Discussion about deaf people who made a difference:
Famous Deaf People in Movies and Television
Linda Bove - The deaf actress who played "Linda the Librarian" on Sesame Street, as well as many other roles.
Marlee Matlin - The famous deaf actress who won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her debut role in Children of a Lesser God at the age of twenty-one.
Michelle Banks - A famous deaf African-American performer.
Deanne Bray - The star of Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye.
Phyllis Frelich - A very well respected deaf actress who won the Tony Award for Best Actress for her role as Sara in the Broadway version of Children of a Lesser God and acted on shows such as E.R. and Diagnosis Murder as well as Love is Never Silent, the made-for-tv movie.
Amy Ecklund - Played Abigail on the soap opera, Guiding Light.
C.J. Jones - A very intelligent and talented African-American deaf actor and comedian. He has performed in many plays, TV shows, and films.
Howie Seago - Starred in the feature film, Beyond Silence.
Anthony Natale - Most famous for his role in Mr. Holland's Opus.
Shoshannah Stern - Best known for playing Holly Brodeen in Threat Matrix, Bonnie Richmond in Jericho, and Megan Graves on Weeds.
Christy Smith - Was the deaf contestant on a season of Survivor.
Terrylene - Played Laura Williams on the TV program, Beauty and the Beast.
Rush Limbaugh - A talk show host who experienced sudden deafness.
David K Shelton - Movie actor, comedian, and owner of Deaf Funny Videos website (http://www.deaffunnyvideos.com).
Lou Ferrigno - Played the "Hulk" in the original series.
Halle Berry - 2001 Best Actress Academy Award winner claims that she has 80% hearing loss in one ear due to domestic abuse.
Kelly Monaco - Actress who plays "Sam" on daytime soap General Hospital once stated that she has some hearing loss due to an accident while portraying a lifeguard on a FOX television program years ago.
Tristan Thunderbolt - Deaf Native American Actor (Deaf Native American Actor Perfromance Artist Mode).
Luke Adams - Contestant on The Amazing Race.
Russell Harvard - Well known Youtube star and participated in the hit show CSI. (http://www.russellharvard.com).
Herb Larson - Deaf Administrator who also was an actor. Won an Emmy Award for a Television Talk Show, "Off Hand" (co-hosted by Lou Fant through KHJ TV and the Silent Network).
Leslie Nielsen - Starred in many classics... most notably Airplane.
Sean Berdy - A deaf actor, comedian and dancer. He was in Sandlot 2, Legend of the Mountain Man, The Deaf Family, and the hit TV show Switched at Birth.
Robert Hoskin - A well-known deaf filmmaker.
Troy Kotsur - Deaf American actor.
Tommy Korn - A well known Deaf fashion model and actor and the first ever Mr. Deaf California '09-'11.
Jane Lynch - Famous actress known for her starring role on the hit TV series "Glee". She is deaf in one ear.
Michael Barreca - Deaf actor who played Dummy Hoy in Signs of Time (Documentary 2008).
Rob Lowe - American actor, completely deaf in right ear.
Mark Wood - Deaf Executive Producer/Director/Writer of ASL Films (ASL Films . Welcome to ASL Films).
Robert DeMayo - Deaf actor, educator, ASL consultant, and one of the subjects of "See What I'm Saying" (RobertWhere.com Robert DeMayo).
Rhondee Beriault - Deaf actress and dancer. (Quamntum Leap (1991), Alexander Graham Bell: The Sound and the Silence (1992), Reasonable Doubts (1993), I Love You, But (1998)).
Alexander Genievsky - Deaf Russian-born actor, filmmaker, writer, producer, and artist. Founder and President of the non-profit art organization Universal Sign Entertainment (Universal Sign Entertainment | Promoting American Sign Language in visual media).
Katie Leclerc - American actress who has appeared on several television series, including Veronica Mars and Fashion House. In 2011, she received a lead role on the show Switched at Birth, starring as Daphne Vasquez.
Ryan Lane - Deaf actor with a role in the Dummy Hoy documentary and on television shows such as Switched at Birth, Cold Case, and House MD.
Ann Marie "Jade" Bryan - First black Deaf female filmmaker to graduated from Tisch School of the Arts, NYU; first black Deaf filmmaker to produce an indie feature film, If You Could Hear My Own Tune and with a majority of Deaf actors of color; founder of DeafVision Filmworks and Jade Films and Entertainment.
