SPRING AWAKENING's Marlee Matlin to Sign National Anthem at SUPER BOWL 50

TV Line reports that Oscar winner and recent star of Broadway's SPRING AWAKENING, Marlee Matlin, will perform the National Anthem in American Sign Language on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf during SUPER BOWL 50's pre-game events. The actress will perform alongside recent Golden Globe Award winner Lady Gaga during the pregame ceremony, which will be televised live on CBS this Sunday, February 7th.

Matlin won an Academy and Golden Globe Award for her role in CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD. She has appeared on television in such shows as "The West Wing," "Switched at Birth" and "Seinfeld." She made her Broadway debut last fall in Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's Spring Awakening, directed by Michael Arden.

The actress has written four books, competed on the sixth season of "Dancing with the Stars," and has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. An active advocate for the Deaf community, she is to date the only deaf performer to win an Academy Award, for her debut film performance in Children of a Lesser God (1986), the first film since the 1926 silent film You'd Be Surprised to feature a deaf actor in a major role.

The recent history-making production of SPRING AWAKENING was performed simultaneously in American Sign Language and spoken English by a cast of 28. It began previews on September 8 and officially opened on September 27th. The limited engagement ended on Broadway January 24. The show recently announced plans for a national tour to begin in 2017.

Photo: Joan Marcus