Until Sunday night's Oscars, Marlee Matlin was the only deaf person to receive an Academy Award in more than three decades
That streak was broken at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday, when Matlin's costar Troy Kotsur earned an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie "Koda," becoming the first deaf person to win an Academy Award for acting.
"CODA" took home the coveted Best Picture honor, a historic win for the deaf community, and the first film distributed by a streaming service, in this case Apple TV+, for Best Picture.
Matlin said he hopes Kotsur's victory "opens the fence" especially for fellow deaf actors.
Actress Marlee Matlin and actor Troy Kotsur hug as the cast of Best Picture winner Coda in the press room during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theater on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California.
"I'm so happy because finally, it confirms that everyone is respecting our work as actors in every way," Matlin told ABC News' Lara Spencer after winning the "coda" for Best Picture. Told behind the stage. "It's been 35 years and I'm waiting for another deaf actor to join me."
"I'm looking forward to another film with this message, similar to ours, and that hasn't happened," she said. "I'm just hoping it opens the floodgates."
Matlin won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1987 for her role as Sarah in the film "Children of a Lesser God".
"Koda" made history as the first film to win the Best Picture Oscar, with a largely deaf cast.
The film follows the story of a 17-year-old girl named Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones), a CODA (child of deaf adults) and the only hearing member of her family. Ruby's family – father Frank (Kotesur), mother Jackie (Matlin) and brother Leo (Daniel Durant) – depend on her to communicate with others, especially when it comes to running a fishing business, but she has no access to music. Have dreams of attending school. And becoming a singer.
In his acceptance speech, Kotsur thanked the deaf theater community, saying, "I want to thank all the wonderful deaf theater stages where I was allowed and given the opportunity to develop my craft as an actor. "
He concluded his speech with a powerful message addressed to the deaf community. "All I wanted to say is that this is dedicated to the deaf community, the 'CODA' community and the disabled community. This is our moment."
Backstage, Kotsur described Spencer as "the most touching moment" of the night, receiving a standing ovation when his name was announced.
Troy Kotsur accepts the Actor in a Supporting Role Award for "CODA" from the Yoon Yuh-jung stage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California.
As Kotsur made his way onto the stage, people in the audience silently applauded, as did he when "Koda" won Best Picture.
"I felt like I felt this heat in the room," he said. "It felt like we were a family and a community, and it was such a special moment and it really touched me."