Jonathan Kovacs - Former American deaf child actor who was a regular character on The Family Tree and a semi-regular character during season nine of Little House on the Prairie.
Rydrea Walker - Founded "Walker Films - ASL" and released his first movie titled "Bob Movie" in 2013 at the age of 17 (Welcome to Walker Films - Welcome).
Matthew Watkins - Deaf actor who played the deaf son of a doctor on the popular television series, ER.
Holly Hunter - American actress who starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She received Oscar nominations for her roles in Thirteen, The Firm, and Broadcast News. She's also received two Emmy's and six Golden Globe nominations. Hunter is profoundly deaf in one ear from a bout with mumps during childhood.
Justin LeBlanc - A contestant on the show Project Runway from Season 12.
Eric Sykes - An English television, film, and radio writer, director, and actor whose career spanned over 50 years.
Dr. Wonder's Workshop - A children's national television show airing since 2007. The cast includes many Deaf people including: David O. Reynolds, Jonathan A. Reynolds, Justin T. Reynolds, Janet Schwall, Tiffany Hoglind, and James Parker. (Welcome to Dr. Wonder's Workshop!)
Larry and Judy Vardon - Reality television stars from ABC's "Extreme Makeover - Home Edition" in 2004.
Famous Deaf Musicians
Paul Stanley - Singer in the rock band KISS was born deaf in one ear.
Evelyn Glennie - A world famous deaf percussionist.
Sean Forbes - Deaf rapper, founder of D-PAN, Deaf Performing Artist Network.
Marko Vuoriheimo "Signmark" - Deaf rapper from Finland and the first deaf person to sign a record deal with an international recording company.
Johnnie Ray - American singer, pianist, and songwriter who was deaf in one ear due to a childhood accident. He was very popular for most of the 1950s and is known to have played a major part in what would become rock and roll.
Darius McCall - Also known as "Prinz-D", Darius is a deaf rapper from Alabama. He has two self-made albums and is on the way to completing his third.
Ludwig van Beethoven - Was completely deaf for the last part of his life and yet managed to produce some of the greatest music of all time.
James Lee Taylor III - Deaf Rapper from the South Bronx on NY Daily Newspaper and City Limits Magazine. His story has been told in the book Train Go Sorry.
Ayumi Hamasaki - Famous Japanese performer and musician who is deaf in her left ear.
Famous Deaf Performers
Matthew Morgan - Deaf World Magician (Welcome to Magic Morgan & liliana Website!).
Liliana Morgan - Deaf Russian Dancer (deafrussiashow).
Rosa Lee Timm - The Rosa Lee Show is an unique Deaf one-woman multimedia performance featuring the live Deaf performance, music, and video (visual artist).
"JJ" Jones - Deaf mime performer since 1978 (JJ Mime Artist: Home Page).
Pinky Aiello - An ASL storyteller at ASL Tales.
Trix Bruce - Deaf One Woman Show Artist (Trix Bruce « Trix Bruce).
Ricky Smith - A mime and beloved instructor. (Rickysmithmime.net).
Bob Hiltermann - Founder of Deaf West Theater (Fountain Theater) in North Hollywood, California.
Peter Cook - Deaf story teller (deafpetercookonline.com).
Sam Sandler - Deaf illusionist (Sam Sandler Home Page Magician Illusionist | The Hilarious Magic of Sam Sandler).
Bernard Bragg - a Deaf performer, writer, director, poet, and artist. He was a founder of The National Theater of the Deaf and is "regarded by many as the leading professional deaf actor in the country".
Iosif Schneiderman - Deaf mime and professional actor who grew up in Russia and has performed all over the world. He directed the grand opening of DeafWay II in 2001 and co-wrote and starred in the internationally acclaimed award winning play, "Deaf Snow White" produced by Cleveland Sign Stage Theatre.
Charlotte Lamberton - The most well known deaf dancer in the 1930s and 1940s, internationally, in Hollywood and on Broadway.
Famous Deaf People in the Media
Laura C. Redden Searing - First deaf female journalist.
Julius Wiggins - Creator of Silent News, the newspaper of the Deaf Community.
