Marlee Matlin an American actress and activist, born on August 24, 1965 made history in 1986 by becoming both the youngest actress and the first deaf person to win the Academy Award for Best Leading Actress.

From a family of Russian, Jewish and Polish decent, Marlee is the last of 3 children born to Donald and Libby Matlin.

Marlee lost much of her hearing when she was just 18 months old. She was said to have been born with normal hearing but contracted roseola (measles) which resulted in a high fever and serious complications leading to the loss of all her hearing in the right ear and 80% of her hearing in the left ear.

How long has Marlee Matlin been deaf?

The renowned actress has been deaf for 55 years and relies on her sign language interpreter and business partner Jack Jason during meetings, interviews and other functions.

Despite being legally deaf at an early age, Marlee defied the odds and pursued a professional acting career which set her up as an inspiration for her fans and millions of other people.