Marlee Matlin

"When it's ten against one, and hope there is none, Buck up, little soldier, and chortle:" This excerpt from the poem "Carry On" by Robert William Service, epitomizes Marlee Matlin and the honorable qualities she has shown the world through the struggles she has overcome in her personal life and career even when odds seemed against her. Matlin, a Deaf woman, lost her hearing at 18 months old when she contracted Roseola, a type of childhood measles. Born on August 24, 1965 in Morton Grove, a suburb of Chicago, she discovered at a young age that acting was her passion. Matlin starred in The Wizard of Oz, playing the role of Dorothy at the Children's Theater at the Center for Deafness in Chicago, at only age 7. As a young child, she attended several schools and summer camps to expand upon her love of acting, and at age 21, being both the youngest, and first Deaf person to win the award, earned an Academy Award for best actress for the film Children of a Lesser God in 1987. Along with her success in acting, Matlin is an ambassador for the Starkey Hearing Foundation and participates in the work of several other charities. However, Matlin's life and path to success, was challenging to say the least. Along the way, she struggled with the use of drugs, lack of support from her family and friends and a feeling of restriction in her acting career from her physical disability. One who possesses a will to succeed and surmount such personal barriers, constantly keeps a positive outlook of life even when the odds seem against him or her and carries a strong passion for giving back to those in need, is someone deserving of recognition and honor. The extreme determination she possesses, her continual optimistic outlook on life and benevolent acts towards others makes Marlee Matlin a figure worthy of reverence and an inspiration for people around the world.

Marlee Matlin exerted tremendous efforts to progress in her acting career as well as conquer personal barriers, as a result of her inner-determination to improve herself as a person; meanwhile, she inspired others to do the same. As a young woman, Matlin used her motivated and strong-willed mindset to propel her toward achieving incredible things in her career as a Deaf actress: "Matlin took on her first speaking role in the television movie Bridge to Silence. In the film, she played a deaf mother with a hearing child who becomes involved in a custody dispute with her own mother (played by Lee Remick)" ("Marlee Matlin Biography"). Matlin hearing impairment did not prevent her from achieving her dreams as an actress. To take on a speaking role in a television movie, showed her obvious amount of integrity and determination. It was an accomplishment Matlin may have never imagined herself completing because of her handicap; however, she possesses a significant trait, which is the will to test and challenge herself to try new things that seem nearly impossible. This made her an inspirational figure for she is an example of someone who does not let her disabilities restrict her from fulfilling what she is capable of. Later on, Matlin's acting career started skyrocketing, with success lying at her fingertips, although as she explained in an interview in the Jewish Woman International Magazine, she first had to overcome an enormous barrier that could have potentially blocked her path to a successful career: "I would say it was as my star was rising that I decided to get clean of drugs: I stopped cold turkey just a few months before I won the Academy Award and entered myself into rehab. I did it all alone, with virtually no support from family or friends, who thought my problem wasn't that bad. That's because I did a good job of hiding it. I was tired of having a problem with drugs, however, and knew it was time to stop. Today I am proud to say that I have been sober 24 years, 5 months and 10 days. I feel great" (Daniel Cantor). The fact that Matlin sent herself to a drug rehabilitation center with basically no support from her loved ones speaks about her integrity as a woman. To be a motivated person, one must possess an inner strength. Matlin's strength showed with her determination to work hard for the good of her occupation and her own wellness; furthermore, her outstanding qualities of motivation and being a problem solver were exemplified by her going to a rehabilitation center to resolve a problem that could have potentially destroyed her whole life. It is essential for society to have inspirational figures, such as Marlee Matlin, as proof that with enough faith and determination, the possibilities of achieving anything are endless. Marlee Matlin's hard work to improve herself in multiple aspects of her life was significant to herself personally, but also showed her principles and admirable outlook on life.

Matlin's hopeful and optimistic attitude makes her a role model of someone who is always willing to work hard for a great outcome, in her charity work and personal improvements. Matlin's positive mind-set makes her an enjoyable colleague and particularly easy to work with when in the company of others, as described by Austin, who had seen Matlin when accomplishing charity work: "'Marlee will go to work and do anything anyone else will do. She rolls up her sleeves, she's positive and energetic, and she communicates well with the people we're trying to help,' he says. 'She's always upbeat, which is what we're trying to project-that idea of finding your ability and maximizing it'" (Daniel, Alice). A quality essential in a heroic figure is the ability to work cohesively with others, be a helpful collaborator and a positive colleague. Matlin's ability to see the goodness and hope in each tough situation she was confronted with, led her to where she stands today in her career and her humanitarian acts today. Her magnetic and buoyant personality paired with her consistently optimistic mind-set makes her extremely easy to work with, and ultimately led her to greater outcomes in her acting and charity work. Her philosophies on herself, her disability, and how it has affected her life are cheerful and full of hope, and she emphasizes this in her autobiography, I'll Scream Later: "My life is rich and I am blessed, and I am grateful. That I am Deaf is just a footnote. It is a part of who I am, but far from all of who I am" (Marlee Matlin and Betsy Sharkey 322). Although she is Deaf, she has always held hope in what she is capable of accomplishing, and kept a willing and faithful attitude in herself through all of her hard work. Matlin's ability to always see the positives of situations led her to being a prosperous actress, mother, author and humanitarian, and is a trait necessary for achievement. She does not let her handicap restrict her from reaching success, and refuses to let it be a "chip on her shoulder." Matlin, rather than feeling sorry for herself, makes the best of her disability and continues to push through even the darkest moments in her life. Her perspective on a life full of beauty, joy, and optimism, is what drove her to lots of success in her earlier life, and continues to guide her to more success in the future. Her ability to always see the goodness in life's situations makes her a much appreciated and looked up to woman, and also led her to improving the lives of others.

