Marlee Beth Matlin is an actress, producer and writer, born on 24th August 1965 in Morton Grove, Illinois USA, probably best known for her acclaimed performance in the leading role in “Children of a Lesser God”(1986), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Her other roles in films and TV series have brought her numerous awards and public acknowledgement.
Have you ever wondered how rich Marlee Martin is? According to sources, it has been estimated that Marlee Martin’s overall net worth is $11 million, acquired through her successful acting career, which started in the mid-‘80s. Since she is still very active, her net worth will likely continue to increase.
Marlee Matlin Net Worth $11 Million
Marlee was the youngest of three children in the Matlin family; by the time she was 18 months old, she had lost almost all hearing. She grew up in a Reform Jewish household, of Polish and Russian descent. Marlee attended a synagogue for the deaf (learning Hebrew phonetically), and later the John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights.
She acquired her university education at Harper College, however, Matlin made her debut on stage when she was seven years old, as Dorothy in an International Center on Deafness she was seven years old and the Arts children’s theatre performance of “The Wizard of Oz”, after which she continued to appear on stage throughout her childhood.
Eventually, she was discovered by Henry Winkler during one of her performances, and this led to her film debut in “Children of a Lesser God” in 1986. This performance brought Marlee two significant awards – a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama, and an Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1988 she appeared next to Billy Joel on “Sesame Street”, performing “Just the Way You Are” using sign language; the following year, Joel invited her to perform in his video for “We Didn’t Start the Fire”. Her next film role was that of a deaf widow in “Bridge to Silence”, and then her lead female role in the TV series “Reasonable Doubts” was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Another television appearance brought her an Emmy Award nomination, this time for her role in “Picket Fences”. Her other notable roles include in “Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story”, “The West Wing”, “Blue’s Clues” and “ER”. She was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest appearances in “Seinfield”, “Law&Order: Special Victims Unit” and “The Practice”. All added to her growing net worth.
Apart from being an actress, Marlee is also a writer – the first novel she published, “Deaf Child Crossing” was based on her childhood and released in 2002. When it comes to her producing ventures, Matlin produced a pilot for a reality show, “My Deaf Family”, and launched a viral marketing campaign.
She has made numerous other appearances, including in “Desperate Housewives”(2006), “My Name Is Earl”, “The L Word” among others. Her most recent activities include a recurring role in “Switched at Birth”, and her debut on Broadway in the revival production of the musical “Spring Awakening”, all during 2015.
In her personal life, Matling has been married to Kevin Grandalski since August 1993, and the couple has four children. She is known as a great humanist, and is involved in a number of charitable organizations including Easter Seals, Red Cross, VSA arts and Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
Academy Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture – Drama
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Com...
Movies
Children of a Lesser God, What the Bleep Do We Know!?, Hear No Evil, Bridge to Silence, In Her Defense, Two Shades of Blue, When Justice Fails, Sweet Nothing in My Ear, Freak City, Where the Truth Lies, The Linguini Incident, It's My Party, Some Kind of Beautiful, Excision, Dead Silence, L'homme au ...
TV Shows
The L Word, Picket Fences, Sweet Justice, Reasonable Doubts, Switched at Birth, Dancing with the Stars, The Apprentice
I have a lot of great memories of high school and some horrible ones. I got in trouble for smoking pot, and I got in trouble for ditching class for smoking pot and smoking more pot. I had a good time in high school, and it's all great memories... All great memories, just all a long time ago... By the way I want to make it clear I have been sober for 28 years. Just had to put that out there. (in a Playbill interview with the cast of the 2015 production of the teen-centered musical "Spring Awakening"; all of their cast members were asked for their memories of high school.)
2
In response to a new 2006 PBS censorship policy requiring additional visual pixelization for the deaf of recognizable lip movements of sworn words: All I can say is I've been reading the lips of bleeped-out words, angry baseball players, and stoned-out rock stars on awards shows for years and it's been hilarious. Everyone is always asking me what the bleeped-out parts are saying. Just say no to pixelization! Hehe.
3
The handicap of deafness is not in the ear; it is in the mind.
4
Silence is the last thing the world will ever hear from me.
5
The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth.
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Fact
1
Delivered her children Sara, Tyler and Isabella via Caesarean section and her son Brandon via forceps.
Gave birth to her fourth child at age 38: a daughter, Isabelle Jane Grandalski, on December 26, 2003. The child's father is her husband, Kevin Grandalski.
10
Gave birth to her third child at age 36: a son, Tyler Daniel Grandalski, on July 18, 2002. The child's father is her husband, Kevin Grandalski.
11
Gave birth to her second child at age 35: a son, Brandon Joseph Grandalski, on September 12, 2000. The child's father is her husband, Kevin Grandalski.
12
Gave birth to her first child at age 30: a daughter, Sara Rose Grandalski, on January 19, 1996. The child's father is her husband, Kevin Grandalski.
13
At the age of 7, she played Dorothy Gale in a production of "The Wizard of Oz" at ICODA (International Center on Deafness and the Arts).
14
Marlee started out as a stage actress.
15
Deaf actress Marlee Matlin has been handed a special award from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) for performers with disabilities.
16
Revealed in her biography "I'll Scream Later" that her relationship with William Hurt was physically abusive on both sides and that their fights were alcohol and drug-fueled.
17
Found out about her Oscar nomination for Children of a Lesser God (1986) from her interpreter Jack Jason when she was in rehab in the Betty Ford Clinic for 26 days, seeking help because of her drug problems. She didn't want to field questions from the press about her nomination, since she didn't want them to know that she was in recovery, so she responded to Jack, "I'll scream later." That phrase became the title of her 2009 memoir.
18
Credits ex-boyfriend William Hurt with helping her seek help for her drug abuse.
19
Named godmother of Holland-America Line cruise ship the MS Noordam.
Lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband, Kevin, and their four children [2009].
22
She is profoundly deaf. Her right ear has complete loss, while her left ear has around 80% loss. She is the only member of her family who is deaf.
23
As a child, she attended a synagogue for the deaf.
24
Her daughter Sarah was born on the same day an episode of Picket Fences (1992) aired, in which her character, Laurie Bey, also gave birth.
25
Youngest person to win the Oscar in the Best Actress Category at the age of 21 and 218 days old. She is also the only deaf actor to win an Academy Award.
26
One of a chosen few to win a Best Acting Oscar for a debut performance.
27
She presented the Vardon family with $50,000 from a charity for the Vardons' son to go to the college of his choice. This was on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (2003). The Vardon family is made up of two deaf parents, a hearing older son (Stefan) and a younger son who is both blind and autistic.
28
Attended and graduated from John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
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Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1986" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 38.
30
Was married in Henry Winkler's (the Fonz's) backyard.
31
Her husband, Kevin Grandalski, is a police officer.
32
Initially, she believed that she was rendered deaf in infancy by a bout of roseola infantum but later found out that roseola doesn't cause deafness. In the 1990s, a doctor told her mother that he believed that Matlin had a genetically malformed cochlea, which meant that she could likely hear when she was born but that her hearing receded over the first couple of years of her life.