37 Years Ago: On this date in 1987 Marlee Matlin Wins Best Actress

On March 30, 1987, William Hurt presented Marlee Matlin with the Best Actress Oscar at the 59th Annual Academy Awards.

Only 21 years old, Matlin became the first deaf person to win for her role in Children of a Lesser God. She played a custodian at a school for the deaf and hard of hearing and became romantically involved with a new hearing teacher played by William Hurt.

At age eight, she began taking roles in children’s theater productions for the International Center on Deafness and the Arts, located in Northbrook, Illinois. A few years later, Henry Winkler of Happy Days fame saw her in a play there and offered encouragement backstage. He had dealt with undiagnosed dyslexia as a child.

Matlin signed an emotional acceptance speech at the Oscars in 1987. The following year, as is tradition, she returned and presented Michael Douglas with his Best Actor Oscar for “Wall Street.”