Ken Davis - Founder/owner of Deafnewspaper (Official Site of the Deaf Newspaper, LLC)
Thomas J. Cooney, Sr. - Sports Writer for The Silent News publication, Recipient of Thomas Jefferson Award, Points of Light honoree, Grand Marshall for the Helen Keller Parade, A Kentucky Colonel, and, presently, a Motivational Speaker and Advocate for Deaf Awareness, introducing over 1.5 million individuals to Deaf Culture and Signed Languages.
Barry Strassler - Editor of DeafDigest.net and well known sports writer for the deaf community.
Suzanne Robitaille - Deaf American journalist who has worked at BusinessWeek and The Wall Street Journal. She is the author of The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology, founder of abledbody.com, and board member of the National Center on Disability and Journalism.
Mary Luczki - Does the news on OIC Movies - American Sign Language (ASL) Deaf Videos.
Famous Deaf People In Organizations
Juliette Low - The founder of the Girl Scouts.
Rocky Stone - Founder of Self Help for Hard of Hearing people (SHHH).
Terry Sproul - Founder of Deaf Kids Kamp. (deafkidskamp.com)
Sheri Farnihas - Deaf rights and NAD activist.
Opeoluwa Sotonwa - An African-American deaf attorney and literary writer. He currently serves as the Vice President of National Black Deaf Advocates Inc., the nation's civil rights organization of deaf people of color, where he has become a pivotal source of resourcefulness to the NBDA.
Famous Deaf People in Sports
Dummy Hoy - The first deaf major-league baseball player.
Shelley Beattie - Professional bodybuilder who once held the record for bench pressing (315 pounds!)
Terrence Parkin - A deaf Olympic swimmer who took home a silver medal in the 2000 Olympics and two gold medals in the 2005 Deaflympics.
James "Deaf" Burke - A famous deaf boxer. He was the first boxer who was involved in a fight that resulted in a death.
Curtis Pride - A current deaf professional baseball player.
Kenny Walker - Was a deaf professional football player.
Matt Hamill - Contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, now UFC fighter. Also 3 time NCAA Division III National Wrestling Champion.
Kevin M. Hall - A professional golfer who graduated from Ohio State University and plays in the NGA Tour.
Donna Sue Baker - A Deaf woman who went to TSD and won many medals in track. She represented the U.S.A. in the Deaflympics and traveled to Europe.
Marcus Titus - US National Swim Team.
Jeffrey "Jeff" Float - A former American swimmer who became the only legally deaf athlete from the USA to win an Olympic gold medal.
Tamika Catchings - A professional basketball player in the WNBA. She played for the University of Tennesse.
LeRoy Colombo - Famous deaf lifeguard entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for saving 907 lives.
Louis Long (aka The Silent Warrior) - Deaf American professional wrestler and founder of Deaf Wrestling Alliance.
Alan Kilby - The first deaf British professional wrestler who won champion. He is a retired wrestler now.
Sean Midnight - Deaf British professional wrestler.
Yakami Aoi - Deaf Japanese pro female wrestler.
Lance Allred - American basketball player, first deaf person to play in the NBA.
Tracey Kilby - A deaf UK pro wrestling valent with Sean Midnight.
Alan Kilby - World of Sport professional wrestler in the United Kingdom.
Carlos Rexach (aka The Silencer) - Deaf pro wrestler.
Jonathan Ramser - First deaf pro-wrestler in OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) debuted on March 2nd 2013.
Matthew Eby - First deaf pro-soccer player in the U.S. Played for Real Maryland FC Professional Soccer in the United Soccer League(USL).
Jim Kyte - The first (and to date, the only) deaf National Hockey League (NHL) player.
Munir Muwwakkil - #99 played for Western Kentucky University and was the first deaf pro arena football player.
Bonnie Sloan - First deaf football player in the National Football League (NFL).
Derrick Coleman - First deaf offensive player in the NFL and plays for the Seattle Seahawks.
Ryan Ketchner - Deaf left-handed pitcher who was drafted by the Seattle Mariners.
Famous Deaf Artists
Chuck Baird - A well-known deaf artist.
Betty G. Miller - A deaf artist whose work truly edifies the struggles and issues in the deaf community.
Louis Frisino - A well-known deaf painter who painted pictures of realistic-looking animals.
Douglas Tilden - A well-known deaf sculptor.
Granville Redmond - A landscape artist whose artwork is worth 6-figures.
Gerald Becker Steffen - Deaf artist at Pike Place Market in Seattle.
Samuel Hudson - An African-American Deaf artist.
