39 Years Later, the Star of This Powerful Drama Is Still the Youngest Actress to Win an Oscar
Even after nearly four decades, no one has been able to break this record.
The 97th Academy Awards, the most important annual event in the world of cinema, is fast approaching. For most filmmakers, this statuette is the highest point of recognition from their peers and the world film community.
Not every great actor or director has received an award, for example, Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock did not receive Oscars for directing.
It is generally accepted that one must have a thorny career path to make an acceptance speech from the stage of the Dolby Theatre, but there were exceptions.
Children of a Lesser God Lead Is Still the Youngest Actress to Win an Oscar
12 years ago, everyone was talking about Jennifer Lawrence – the actress who won an Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook, becoming the second-youngest Best Actress Oscar winner. But who is the first one?
That title has belonged to Merlee Matlin for 39 years, who played the female lead in the drama Children of a Lesser God – she won an Oscar at the age of 21.
What Is Children of a Lesser God About?
James Leeds works at a school for teenagers with hearing loss. He is very good at sign language, but tries to teach his charges to use their voices so they can adapt more easily.
James tries to find a unique method for each student. Soon the teacher meets a deaf-mute cleaner, Sarah, who was once a successful student but now refuses to speak.
A romance develops between them, and James promises to respect the woman's views on speech. But their opinions turn out to be too different. Perhaps something in Sarah's past has influenced her life too much.
Children of a Lesser God Partially Based on Real Events
Children of a Lesser God is based on the play of the same name written by Mark Medoff after he met deaf actress Phyllis Frelich. The story is also partly based on her meeting her hearing husband, Robert Steinberg.
The theatrical production won many awards, after which Randa Haines took on the film adaptation. Leeds was played by the experienced William Hurt, who had already won an Oscar for Kiss of the Spider Woman, but for his partner Marlee Matlin, the role of Sarah was her debut.
Marlee Matlin Became First Deaf Actress to Win Oscar
For her role as Sarah, the actress won an Oscar, becoming not only the youngest winner in the category, but also the only deaf actress in the world to receive the award.
Matlin, like her character Sarah, is deaf. Perhaps that is why her character is so real – and so strong. Matlin has often said that she is similar to Sarah in many ways: they are united by a spirit of protest and anger that serves as a kind of protection.