Troy Michael Kotsur (; born July 24, 1968) is an American actor. Born deaf, Kotsur made his acting debut in the late 1980s working with the National Theatre of the Deaf. His television debut was in a 2001 episode of Strong Medicine. His film debut was in the 2007 thriller The Number 23. His accolades include a BAFTA Award, an Academy Award, and a nomination for a Golden Globe Award.
After making his Broadway debut in a 2003 revival of Big River, Kotsur's performance in a 2012 production of Cyrano earned him a nomination for the Ovation Award for Best Actor in a Play. He directed and starred in the film No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie (2013) and gained wider attention with his guest role in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2019). Kotsur's portrayal of a deaf father in the comedy drama film CODA (2021) was critically acclaimed and won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first male deaf actor, and second overall (after Marlee Matlin) to win an acting Oscar.
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Early life and education
Kotsur was born and raised 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. 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, where his drama teacher encouraged him to participate in the senior variety show. He performed a pantomime skit that was positively received and motivated him to pursue theater.