Douglas Tilden - World famous deaf sculptor.
Nancy Rourke - Deaf Artist, Expressionist Paintings (Nancy Rourke — The Latest Expressionist Paintings).
Nellie Knopf - Deaf painter (1875-1962)
Famous Deaf Writers
Stevie Platt - The deaf author of the books Go to the Hill and The Last Servant.
Connie Briscoe - A modern deaf author who became deaf in her 20s.
Jamie Berke - The former About.com Deafness Guide
Dianrez - Well-Known Deaf Blogger
Sondra McCoy - Author of Hard Road, Easy Riding: Deaf Biker Lady.
Tomora Michelle Pace - Deaf author and teacher.
Henry A. Kisor - Author of What's that Pig Outdoors? and other novels based on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan locales.
John Lee Clark - Author of Suddenly Slow: Poems and editor of Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology.
Q. Kelly - Deaf lesbian romance and fiction award-winning writer. (Q. Kelly's Author Website)
Famous Deaf-Blind People
Julia Brace - A deaf-blind girl who was born before both Laura Bridgman and Helen Keller. She was successfully educated, but lost the credit as the first to Helen Keller.
Helen Keller - The most well-known deaf-blind girl who successfully learned language.
Laura Bridgman - The deaf-blind girl who was successfully educated before Helen Keller.
Other Famous Deaf People
Heather Whitestone - The first deaf woman to be crowned Miss America.
Nellie Zabel Willhite - The first deaf female pilot in South Dakota to get her license.
Rodger Young - Deaf man who faked his Army hearing test in WW2. Won a Posthumous Medal of Honor in the Soloman Islands.
Howard Hughes - An aviator, film producer, engineer, film director, industrialist, and philanthropist.
Robert Weitbrecht - Invented the TTY along with James Marsters who was also deaf.
Ashley Fiolek - Deaf motocross racer that is sponsored by Redbull (Ashley Fiolek).
Cal Rodgers - The very first deaf pilot in the USA in 1911.
Kitty O'Neil - A former stuntwoman and racer.
Sue Thomas - Undercover specialist for FBI, the inspiration for the TV series Sue Thomas: FBEye, international speaker, author, founder of Kennels of Levi: EPEC Service Dogs for physically challenged, founder of WaterBrooks a Christian spiritual renewal center, and founder of Sue Thomas Ministries outreach to homeless.
Thomas Alva Edison - An American scientist, inventor, and businessman.
George William Veditz - Was a former president of National Association of the Deaf of the United States and was one of the first to film American Sign Language.
Allison Lam - Deaf firefighter.
Gregory Hlibok - First person with a disability to be appointed by the FCC to the head of its Disability Rights Office.
Rhulin Thomas - First deaf aviator to fly coast to coast.
John Gotti - Boss of the most powerful organized crime family in the USA. He was deaf in one ear.
Erastus Deaf Smith - A revered Texas scout, guide, and spy and is famous for the important role he played in the Texas Revolution.
Kunle Adegboye - CEO at Morayo Communications, Morayocare & Morayowireless and a role model to many young Nigerians with his line: "Disability is in the mind".
Claudia Gordon - First deaf female African American lawyer. She was also the first deaf student to graduate from the American University Washington DC College of Law.
Tanya Wyatt-Dennis - First black deaf hospice medical social worker, the first to graduate from Wayne State University Social Worker Program in 1997 with a Master of Social Work degree, and the first black deaf school social worder to work for Detroit Public School.
Ginger Jee - Well-respected deaf Disability Rights Advocate in New York tri-state area. Artist and former actress on the television show "Criminal Intents". An expert in all disability rights laws and fights for all deaf access across America.
Roberto E. Wirth - A deaf world famous hotelier. Voted into the Hall of Fame of hoteliers as the Best Hotelier of the World in 2005.
Dr. Carolyn Stern - Deaf doctor in Rochester.
Rie Saito - A famous Japanese hostess who used hitsuden (written communication) to interact with her clients. She wrote the book "The Hostess With a Pen."
Bill Clinton - Former president of the United States has a hearing loss due to age and the time he spent playing the saxophone in his youth.
Becky Brown-Center - First Deaf female pilot in Dayton, Ohio and in the state of Ohio to get a pilot's license in 1986. Possibly the third deaf female pilot in America and former DPA memb
You can do anything if you try.
