LOS ANGELES — “CODA” star Troy Kotsur made history Sunday as the first Deaf man to win an Academy Award for acting.
The veteran performer claimed the supporting actor prize for his powerful turn as Frank Rossi, a hardened fisherman with a raunchy sense of humor and a big heart. He was nominated alongside Ciaran Hinds (“Belfast”), Jesse Plemons (“The Power of the Dog”), J.K. Simmons (“Being the Ricardos”) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”).
The milestone comes 35 years after Kotsur’s “CODA” co-star, Marlee Matlin, became the first Deaf performer ever to win an Oscar for her performance in “Children of a Lesser God.”
“When I received the nominee information, I knew that I wasn’t alone because Marlee had inspired me,” Kotsur told the Los Angeles Times the day the Oscar nominations were announced.
“It’s a tough journey as a Deaf actor,” he added. “There’s so few opportunities out there, and she kept on going. She was persistent. And then so was I with my own career as a stage actor. So here I am today.”
During the 2022 awards season, Kotsur emerged as the front-runner in the supporting actor race after winning the BAFTA, the Critics Choice Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award for his work in “CODA.” In the heartwarming film about a hearing child of Deaf adults, Kotsur plays the patriarch of the central family opposite Matlin, Daniel Durant and Emilia Jones.
Last month, “CODA” received Oscar nominations for supporting actor, adapted screenplay and best picture. Leading up to the big night, the Apple TV+ drama picked up considerable steam by clinching the top prizes at both the Producers and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
“I’m tired of Deaf people being portrayed as a victim,” Kotsur said in an interview with the L.A. Times.
“This time, in this project, I just want to show some b—, some real Deaf b—, that hey, this character’s a tough guy, a Deaf male who struggles just like anyone else out there who owns a small business. The only thing that’s different is the method of communication.”
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