Marlee Matlin

Marlee Beth Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, author and activist who portrayed Annie, Michael's mother, in the Sundance Now television series This Close.

She is known for winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for Children of a Lesser God, being the only deaf performer to date to have won an Academy Award.

Trivia

 * Both Marlee Matlin and Nyle DiMarco (who portrayed Ben Genovese in This Close) were contestants of ABC's Dancing With the Stars: Matlin participated in season 6 in 2008, while DiMarco became the winner of season 22 in 2016.