Trainman
Famous Deaf People in Movies and Television
Linda Bove - The deaf actress who played "Linda the Librarian" on Sesame Street, as well as many other roles.
Marlee Matlin - The famous deaf actress who won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her debut role in Children of a Lesser God at the age of twenty-one.
Michelle Banks - A famous deaf African-American performer.
Deanne Bray - The star of Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye.
Phyllis Frelich - A very well respected deaf actress who won the Tony Award for Best Actress for her role as Sara in the Broadway version of Children of a Lesser God and acted on shows such as E.R. and Diagnosis Murder as well as Love is Never Silent, the made-for-tv movie.
Amy Ecklund - Played Abigail on the soap opera, Guiding Light.
C.J. Jones - A very intelligent and talented African-American deaf actor and comedian. He has performed in many plays, TV shows, and films.
Howie Seago - Starred in the feature film, Beyond Silence.
Anthony Natale - Most famous for his role in Mr. Holland's Opus.
Shoshannah Stern - Best known for playing Holly Brodeen in Threat Matrix, Bonnie Richmond in Jericho, and Megan Graves on Weeds.
Christy Smith - Was the deaf contestant on a season of Survivor.
Terrylene - Played Laura Williams on the TV program, Beauty and the Beast.
Rush Limbaugh - A talk show host who experienced sudden deafness.
David K Shelton - Movie actor, comedian, and owner of Deaf Funny Videos website (http://www.deaffunnyvideos.com).
Lou Ferrigno - Played the "Hulk" in the original series.
Halle Berry - 2001 Best Actress Academy Award winner claims that she has 80% hearing loss in one ear due to domestic abuse.
Kelly Monaco - Actress who plays "Sam" on daytime soap General Hospital once stated that she has some hearing loss due to an accident while portraying a lifeguard on a FOX television program years ago.
Tristan Thunderbolt - Deaf Native American Actor (Deaf Native American Actor Perfromance Artist Mode).
Luke Adams - Contestant on The Amazing Race.
Russell Harvard - Well known Youtube star and participated in the hit show CSI. (http://www.russellharvard.com).
Herb Larson - Deaf Administrator who also was an actor. Won an Emmy Award for a Television Talk Show, "Off Hand" (co-hosted by Lou Fant through KHJ TV and the Silent Network).
Leslie Nielsen - Starred in many classics... most notably Airplane.
Sean Berdy - A deaf actor, comedian and dancer. He was in Sandlot 2, Legend of the Mountain Man, The Deaf Family, and the hit TV show Switched at Birth.
Robert Hoskin - A well-known deaf filmmaker.
Troy Kotsur - Deaf American actor.
Tommy Korn - A well known Deaf fashion model and actor and the first ever Mr. Deaf California '09-'11.
Jane Lynch - Famous actress known for her starring role on the hit TV series "Glee". She is deaf in one ear.
Michael Barreca - Deaf actor who played Dummy Hoy in Signs of Time (Documentary 2008).
Rob Lowe - American actor, completely deaf in right ear.
Mark Wood - Deaf Executive Producer/Director/Writer of ASL Films (ASL Films . Welcome to ASL Films).
Robert DeMayo - Deaf actor, educator, ASL consultant, and one of the subjects of "See What I'm Saying" (RobertWhere.com Robert DeMayo).
Rhondee Beriault - Deaf actress and dancer. (Quamntum Leap (1991), Alexander Graham Bell: The Sound and the Silence (1992), Reasonable Doubts (1993), I Love You, But (1998)).
Alexander Genievsky - Deaf Russian-born actor, filmmaker, writer, producer, and artist. Founder and President of the non-profit art organization Universal Sign Entertainment (Universal Sign Entertainment | Promoting American Sign Language in visual media).
Katie Leclerc - American actress who has appeared on several television series, including Veronica Mars and Fashion House. In 2011, she received a lead role on the show Switched at Birth, starring as Daphne Vasquez.
Ryan Lane - Deaf actor with a role in the Dummy Hoy documentary and on television shows such as Switched at Birth, Cold Case, and House MD.
Ann Marie "Jade" Bryan - First black Deaf female filmmaker to graduated from Tisch School of the Arts, NYU; first black Deaf filmmaker to produce an indie feature film, If You Could Hear My Own Tune and with a majority of Deaf actors of color; founder of DeafVision Filmworks and Jade Films and Entertainment.
