I haven't seen a MM thread in this forum,

and since I'm a Bettesexual and a fan of MM,in the hope of their fire in s4,I open this thread~

every BETTE's fan and MM fan,come and join us~~


Mod edit: I've amended the title of the thread to include the full name of the actress and character that she plays, and to remove the reference to MM being Bette's new love interest because it's a spoiler. (ht)

Biography for
Marlee Matlin

Birth name
Marlee Beth Matlin
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Height
5' 4" (1.63 m)
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Mini biography
Marlee Beth Matlin was born on August 24, 1965, to parents Don and Libby Matlin; she was their 3rd child. Marlee was rendered deaf at the age of 18 months through a bout with Roseola Infantum. That didn't stop her from acting in a children's theatre company at age 7; she was Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz." Her deafness never held her back; as an adult she said it so eloquently, "I have always resisted putting limitations on myself, both professionally and personally." Marlee studied Criminal Justice courses at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, and maintained her passion for acting after graduating. While performing on stage throughout Chicago and the Midwest, Marlee was discovered in a stage production of the Tony award winning play "Children of a Lesser God" and was cast for the movie version Children of a Lesser God (1986). This was the film debut of the petite young actress, and she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. While filming her next movie Walker (1987) in Nicaragua, big-hearted Marlee took time to visit both hearing and hearing-impaired children. She continued this tradition of visiting local children throughout her travels to Germany, England, Italy, Australia, Mexico, Canada, etc. Marlee's interest in Criminal Justice played a part in her life onscreen; she portrayed an Assistant D.A. in the TV series "Reasonable Doubts" (1991); while offscreen she married police officer Kevin Grandalski on August 29, 1993. Marlee was nominated for an Emmy award in 1994, for her performance as Laurie Bey in the "Picket Fences" episode "Dancing Bandit." Marlee is also a Spokesperson for the National Captioning Institute. In 1995, Marlee testified at a Capitol Hill hearing, and helped get a law passed that requires all TV sets 13" inches or larger to be manufactured with built-in chips to provide "Closed Captioning" on their screens; this was a Godsend for all deaf people. Marlee is currently serving as the National Spokesperson for the largest provider of TV Closed Captioning, and has spoken on behalf of "CC" in countries as Australia, England, France and Italy. She also serves on the boards of a number of charitable organizations, including Very Special Arts, the Starlight Foundation, as well as other charities that primarily benefit children. As someone who loves children so much, it is only fitting that she has two children of her own: Sarah Rose, born January 1996, and Brandon, born September 2000. Professionally, Marlee has even tried producing, being the Executive Producer for Where the Truth Lies (1999) (TV).


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IMDb mini-biography by
kdhaisch@aol.com
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Spouse
Kevin Grandalski (29 August 1993 - present) 4 children

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Trivia
Used to live with William Hurt

She was rendered deaf in infancy by a bout of Roseola Infantum.

Husband is a police officer. Has one daughter named 'Sarah Rose' .

Was married in Henry Winkler's (the Fonz's) backyard.

Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1986" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 38.

Son, Tyler Daniel Grandalski, born 18 July 2002 in Los Angeles.

Son, Brandon Joseph, born 12 September 2000 in Los Angeles.

Graduated from John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights IL.

Daughter, Isabelle Jane Grandalski, was born on December 26, 2003 in Los Angeles, California.

She presented the Vardon family with $50,000 from a charity for the Vardon's son to go to the college of his choice. This was on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 2004. The Vardon family is made up of two deaf parents, an able older son (Stefan) and a younger son who is both blind and autistic.

One of a chosen few to win a Best Acting Oscar for their debut performance.

Youngest Winner to win the Oscar in the Best Actress Category at the age of 21.


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Personal quotes
"The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth."

"Silence is the last thing the world will ever hear from me."

The handicap of deafness is not in the ear; it is in the mind.




Marlee Matlin Joining 'The L Word'


The Associated Press

Marlee Matlin is joining the cast of "The L Word," Showtime's drama about a circle of gay friends and lovers who move in the trendiest of L.A. circles.

The 40-year-old actress will play "a fiery artist who catches the attention of Jennifer Beals' character, Bette Porter," the cable network announced Friday.

Matlin won an Oscar for her portrayal of a deaf student in 1986's "Children of a Lesser God." Her TV credits include a recurring role on NBC's "The West Wing."

Showtime said the fourth season of the series will premiere early next year.