Matlin expressed kind and charitable acts to the less fortunate, fueled by her passion to help others and her will to spread opportunities to those who were hearing-impaired just like herself. In 2011, Matlin participated in a television series featuring Donald Trump, The Celebrity Apprentice, to raise awareness and money for the charity of her choice, The Starkey Hearing Foundation: "...she competed in [the 2011 season of The] Celebrity Apprentice because she wanted to raise awareness that millions of people in the world don't have access to hearing aids or can't afford them. Not only did she boost the foundation's profile but she also brought in $1 million for the charity during a special fundraising episode" (Alice Daniel). Considering that Matlin was willing to put herself on The Celebrity Apprentice, a reality television series, to promote the millions of people with hearing problems who did not have enough money to buy hearing aids and raise money to support these people, expressed her kind-hearted and charitable character. Matlin's hard work and passion to give as much as possible to her charity was extremely impressive. She was not forced to take part in the show and could have easily decided not to volunteer and sacrifice her time from her family, career and her home; however, that was not an option for Marlee Matlin. She devoted herself in her entirety, to the show and her charity, The Starkey Hearing Foundation, to earn all that she could for the foundation and the people it affected. Her passionate attitude towards this charity and what they do for others showed greatly when, "...Matlin says she has the privilege of witnessing children hear their parents' voices for the first time, 'Each time it happens for me, it's as if it's the first time,' says Matlin, who has four hearing children of her own. 'Nothing is more beautiful'" (Alice Daniel). Not only is Matlin an ambassador for The Starkey Hearing Foundation, but according to the Jewish Woman International Magazine, also takes part in several other charitable opportunities: "President Clinton appointed her to the Board of Directors for the Corporation for National Service. She is also a national celebrity spokesperson for the American Red Cross and serves on the boards of a number of charitable organizations, including Easter Seals and the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation. She was instrumental in passing federal legislation that requires closed-captioning technology in all U.S.-manufactured televisions" (Daniel Cantor). Matlin has a passion for giving back to the world and has made it a priority in her life to help others who are in need of care. Her compassionate nature of caring for others is remarkable, and admirable to many. True beauty, to Matlin, is helping other people through their struggles, and it is incredible how much effort she puts into making this possible for every person she can, whether it involves curing a physical disability, or fighting for closed-captions on U.S.-manufactured televisions. Her efforts to improve how other people live not only make her a woman worthy of great honor, but of great principles and a hero to society.

Ultimately, a constant hunger for personal and career achievement, along with a continual positive outlook on life, and a devotion to giving back to the world, makes Matlin an inspiration toward others and a deserving character of honor and recognition. Although Matlin is Deaf, she does not let that stop her from achieving her goals as an actress or an altruistic woman who always possesses an optimistic perspective. Actors aspiring for success, recovering addicts and others who possess a love and dedication to participating in charity work, can look to Marlee Matlin when they are in need of an inspiration, whether they possess a disability or not. Matlin stated in her autobiography: "We all have challenges in life of one kind or another. We can achieve much more if we focus on our abilities rather than our perceived disabilities." Often obstacles will confront people in their lives, although Matlin inspires people to plow through these obstacles by focusing on their strengths. She motivates others to carry through the rough waters life sometimes leads them to through her moving words and outstanding achievements as a woman. The astonishing challenges she has overcome, her ambitious attitude and, the thousands of lives she has bettered motivates me to be a better person. She not only inspires me me to make a positive change in the world by helping others, but encourages me to work hard through life's challenges, by believing in my strengths, and disregarding my weaknesses, just as she has done. No matter what stood in her way, blocking her path to success, Matlin purely focused on her strengths as an actress and as a person; furthermore, she stayed optimistic and confident in herself, and sets the example for others to do the same. A true hero, like Marlee Matlin, will always possess the courage to buck up and carry on even when the odds seem ten against one, by contributing to building a better world, and being a role model for others to do the same.

Works Cited

Cantor, Danielle. "Catching Up With Academy Award-Winning Actress Marlee Matlin." Marlee Matlin, Academy Award-Winning Actress. Jewish Woman International Magazine, July 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.

Daniel, Alice. "Raising her voice: deaf since childhood Marlee Matlin leverages her celebrity to help others who are hearing impaired." Success Dec. 2011: 78+. Biography In Context. Web. 19 Mar. 2013.

Matlin, Marlee, and Betsy Sharkey. I'll Scream Later. New York: Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2009. Print.

"Marlee Matlin Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2013.

Service, Robert W. "Carry On" N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2013.