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Indiana Statesman

Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Ind.

| For ISU students, about ISU students, by ISU students

'L word' actor to speak at ISU

Aliya Khan

Issue date: 3/3/08 Section: Campus

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Marlee Matlin, actress

The Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin will speak at 7 p.m. in Tilson Auditorium Monday as the concluding part of the 2007-2008 University Speaker Series.

"We felt she would be a nice addition to our series, and she had an interesting presentation in terms of her career and how her hearing disability wasn't really a factor," said Linda Crossett, director of community and professional programs.

According to handsandvoices.org, sickness and fevers as an infant resulted in Matlin's deafness. This did not hinder her success and with the encouragement of her parents she did not let her disability stop her from trying and exploring different things.

Matlin's presentation, "The Roaring Silence: From Oscar to the West Wing," came just in time for Disability Awareness Month, although it was not planned that way, Crossett said.

Matlin won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her part in the 1986 film "Children of a Lesser God." At age 21, she is the youngest recipient ever of the Best Actress Oscar. She also received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama.

According to her Web site, Matlin has starred in both films and television. Her films include "Walker," "Hear no Evil," "Askari" and "Bridge to Silence." her first speaking role. As for television, she has starred for seven seasons in NBC's Emmy Award-winning series, "The West Wing." She has also appeared in "The Outer Limits," "Desperate Housewives," "ER" and "CSI: New York."

Matlin currently has a role on NBC's "My Name is Earl" and is planning to star opposite Jennifer Beals in "The L Word."

However, Matlin does more than act; she is also a writer. She has written "Deaf Child Crossing," a book that traces her experiences growing up as a deaf child, and co-written the books "Leading Ladies" and "Nobody's Perfect."

She is currently an advocate for people with hearing disabilities, including fighting for closed captioning in American television sets.

"We thought the presentation would give students insight into the speaker and her career and how somebody who may have physical handicaps can still achieve all their goals," Crossett said.

Following the presentation will be a book signing and reception in Heritage Lounge.

For more information, contact Linda Crossett, University Speaker Series at 237-8479.

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