Jonathan Kovacs - Former American deaf child actor who was a regular character on The Family Tree and a semi-regular character during season nine of Little House on the Prairie.
Rydrea Walker - Founded "Walker Films - ASL" and released his first movie titled "Bob Movie" in 2013 at the age of 17 (Welcome to Walker Films - Welcome).
Matthew Watkins - Deaf actor who played the deaf son of a doctor on the popular television series, ER.
Holly Hunter - American actress who starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She received Oscar nominations for her roles in Thirteen, The Firm, and Broadcast News. She's also received two Emmy's and six Golden Globe nominations. Hunter is profoundly deaf in one ear from a bout with mumps during childhood.
Justin LeBlanc - A contestant on the show Project Runway from Season 12.
Eric Sykes - An English television, film, and radio writer, director, and actor whose career spanned over 50 years.
Dr. Wonder's Workshop - A children's national television show airing since 2007. The cast includes many Deaf people including: David O. Reynolds, Jonathan A. Reynolds, Justin T. Reynolds, Janet Schwall, Tiffany Hoglind, and James Parker. (Welcome to Dr. Wonder's Workshop!)
Larry and Judy Vardon - Reality television stars from ABC's "Extreme Makeover - Home Edition" in 2004.
Famous Deaf Musicians
Paul Stanley - Singer in the rock band KISS was born deaf in one ear.
Evelyn Glennie - A world famous deaf percussionist.
Sean Forbes - Deaf rapper, founder of D-PAN, Deaf Performing Artist Network.
Marko Vuoriheimo "Signmark" - Deaf rapper from Finland and the first deaf person to sign a record deal with an international recording company.
Johnnie Ray - American singer, pianist, and songwriter who was deaf in one ear due to a childhood accident. He was very popular for most of the 1950s and is known to have played a major part in what would become rock and roll.
Darius McCall - Also known as "Prinz-D", Darius is a deaf rapper from Alabama. He has two self-made albums and is on the way to completing his third.
Ludwig van Beethoven - Was completely deaf for the last part of his life and yet managed to produce some of the greatest music of all time.
James Lee Taylor III - Deaf Rapper from the South Bronx on NY Daily Newspaper and City Limits Magazine. His story has been told in the book Train Go Sorry.
Ayumi Hamasaki - Famous Japanese performer and musician who is deaf in her left ear.
Famous Deaf Performers
Matthew Morgan - Deaf World Magician (Welcome to Magic Morgan & liliana Website!).
Liliana Morgan - Deaf Russian Dancer (deafrussiashow).
Rosa Lee Timm - The Rosa Lee Show is an unique Deaf one-woman multimedia performance featuring the live Deaf performance, music, and video (visual artist).
"JJ" Jones - Deaf mime performer since 1978 (JJ Mime Artist: Home Page).
Pinky Aiello - An ASL storyteller at ASL Tales.
Trix Bruce - Deaf One Woman Show Artist (Trix Bruce « Trix Bruce).
Ricky Smith - A mime and beloved instructor. (Rickysmithmime.net).
Bob Hiltermann - Founder of Deaf West Theater (Fountain Theater) in North Hollywood, California.
Peter Cook - Deaf story teller (deafpetercookonline.com).
Sam Sandler - Deaf illusionist (Sam Sandler Home Page Magician Illusionist | The Hilarious Magic of Sam Sandler).
Bernard Bragg - a Deaf performer, writer, director, poet, and artist. He was a founder of The National Theater of the Deaf and is "regarded by many as the leading professional deaf actor in the country".
Iosif Schneiderman - Deaf mime and professional actor who grew up in Russia and has performed all over the world. He directed the grand opening of DeafWay II in 2001 and co-wrote and starred in the internationally acclaimed award winning play, "Deaf Snow White" produced by Cleveland Sign Stage Theatre.
Charlotte Lamberton - The most well known deaf dancer in the 1930s and 1940s, internationally, in Hollywood and on Broadway.
Famous Deaf People in the Media
Laura C. Redden Searing - First deaf female journalist.
Julius Wiggins - Creator of Silent News, the newspaper of the Deaf Community.