Matlin nervous as she approaches 'L Word' part
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith



Marlee Matlin admits she's been feeling "nervous, anxious — like the new kid in school," as she's joining the cast of Showtime's "The L Word," shooting in Vancouver this month.
"That's the part I love about acting, when people have asked me to do things I've never done that are different and challenging," says the Oscar-winning actress, who'll play an artist, the new lesbian love interest of Jennifer Beals' character on the show. "Certainly the scripts I've been reading are not like any I've done."

Speaking through her interpreter, Matlin, who's been deaf since she was 18 months old, adds of her former series castmates, "When I went to the wrap party for West Wing,' everyone was so supportive of my doing the show. Jimmy Smits said, I love "The L Word,"' and Richard Schiff said, I'm getting Showtime.' I hadn't seen any of the episodes until I got involved. I'm a mom of four, and I go to bed early. But they gave me the DVDs, and I got hooked."

Matlin recently shot both an "Extreme Makeover" — the Aug. 3 edition in which a man who's helped many deaf individuals and who is deaf himself will get a full-on physical transformation — and an "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" that'll air in the fall.

"I've been so busy — the best thing is my kids and my husband, they're the best support group," says the actress, who has been married to Kevin Grandalski since 1993. "And The L Word' (which shoots in Vancouver) has been so generous about letting me go back and forth to be with my family. Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible. They're probably going to come up for my birthday — hint, hint." Marlee celebrates her 41st birthday on Aug. 24.

I am so here!!! I am so glad that Marlee is on the show. I have always loved her work, ever since Children of a Lesser God, the video of which I wore out, and liked her show also. I have to mention a scene on the Practice, where she was a mother charged with the murder of the man who had raped and murdered her little girl. There was a scene with Marlee and Camryn Manheim, also fluent in sign, arguing about Marlee's defense, in sign. No words spoken, but it was one of the most powerful scenes I have ever seen!!!! She was also great on the West Wing. I can't wait to see her and Jennifer together and to see Jennifer signing with her beautiful hands. I hope they become a couple fast, it will be so hot!!!! Thanx for starting this thread! su

wicked!


I thought she was great in Law & Order SVU too *nods*

Will be interesting to see how things go with her and Bette

Hello everybuddy

I believe MM's character Jodi(?) and Bette will be a great team, but I don't think they'll hook up for a life time. So I'm curious to see how they'd break up and I also want to see how Jodi would deal with Tina's jealousy, if there were any.

thanks for opening this thread. I have to admit I had heard of her but couldnt place her. so thanks for posting these pics. she is such an amazing actress and I love seeing her. cant wait to see her on TLW as well. the scenes with Bette are gonna be amazing. two such talented actresses.

I have never seen anything with MM (shame on me) but I'm excited to see her on the show. She seems to be an interesting woman indeed, and nice.

My first reaction to the news that MM would be joining TLW was: "Finally a real actress!"

I always liked her. Besides Children of a lesser God I've seen her in tv movies and a series in which she played a district attorney and Mark Harmon was her detective.

ETA: This show must have been "Reasonable Doubts".

Although I'm one of those people who were hoping for Belena to happen, I'm glad Marlee joined the cast. I'm looking forward to see her acting with JB. Hopefully they will have good screen chemistry together.

I too want BeLena to happen, but MM is too good to just dismiss. I like it that her character gets a fling with Bette. But in the end it's all BeLena for me

JB and MM will have fantastic chemistry in s4~~~~~~~~

i saw Marlee in vancouver and she is wonderful, very open and friendly...seems that they get along very well with JB and she has at least 3 or 4 interpreters with her...at this point i don't think anyone except IC knows where Bette/Jodie storyline is going, but MM will be on TLW for the rest of the season

Right on. I have seen some of her work, and she will be a wonderful addition to the show. Beautiful and talented!

At least we know that they share the same taste when it comes to glasses.

OMFG....charming pic. JBC...

Can't say as I like Marlee's outfit there but I do like Jenny's little punk look!!! I am erasing all thoughts of Bette/Helena from my brain, its Bette and Marlee..

You seriuosly like JB's outfit better?? JB looks a lot heavier there.

Nice photo, Hasret.

Maybe it's just me, but does anyone else think that JB and MM shared the same optician as The Two Ronnies in the eighties? *g*

Regrettably I haven't seen Ms Matlin in many films - Children of a Lesser God is probably the most memorable - but the few projects in which I have seen her, I've really enjoyed, so I'm looking forward to seeing her on TLW next season.

