Two Years Ago today: Kotsur Became the First Deaf Actor to Win Spirit Award

‘CODA’ Star Troy Kotsur won the best supporting trophy at the Film Independent Spirit Award on March 6, 2022.

Image: Variety

That makes him the first deaf actor to win the award. Kotsur plays deaf fisherman Frank Rossi in the film CODA. In accepting the honor, Kotsur thanked the film’s producers and applauded them for their vision. He went on to thank his wife and daughter. Backstage he said:

“You know how long it took me to get here? And it takes doctors a long time to get their PhDs, so I feel the same. And really, it was an extremely tough journey. And the bottom line is the choices I made led me to where I am today. And life is a game; it’s like a chess game. It requires a lot of strategizing, and if you hit barriers and frustrations, you have to find your way around it, sort of like the knight in the game of chess leaping over at the other pieces until you finally can get to checkmate. And for me, it’s the recognition. And so it was just a matter of time before it hit and I really had to trust my instinct, my gut and my heart and, really, that’s the most valuable thing I have.”