PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Marlee Matlin, the Academy Award-winning actress and advocate for the Deaf community, has been named the 2026 commencement speaker for the University of Oregon.
At 21, Matlin was the youngest ever recipient of the best actress Oscar for her performance in 1986’s Children of a Lesser God. It also marked the first time a Deaf actor won the award.
Now, her youngest child, Isabelle, will be graduating from U of O, with Matlin giving the ceremonial remarks to the university’s entire cohort this year.
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“Never let people define who you are,” Matlin said in a U of O press release. “Why let others dictate what you can and can’t do?”…