And as a big fan of The West Wing, I was very impressed by her performance as recurring character, Joey Lucas. What I loved most about that portrayal was that the character's deafness was never an issue. Joey was presented to us as one of the best and most sought after political pollsters in the US, rather than the emphasis being placed on her being a deaf pollster.

I hope TLW treats the hearing impairment of Jodie Jacobs in a similarly low-key fashion; that she's a lesbian who just happens to be deaf. But my gut instinct about Elizabeth Ziff's personal politics and what I perceive to be their increasing influence over the artistic direction of the show, is giving me a deep sense of foreboding.

In season three TPTB introduced Moira-Max, a transgendered character, whose sole reason for existing was apparently to illustrate the issue of gender dysphoria and to demonstrate the transition from one sex to another, and to a lesser extent to get on Jenny's nerves and perhaps also illustrate what little TLW's writers know about the technology industry. And in addition to that, they also gave us a season-long public service announcement about breast cancer, and this season I have an awful feeling that they're making sure they tick yet another box on the list of under-represented and disadvantaged sexual minorities by introducing a lesbian with a disability.

Of course there's nothing wrong with that in principle. Inclusion and representation are great goals in theory, and sometimes in practice too. For instance, I know that many viewers would like the show to be more racially diverse, and when I compare TLW with ethnically eclectic shows such as Grey's Anatomy, I'd have to agree with them. But with this particular team of writers I fear that the character of Jodie Jacobs will be all about her deafness and as one-dimensional and underwritten as every other supporting character has been on this show to date.

I want well-written, three-dimensional characters with engaging and interesting personalities, not cyphers being used as a vehicle to promote the queer politics agenda and politically correct issue-of-the-day of one of the producers.

But hey, there's every chance that my fears about ezgirl's hamfisted approach to representation will prove to be unfounded, and no matter what happens, hopefully we'll get to see a sweet and sexy romance between Bette and Jodie, who as Hasret's photo amply shows, make a very cute couple.

I've never heard of her before but she's gorgeous! From what I've heard she's a good actress so I'm loving her for S4. Although I kinda like TiBette, her and Bette could be interesting.

I think her and Bette will be hot together and fiery ... bring it on!

I second that.

The West Wing - Marlee Matlin Joey Lucas
Credit: NBC Universal

Marlee Matlin on the set of TLW
credit: B&TF

The other night Hear no Evil was on some cable channel. It was a predictible yarn about a robbery where Martin Sheen was a crooked cop and a stolen coin ended up in MM's beeper.

To say the least it was not impressive. I have to think it was a low budget 20 day shoot schedule one take - no re-takes movie. MM was acceptable in the part but not impressive. (Not unlike a lot of crap Jennifer has done in the past.) Although I have enjoyed almost all of Jennifer's work ( her performance removed from the entire project itself - if that make any sense,) I hope that TPTB use MM in a very good way. I would like to see her read Jennifer's lips, touches them as Jennifer speaks instead of just having an interpreter. I would also like to see Jennifer stop and verbally communicate so MM can read her lips so that a interpreter isn't necessary in every scene. It could be great viewing if done properly.

I just want Bette to get a lot of Somethin' Somethin' this season and really - If the woman is good looking and can act I really don't care because Jennifer will definitely carry any scene.

Her and JB will be great together. cant wait to see it

Thanks for the picture, bette&tinaforever and B&TF.
It's really nice.

Add me to the Marlee Matlin fan club! She's hott

Not only that though, I am a fan of anyone who will make Bette happy and take her away from hetro Tina.

Hey B&TF, you are sooooo lucky !!!!!!!
Thank you for the photo and for all your news.

And thank you conanyqq for open this Thread.

MM joining the show and possibly becoming Bette's love interest makes me so excited for season 4 It's already filling the void of Danish, well, for now at least

hopefully s4 will be a good season,since our goddess JB and the wonderful Joey Lucas in the west wing will have an interesting story line~

anyway,it will be better than s3

I am so psyched about Marlee joining the show ... I have always been a big fan. I just loved her in everything I've ever seen her in.... From Children Of A Lesser God to her tv series Reasonable Doubt to TWW. She is always utterly brilliant and compelling. And beautiful.