Ken Davis - Founder/owner of Deafnewspaper (Official Site of the Deaf Newspaper, LLC)
Thomas J. Cooney, Sr. - Sports Writer for The Silent News publication, Recipient of Thomas Jefferson Award, Points of Light honoree, Grand Marshall for the Helen Keller Parade, A Kentucky Colonel, and, presently, a Motivational Speaker and Advocate for Deaf Awareness, introducing over 1.5 million individuals to Deaf Culture and Signed Languages.
Barry Strassler - Editor of DeafDigest.net and well known sports writer for the deaf community.
Suzanne Robitaille - Deaf American journalist who has worked at BusinessWeek and The Wall Street Journal. She is the author of The Illustrated Guide to Assistive Technology, founder of abledbody.com, and board member of the National Center on Disability and Journalism.
Mary Luczki - Does the news on OIC Movies - American Sign Language (ASL) Deaf Videos.
Famous Deaf People In Organizations
Juliette Low - The founder of the Girl Scouts.
Rocky Stone - Founder of Self Help for Hard of Hearing people (SHHH).
Terry Sproul - Founder of Deaf Kids Kamp. (deafkidskamp.com)
Sheri Farnihas - Deaf rights and NAD activist.
Opeoluwa Sotonwa - An African-American deaf attorney and literary writer. He currently serves as the Vice President of National Black Deaf Advocates Inc., the nation's civil rights organization of deaf people of color, where he has become a pivotal source of resourcefulness to the NBDA.
Famous Deaf People in Sports
Dummy Hoy - The first deaf major-league baseball player.
Shelley Beattie - Professional bodybuilder who once held the record for bench pressing (315 pounds!)
Terrence Parkin - A deaf Olympic swimmer who took home a silver medal in the 2000 Olympics and two gold medals in the 2005 Deaflympics.
James "Deaf" Burke - A famous deaf boxer. He was the first boxer who was involved in a fight that resulted in a death.
Curtis Pride - A current deaf professional baseball player.
Kenny Walker - Was a deaf professional football player.
Matt Hamill - Contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, now UFC fighter. Also 3 time NCAA Division III National Wrestling Champion.
Kevin M. Hall - A professional golfer who graduated from Ohio State University and plays in the NGA Tour.
Donna Sue Baker - A Deaf woman who went to TSD and won many medals in track. She represented the U.S.A. in the Deaflympics and traveled to Europe.
Marcus Titus - US National Swim Team.
Jeffrey "Jeff" Float - A former American swimmer who became the only legally deaf athlete from the USA to win an Olympic gold medal.
Tamika Catchings - A professional basketball player in the WNBA. She played for the University of Tennesse.
LeRoy Colombo - Famous deaf lifeguard entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for saving 907 lives.
Louis Long (aka The Silent Warrior) - Deaf American professional wrestler and founder of Deaf Wrestling Alliance.
Alan Kilby - The first deaf British professional wrestler who won champion. He is a retired wrestler now.
Sean Midnight - Deaf British professional wrestler.
Yakami Aoi - Deaf Japanese pro female wrestler.
Lance Allred - American basketball player, first deaf person to play in the NBA.
Tracey Kilby - A deaf UK pro wrestling valent with Sean Midnight.
Alan Kilby - World of Sport professional wrestler in the United Kingdom.
Carlos Rexach (aka The Silencer) - Deaf pro wrestler.
Jonathan Ramser - First deaf pro-wrestler in OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) debuted on March 2nd 2013.
Matthew Eby - First deaf pro-soccer player in the U.S. Played for Real Maryland FC Professional Soccer in the United Soccer League(USL).
Jim Kyte - The first (and to date, the only) deaf National Hockey League (NHL) player.
Munir Muwwakkil - #99 played for Western Kentucky University and was the first deaf pro arena football player.
Bonnie Sloan - First deaf football player in the National Football League (NFL).
Derrick Coleman - First deaf offensive player in the NFL and plays for the Seattle Seahawks.
Ryan Ketchner - Deaf left-handed pitcher who was drafted by the Seattle Mariners.
Famous Deaf Artists
Chuck Baird - A well-known deaf artist.
Betty G. Miller - A deaf artist whose work truly edifies the struggles and issues in the deaf community.
Louis Frisino - A well-known deaf painter who painted pictures of realistic-looking animals.
Douglas Tilden - A well-known deaf sculptor.
Granville Redmond - A landscape artist whose artwork is worth 6-figures.
Gerald Becker Steffen - Deaf artist at Pike Place Market in Seattle.
Samuel Hudson - An African-American Deaf artist.
