fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Troy Michael Kotsur (/ˈkɒtsər/; born July 24, 1968) is an American actor in theater, film, and television.

Troy Kotsur
Kotsur at the 2022 Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Born	Troy Michael Kotsur (1968-07-24) July 24, 1968 (age 54) Mesa, Arizona, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Deanne Bray ​ (m. 2001)​
Children	1
Awards	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (2022)

His supporting role in the film CODA (2021) earned him a number of accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics' Choice Movie Award. He is the first deaf actor to win the latter three awards, and first deaf man and second deaf performer overall to win the former.

Kotsur also directed the feature film No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie (2013).

Early life and education

Kotsur was born in Mesa, Arizona, the largest suburb of Phoenix, on July 24, 1968, to JoDee (née True) and Leonard Stephen "Len" Kotsur, who was Mesa's police chief.[1] When Kotsur was nine months old, his parents discovered that he was deaf, and they learned American Sign Language so the family could communicate. His parents encouraged Kotsur to play sports and to make friends with hearing children in their neighborhood. Kotsur attended the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf, where he first became interested in acting. He graduated from Westwood High School. In high school, his drama teacher encouraged him to participate in the senior variety show, and he performed a pantomime skit that was positively received and motivated him to pursue theater.[2]

After Kotsur graduated from high school, he interned at KTSP-TV (now KSAZ-TV). While he had aspired to direct films, at the internship he assisted an editor and did not feel connected with people, recalling, "My directing dream poofed after I accepted the fact that I lived in a world that did not use my language."[3] He then attended Gallaudet University from 1987 to 1989 and studied theater, television, and film.[4]

Career

When Kotsur received an acting job offer from the National Theatre of the Deaf, he accepted it and left Gallaudet to tour with NTD for two years, performing in two plays. In 1994, he started working for the Deaf West Theatre in Los Angeles, California, acting in and directing several productions.[4] On stage, his roles included Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, Lenny in Of Mice and Men, and Prince Hamlet in Ophelia.[5]

In 2001, Kotsur and hearing actor Lyle Kanouse were cast together in a Deaf West Theatre production of the 1985 musical Big River. Kotsur and Kanouse both played Huckleberry Finn's father Pap, with Kotsur signing and Kanouse speaking and singing. Big River's success led to the play being performed at the Mark Taper Forum, then to a Broadway revival under Roundabout Theater Company and Deaf West at the American Airlines Theater in New York City.[5] He also had a recurring role on Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye, also working as an ASL specialist for the show.[6]

In 2012, Kotsur starred in the play Cyrano, based on Cyrano de Bergerac and a co-production of Deaf West Theatre and The Fountain Theatre. The play, directed by Stephen Sachs, premiered in April 2012.[4] Following Cyrano, Kotsur directed the feature film No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie, which premiered at the Heartland Film Festival in 2013.[7]

In 2016 he starred in Deborah LaVine's independent feature, Wild Prairie Rose.[8] The film won the Jimmy Stewart Legacy award at the Heartland International Film Festival.[9]

In The Mandalorian, the Tusken Raiders use a sign language, and Kotsur was brought on to develop that conlang. He did not mention that he was also an actor for fear that it would come across as brown-nosing. But after they found out from his manager, he was cast to play the lead Tusken Raider.[10][11]

In 2021, Kotsur appeared in the feature film CODA in a supporting role as the deaf father to a hearing teenage daughter. Director Sian Heder first saw his performances in Deaf West productions of Our Town and Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo and cast him as part of the ensemble. NPR reported that Kotsur's performance in CODA "awed both audiences and critics".[12] For his performance in the film, Kotsur won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, becoming the second deaf actor, after Marlee Matlin (his CODA co-star) in Children of a Lesser God (1986), to win an Academy Award.[13]

Kotsur is set to star in Flash Before the Bang, a sports drama television show with an all-deaf cast.[14]

Personal life

Kotsur is married to deaf actress Deanne Bray with whom he has one daughter.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	The Number 23	Barnaby
2008	Universal Signs	Chris
2009	See What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary	Self	Documentary
2013	No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie	Matt	Also director
2016	Wild Prairie Rose	James Hansen
2021	CODA	Frank Rossi	Academy Award Best Supporting Actor

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Strong Medicine	Lars	Episode: Fix"
2002–2005	Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye	Troy Myers	5 episodes
2003	Doc	Troy	Episode: "Rules of Engagement"
2006	CSI: NY	Dennis Mitchum	Episode: "Silent Night"
2007	Scrubs	Mr. Frances	Episode: "My Words of Wisdom"
2012	Criminal Minds	John Myers	Episode: "The Silencer"
2019	The Mandalorian	Tusken Raider Scout #1	Episode: "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger"

Theatre credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1989	In a Room Somewhere		Play by Suzan Zeder, directed by Victor Brown	[4]
1991–1992	Treasure Island		Based on Treasure Island; tour under National Theatre of the Deaf	[4]
1992–1993	Ophelia	Hamlet	Based on Hamlet's character Ophelia; tour under National Theatre of the Deaf	[4]
1993	25 Cents	Harry	New York Deaf Theatre production	[15]
2001	Big River	Pap Finn/The Duke	Kotsur shared role of "Pap" with Lyle Kanouse; produced under Deaf West Theatre	[5]
2002	Big River	Pap Finn/The Duke	Performed at Mark Taper Forum; Kotsur shared role of "Pap" with Lyle Kanouse	[5]
2003	Big River	Pap Finn/The Duke	Broadway revival under Deaf West Theatre and Roundabout Theatre Company; Kotsur shared role of "Pap" with Lyle Kanouse	[16]
2012	Cyrano	Cyrano	Based on Cyrano de Bergerac; produced under Deaf West Theatre	[4]
2014	Spring Awakening	Adult Men	Produced under Deaf West Theatre	[17]

Accolades

Year	Organizations	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2012	Ovation Awards	Best Lead Actor in a Play	Cyrano	Nominated	[4]
2021	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actor	CODA	Won	[18]
	British Academy Film Awards	Best Actor in a Supporting Role		Won	[19]
	Critics' Choice Awards	Best Supporting Actor		Won	[20]
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture		Nominated	[21]
	Gotham Awards	Outstanding Supporting Performance		Won	[22]
	Independent Spirit Awards	Best Supporting Male		Won	[23]
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture		Won	[24]
		Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role		Won

References

External links

• Troy Kotsur at IMDb

На других языках

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[de] Troy Kotsur

Troy Kotsur (* 24. Juli 1968 in Mesa) ist ein US-amerikanischer Film- und Theaterschauspieler. Im Rahmen der Oscarverleihung 2022 erhielt er für seine Rolle in Coda von Siân Heder den Oscar als bester Nebendarsteller.

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- [en] Troy Kotsur

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