Phyllis Frelich, Tony Award-Winning Deaf Actress, Dies at 70

Phyllis Frelich, the Tony-award winning actress, has passed away at the age of 70, according to The Silent Grapevine.

Born on February 29, 1944 in Devils Lake, North Dakota, Frelich was born to deaf parents and was the oldest of nine deaf children. She attended the North Dakota School for the Deaf and graduated in 1962.

Frelich's stage work includes Sganarelle and Songs From Milk Wood at The National Theater of the Deaf. She was also seen in Big River and Prymate on Broadway. Frelich won the 1980 Tony award for Best Actress in a Play for her work as Sarah Norman in Children of a Lesser God.

Frelich's screen work includes Santa Barbara, ER, Sweet Nothing in My Ear, Children on Their Birthdays, and Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye. Her most recent credit was as Mrs. Betty Grissom on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Read The Silent Grapevine's report here.