf community and living proof that they can do it too. To date, Matlin is the youngest person to win an Oscar for Best Actress, which she received at the age of 21 and in her first on-screen role. At the time she was also the only Deaf actor to be cast in a lead role since 1926, and the only Deaf actor to win an Oscar until her CODA costar Troy Kotsur won an Oscar for his role in the film. As impressive as Matlin’s acting achievements are, her impact extends beyond her time on screen and has helped lead the fight for better closed captioning for over two decades. Not only does Matlin prove that limits cannot be placed upon you unless you choose to accept them, but she continues to advocate for other individuals who are Deaf and hard of hearing to have the same access to entertainment and opportunity.
Actress Millicent Simmonds has been a natural storyteller since childhood. Originally from Bountiful, Utah, Simmonds lost her hearing as the result of a medication overdose during infancy. Simmonds began performing in ASL at a young age and joined her elementary school’s theater and drama program which led to her foray into acting professionally. After her drama teacher received an email including a casting call for a deaf actress and encouraged Simmonds to try out for the role, she sent in an audition tape and landed her breakout role as Rose in the film adaptation of novel, Wonderstruck.
Her performance in Wonderstruck earned her recognition by TIME magazine as one of the Top 10 Movie Performances of the year. Simmonds’ second major role followed shortly after with her being cast in John Krasinski’s thriller A Quiet Place. Krasinski was adamant about casting a deaf actress as he wanted the sign language communication in the film to be authentic. Nominated for Bafta’s EE Rising Star Award, Simmond’s career and star power is just beginning to shine.
Growing up, actress Millicent Simmonds was not sure acting was an option for her as she did not see other deaf and hard of hearing individuals like her on TV. Her goal now as an actress is to show others like her that they can reach their dreams too. Simmonds eloquently shared about the strength our differences lend us saying, “we are sharing one world, we want different people.” She serves as an example and figure that she did not have as a young viewer and hopeful actress. Through her role in A Quiet Place, Simmonds has shown that not only is there a place in Hollywood for deaf actors, but that there are some roles which can only be authentically played by someone in the hard of hearing community.
Star of Netflix’s hit series, Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown is an unstoppable force, not letting her lack of professional training or hearing loss stand in the way of her dreams. Many may not know, but Brown is partially deaf.
Born with partial hearing loss on one side, Brown went completely deaf in that ear after years of having tubes. Despite not fully being able to hear herself while performing, Brown does not let her hearing loss shake her confidence or keep her from doing what she loves.
Millie Bobby Brown is a prime example of how far passion for what you are doing can take you. While Brown has found great success in her roles on Stranger Things and Enola Holmes, it is not the success that drives her. While she is an outstanding talent, Brown perhaps shines the brightest as a champion for going after what you love. In an interview with Glamour Brown shared that it does not matter how good you are at something “if you genuinely enjoy doing it, then do it. No one should stop you.” Brown’s confidence and joy she brings to her roles encourages others to be unstoppable.
Known for a series of roles from Sodapop in The Outsiders to the overly positive auditor Chris Traeger on Parks and Recreation, Rob Lowe has been a prominent name in Hollywood nearly his whole life. Lowe broke into acting during his teen years and has been on a variety of television shows, movies and has even stepped into the role of producer. Lesser known than his acting career, Lowe is hard of hearing and has been completely deaf in his right ear since infancy. Regarding the impact his hearing loss has had on his acting career, Lowe shared that it has caused a few minor difficulties, such as awkward phone placement if he has to hold a phone to his right ear, but nothing that has impeded his success. A household name in Hollywood, Rob Lowe shows that hearing loss does not discriminate and that only the sky is the limit for aspiring hard of hearing talent.
Rob Lowe shows by his own example that hearing loss does not have a specific face and can affect anyone, but that it does not have to be seen as a negative. Instead, Lowe accepts his hearing loss as part of who he is since it has been present since infancy and normal for him. Although Lowe does not speak often about his unilateral hearing, his success and acceptance of his hearing loss also serves as a reminder that each is impacted differently and that being hard of hearing plays a different role in each individual's identity.
Since the beginning of talking films, the hard of hearing community has been fighting for improved accessibility. While today’s age has made great strides, there is still much work to be done. The passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) required for all television shows to be closed captioned and then in 2016 required all movie theaters to provide access for captions. However, the closed captioning devices provided by theaters could be improved as currently moviegoers who need them have to rely on a somewhat bulky handheld device that displays captions. As social media plays an ever more important role in daily life, one way to improve accessibility to the hard of hearing is to caption videos and stories. Apps like Instagram make this simple by allowing creators to automatically caption their content. While films like CODA and others begin to feature more deaf characters, there is still a serious lack of portrayals of characters who are hard of hearing or have other accessibility needs. Many hard of hearing actors and viewers alike are eager to not only see more characters like them portrayed, but for deaf characters to be written as strong individuals who happen to have a hearing loss, rather than for it to be painted as a point of weakness or solely define the character. Representation matters and not only is there a need for more diverse characters, but also for actors who can authentically play these roles. While there is much talent within the deaf community, the film industry also has work to be done to make acting opportunities more accessible to those who are hard of hearing by improving accessibility on set as well. As hard of hearing actors and actresses continue to advocate for equity and claim their place on the screen, hopefully the entertainment industry will continue to grow and progress alongside them.
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InnoCaption proporciona tecnología de subtitulado en tiempo real que hace que las llamadas telefónicas sean fáciles y accesibles para la comunidad de personas sordas y con problemas de audición. Se ofrece sin coste alguno para las personas con pérdida auditiva porque estamos certificados por la FCC. InnoCaption es la única aplicación móvil que ofrece subtitulación en tiempo real de llamadas telefónicas mediante taquígrafos en directo y software de reconocimiento automático del habla. Usted elige.