I am a TiBetter and I hope ultimately for a reunion But in the meantime MM and Jennifer working together will be very special I venture to guess


I tend to agree with you HT... But, at the same time I have to say I rather suspect Marlee would not take on a crappy one-dimensionally written character to begin with. So I hope to god your fears are not founded!!

Okay, I tried to stay out of here because I don't like spoilers, but it's Marlee and I have to look.

I thought I might be the only person who remembered that show. I had the hugest crush on her then.

Yeah, I've seen Marlee in an interview here and there and she always seems very adamnt that she is not interested in portraying "the deaf girl" and she seems like she doesn't take any crap, so if EZ tries to go there, Marlee might have to put her in her place. Or at least we can hope that she does.

i hope as well that MM won't just play "deaf lesbian" but will have a great storyline

she is such a great actress and I really hope they give her enough to really shine.

lol I thought I might be too. The memory needed jogging for the name of it... and the recollection is a little vague... it was a looong time ago (wish I could see it again now), but I have a clear memory of watching it all the time and also having huge crush on Marlee ... mind you I also had a considerable crush on Mark Harmon (this "fluidity" caper ain't easy )


On the topic of Marlee having a well written (and decent sized) role... I am getting increasingly concerned at the growing number of new cast members they keep adding to the already sizeable cast. They make 12 eps @ 50 mins .... I'm thinking the way it's going, that maybe comes to... ow say, one scene per character :/

I sure hope my eager enthusiasm about Marlee on TLW does not turn into bitter dissapointment... I've shrugged off a lot of missteps this show has made... I don't think I will be able to shrug off a disrespectful treatment by the writers of this Academy Award winning actor.

Do The Powers That Be ever read this MB ya think?.... PTB -- watch yourselves!!!! ..... I dunno what I'd do heh, but possibly with a combined army (back me up someone) I'll think of something *g* (I know. I'll get B&TF back up there onto ya ... scared yet? )

B&TF -- have you left Vancouver yet?

ETD.

Bless you

They have been warned

yes, i left...but if needed i'll be back there in a second

I love Marlee, I think she's gorgeous. I'm so looking forward to her s/l with Bette.

do we know anything new about her character? any more details?

I just read boots99 in Bette's Thread said:

The season ends with a 3 person cliffhanger with Jodie telling Bette "I love you". Followed by Tina telling Bette "I'm still in love with you". Leaving a rather confused Bette ...


love the idea~

and since some spoilers said Jobette will hook up in the end of s4, I think this might happen


Mod edit to add spoiler tags because it's a pretty major season-ending cliffhanger related spoiler and even the most avid spoiler-hos might not want to know. (ht)

I love the ending, too. Of course, not the end of the whole show, but of this season.

Bette could answer the same to both women.

sounds very intriguing

Marlee will be on Extreme makeover home edition in the US and Canada -ABC, it is a 2 hr episode, if U get a chance tune in....

I think that the following was from an article in an Ottawa newspaper.


Matlin, who has already begun filming episodes, says she didn't worry about the show's lesbian plotlines or its racy sex scenes. What gave her brief pause was the thought of kissing Beals, but only because she was a long-time friend. The pair first met in 1987 on a flight to Paramount's 75th anniversary. Beals even helped Matlin get ready the night she won her Oscar.

"We had a lot of fun and we kept in touch all these years," she said. "And I spent my birthday in bed with Jennifer Beals!"

and Sweetpea who wrote
It's definately gonna be Matlin carrying those scenes. imho of course.

I definitely agree. imho of course. JB's performance on this show has been very uneven. And, the same can be said of her work in films. Matlin is golden. She's the one who can carry any scene, imo. This show is very lucky to have her. imho.

New pics from season 4 are being uploaded http://www.thelword-fr.net/katherinemoenni...iedet.php?id=58

i want candy

I feel safe directly posting this picture in here since we know what's going to happen to these two characters on the show.

Spoilery pic

Nice! Looking forward to seeing Marlee and Jennifer bring it on for season 4.



This post as been edited by a moderator to properly tag spoilery content

but i would have paired up marlee with someone else like helena for instance not bette but oh well she always falls in love with woman who create her other passion but honest - i do not see them together. Maybe cause i got the idea that bette would continue trying to keep the family together.

I would actually pair up Bette with Helena and not Jodie. But Matlin sure is good.

She is stunning as well...I too like Helena, but Marlee is too good to pass up...


And not to mention...Sexy