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Marlee Matlin Explains How Her Bat Mitzvah Led to Her Oscar

JL;DR SUMMARY Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin discusses her current role in the Broadway revival of "Spring Awakening," which includes a cast of deaf actors who sign their lines alongside hearing actors. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish IdentityTheaterBat MitzvahBroadwayTelevisionHenry WinklerMarlee MatlinDeaf ActorsSpring AwakeningChildren Of A Lesser God

Places mentioned

Brooklyn, New York, United States
"She was on the phone with JTA en route from an interview in Brooklyn to her temporary Manhattan digs rented for the duration of the play, which runs through January."
Illinois, United States
"Her family was also a pillar of strength. At 7, when she said she wanted to be an actress, they enrolled her in a program at the Chicago-based International Center on Deafness and the Arts."
Manhattan, New York, United States
"She was on the phone with JTA en route from an interview in Brooklyn to her temporary Manhattan digs rented for the duration of the play, which runs through January."
California, United States
"Her nuanced performance as a custodian at a school for the deaf who becomes romantically involved with a hearing teacher (played by William Hurt) garnered her, at age 21, both an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for best actress along with a smattering of criticism."
Skokie, Illinois, United States
"Her family belonged to Bnai Shalom, the Jewish Temple for the Deaf, in nearby Skokie, which was run by a hearing rabbi whose goal was to bring the deaf and hearing Jewish communities together."

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Retrieved 2025-06-14 05:31:35 UTC
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