What Is Marlee Matlin's Net Worth?
Marlee Matlin made Oscar history in 1987 when she became the first (and so far only) deaf actress to win an Academy Award for her performance in Children of a Lesser God. She was also the youngest actress to win in the category, receiving the accolade at the age of 21. And according to Good Morning America, Matlin recently paid homage to her win by trying on her Oscar dress during quarantine — and it still fits!
The actress has gone on to play a number of movie and television roles. She was nominated for a Golden Globe twice for her role as an assistant district attorney in the TV series Reasonable Doubts, and she received Emmy nods for her roles on Seinfeld, Picket Fences, The Practice, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (via Britannica). In addition to acting, Matlin also released her autobiography, I'll Scream Later, and competed in Season 6 of Dancing with the Stars, where she wowed both judges and viewers with her abilities despite not being able to hear the music. She juggles her busy career with raising four children with her husband, a police officer whom she married in 1993.
"I can do ANYTHING except hear," Matlin told VeryWell Health. "Yes, I can't be a singer, or a telephone operator, or piano tuner but there's a whole heck [of a lot] in life I can do. Why dwell on my perceived 'disability' or 'limitations' when I can show them that life is full of possibilities for EVERYONE."
Marlee Matlin's hard work has paid off
After acting for more than 30 years, Marlee Matlin's net worth currently stands at $11 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. And she is using her success to help others with disabilities succeed, especially in the acting world. She recently signed on as an executive producer of the short film Feeling Through, which will be "one of the first films to feature a deaf-blind actor in a leading role," according to Variety.
"I'm fortunate in that I've nurtured relationships with producers where we go beyond the 'dis' in disability," she told The Washington Post, "and create smart, creative roles that HAPPEN to be disabled, rather than dwell on the disability." However, she noted that Hollywood still has a long way to go. She noted, "In the 30 years since I won the Academy Award for Best Actress and as the first person since Harold Russell who had a disability and who won an acting Oscar back in the '50s, not much has changed."