Oscar-winning actress and author Marlee Matlin will speak at 7 p.m. March 3 in Indiana State University’s Tilson Auditorium as part of the 2007 - 2008 University Speakers Series. A book signing and reception is planned immediately following her presentation “The Roaring Silence: From Oscar to the West Wing†in Heritage Lounge.
Matlin received worldwide critical acclaim for her motion picture debut in Paramount Pictures’ “Children of a Lesser God,†earning her the Academy Award for Best Actress. At age 21, she became the youngest recipient of the Best Actress Oscar, making her one of only four actresses to receive that honor for a film debut. In addition to the Oscar, Matlin was honored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association with the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama.
Since then, Matlin has starred in numerous feature films and made the jump to television. Matlin made her debut starring opposite Lee Remick, in CBS’s “Bridge to Silence,†a film that marked her first speaking role. Following that she starred for two seasons in NBC's series, “Reasonable Doubts†opposite Mark Harmon. For seven seasons, Matlin starred as pollster Joey Lucas, on NBC’s Emmy Award winning series, “The West Wing.†She has also guest starred on HBO’s “The Larry Sanders Show,†ABC’s “Spin City,†and "Desperate Housewives," NBC’s “ER,†and CBS's "Judging Amy" and “CSI: New York.†Matlin currently has a recurring role on NBC's “My Name is Earl†and joined the cast of Showtime’s cutting-edge drama “The L Word†starring opposite Jennifer Beals.
She has recently been named one of the contestants for the sixth season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,†which will air beginning March 17.
In addition to acting, she has authored three books, "Deaf Child Crossing," "Nobody's Perfect" and “Leading Ladies.†Matlin currently serves as a national celebrity spokesperson for the American Red Cross, encouraging Americans to donate blood. She has worked on behalf of closed captioning and was instrumental in getting Congress to pass federal legislation requiring all televisions manufactured in the United States be equipped with closed captioning technology.
Matlin’s presentation is free and open to the public.
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Contact: Linda Crossett, University Speaker Series, 812.237.8479
Mark Edwards, Marketing & Communications, 812.237.8512
Media Contact and Writer: Paula Meyer, ISU Communications & Marketing, 812.237.3783 or pmeyer4@isugw.indstate.edu