Troy Kotsur – from deaf dad to Oscar-winning artist

During the award ceremony Oscar At the end of March 2022, Troy Kotsur left his mark as the first deaf male artist to win the best supporting actor. Answer the interview Variety a day after being honored, Kotsur said: “If not selected, CODAI would work at a fast food restaurant or as a grocery packer.” Sign language interpreter Justin Maurer helped him translate the answers..

Troy Kotsur: Actor representing the deaf community

Troy Kotsur had a tragic childhood. The son of Sheriff Leonard Len Kotsur of Mesa, Arizona, Troy went deaf before he was one year old. He told the newspaper Variety: “When I was about 10 months old, my mother was cleaning the house, she accidentally dropped some pots and pans, making a very loud rattling sound. At that time, I was sitting on the floor and I was not playing. nothing reacted she suspected something was wrong I was on the floor, and i didn’t react at all I just kept playing my mom suspected something she went behind me and banged The pot was put together, but I couldn’t hear anything. My parents took me to the doctor and they concluded that I was deaf. My family wondered, “How are we going to raise a deaf child? “It was the 1960s, and my parents didn’t know what to do with a deaf child.”

Troy’s parents are trying to learn sign language so they can communicate with their son. They encouraged him to participate in sports with the neighborhood kids. The father once told Troy that sign language is really a beautiful language, it’s a gift the world needs to know about.

The artist once said: “I was moved when my father told me about the beauty of sign language, which an ordinary family took the time to teach me word for word. I feel so lucky to be back. Be part of a family that listens and understands.”

Thought happiness would last in the Kotsur family, but great events occurred. His younger brother, Brent Kotsur, nearly drowned at the age of four during a swim, causing brain damage that resulted in needing help with daily activities for 21 years. In 1987, Troy’s father, was hit by a drunk driver, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. He was a humorous man with an engaging way of speaking, but from then on Troy’s father could no longer sign.

When he saw his father suddenly in a wheelchair, Troy burst into tears, realizing that he had to work hard to live to take care of his father. “I had to ask my mother or brother to interpret for me. He tried to use a pencil or type on the computer but it was very difficult. I had to wait a few minutes to see what Dad wanted to say. It was a challenge in my life. our communication but on the contrary, he was very patient”.

Follow the channel ABC15 Arizonain the middle of the day when sad stories surround the family, one of Troy’s joys is watching cartoons. Tom and Jerry. The two main characters of the work rarely have dialogue scenes, in return there are scenes of cats and mice chasing each other. Tom and Jerry’s humor and vividness inspired Troy to nurture his dream of becoming an actor. Every time he finished watching the movie, the boy used sign language to retell the episode to his friends, and was delighted to see their eyes light up with excitement.

During more than 30 years of persistently pursuing acting activities, it was only when he played the role of Frank Rossi – a deaf father who always supported Ruby’s passion for singing (Emilia Jones) – in CODATroy was noticed by the audience.

In real life, when they have their daughter Kyra, Troy and his wife – actress Deanne Bray, who is also deaf – give their all their love. Kyra is passionate about music, playing the piano and guitar. When she played a song in the car or played a guitar tune, her parents would put their hands near the speakers or the instrument she played to feel their vibrations.

Kyra said of her father: “Dad tries to figure out the tone I’m listening to, he’ll know if it’s sad or happy, fast or slow. I really admire them for that. My parents really couldn’t understand things that weren’t there. I pursued them, because they were so different from them, but they never stood in my way.”

Troy doesn’t see being deaf as a handicap preventing him from succeeding.

“I can’t complain because I’m deaf. Being deaf doesn’t matter. I can play golf, get out of the house, can go fishing. My dad can’t do those things, and neither can my brother. I don’t care that I’m deaf,” Troy told the TV channel ABC15 Arizona. Constantly trying to communicate with the auditory world through plays and television series has helped Troy practice a variety of facial expressions.

Much of his career was spent on the stage. He studied acting at Gallaudet University, then appeared in plays by the National Theater of the Deaf and the West Theater of the Deaf in Los Angeles. Troy appeared in every small play and in TV shows like Scrubs and Criminal Minds.

Sian Heder – director CODA, who gave Troy the role of Frank Rossi – said: “I’ve always had a fear of deaf people not getting a lot of roles in movies. That’s why I created the role for Kotsur, because I wanted to make sure that he continues to work and has more characters to play.What I do hope to inspire creators, writers, screenwriters, directors to create roles for Troy and for other deaf actors”.

After CODATroy received a number of screenplays about the action-adventure genre, about the portraits of historical figures who stood up to fight for rights and help the deaf.

Que Chi (ABC15, Variety)