Douglas Tilden - World famous deaf sculptor.
Nancy Rourke - Deaf Artist, Expressionist Paintings (Nancy Rourke — The Latest Expressionist Paintings).
Nellie Knopf - Deaf painter (1875-1962)
Famous Deaf Writers
Stevie Platt - The deaf author of the books Go to the Hill and The Last Servant.
Connie Briscoe - A modern deaf author who became deaf in her 20s.
Jamie Berke - The former About.com Deafness Guide
Dianrez - Well-Known Deaf Blogger
Sondra McCoy - Author of Hard Road, Easy Riding: Deaf Biker Lady.
Tomora Michelle Pace - Deaf author and teacher.
Henry A. Kisor - Author of What's that Pig Outdoors? and other novels based on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan locales.
John Lee Clark - Author of Suddenly Slow: Poems and editor of Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology.
Q. Kelly - Deaf lesbian romance and fiction award-winning writer. (Q. Kelly's Author Website)
Famous Deaf-Blind People
Julia Brace - A deaf-blind girl who was born before both Laura Bridgman and Helen Keller. She was successfully educated, but lost the credit as the first to Helen Keller.
Helen Keller - The most well-known deaf-blind girl who successfully learned language.
Laura Bridgman - The deaf-blind girl who was successfully educated before Helen Keller.
Other Famous Deaf People
Heather Whitestone - The first deaf woman to be crowned Miss America.
Nellie Zabel Willhite - The first deaf female pilot in South Dakota to get her license.
Rodger Young - Deaf man who faked his Army hearing test in WW2. Won a Posthumous Medal of Honor in the Soloman Islands.
Howard Hughes - An aviator, film producer, engineer, film director, industrialist, and philanthropist.
Robert Weitbrecht - Invented the TTY along with James Marsters who was also deaf.
Ashley Fiolek - Deaf motocross racer that is sponsored by Redbull (Ashley Fiolek).
Cal Rodgers - The very first deaf pilot in the USA in 1911.
Kitty O'Neil - A former stuntwoman and racer.
Sue Thomas - Undercover specialist for FBI, the inspiration for the TV series Sue Thomas: FBEye, international speaker, author, founder of Kennels of Levi: EPEC Service Dogs for physically challenged, founder of WaterBrooks a Christian spiritual renewal center, and founder of Sue Thomas Ministries outreach to homeless.
Thomas Alva Edison - An American scientist, inventor, and businessman.
George William Veditz - Was a former president of National Association of the Deaf of the United States and was one of the first to film American Sign Language.
Allison Lam - Deaf firefighter.
Gregory Hlibok - First person with a disability to be appointed by the FCC to the head of its Disability Rights Office.
Rhulin Thomas - First deaf aviator to fly coast to coast.
John Gotti - Boss of the most powerful organized crime family in the USA. He was deaf in one ear.
Erastus Deaf Smith - A revered Texas scout, guide, and spy and is famous for the important role he played in the Texas Revolution.
Kunle Adegboye - CEO at Morayo Communications, Morayocare & Morayowireless and a role model to many young Nigerians with his line: "Disability is in the mind".
Claudia Gordon - First deaf female African American lawyer. She was also the first deaf student to graduate from the American University Washington DC College of Law.
Tanya Wyatt-Dennis - First black deaf hospice medical social worker, the first to graduate from Wayne State University Social Worker Program in 1997 with a Master of Social Work degree, and the first black deaf school social worder to work for Detroit Public School.
Ginger Jee - Well-respected deaf Disability Rights Advocate in New York tri-state area. Artist and former actress on the television show "Criminal Intents". An expert in all disability rights laws and fights for all deaf access across America.
Roberto E. Wirth - A deaf world famous hotelier. Voted into the Hall of Fame of hoteliers as the Best Hotelier of the World in 2005.
Dr. Carolyn Stern - Deaf doctor in Rochester.
Rie Saito - A famous Japanese hostess who used hitsuden (written communication) to interact with her clients. She wrote the book "The Hostess With a Pen."
Bill Clinton - Former president of the United States has a hearing loss due to age and the time he spent playing the saxophone in his youth.
Becky Brown-Center - First Deaf female pilot in Dayton, Ohio and in the state of Ohio to get a pilot's license in 1986. Possibly the third deaf female pilot in America and former DPA memb
You can do anything if you try.
Trainman
