1950s and 60s
Screen Director's Playhouse/"Number Five Checked Out" (16/January 1956) - a young deaf woman
Alfred Hitchcock Presents/"You Got to Have Luck" (16/January 1956) - a deaf woman's inability to hear leads to the captureof a fugitive
The Adventures of Robin Hood (British)/"The Wager" (June 1956) -deaf beggar
The Adventures of Jim Bowie/"Deaf Smith" (February 1958)- scout Erastus ("Deaf") Smith
Wagon Train/"Ella Lindstrom Story" (February 1959) - deaf child in a family
Bonanza/ "Silent Thunder" (December 1960) -a character has a deaf-mute daughter who is taught sign
The June Allyson Show/"A Silent Panic" (December 1960) -a deaf-mute man is a murder witness
The Deputy/"Spoken in Silence" (April 1961) -a character has a deaf-mute daughter
87thPrecinct (1961-62) - deaf mute wife of cop
Wagon Train/"Wagon to Fort Anderson" (June 1961) - deaf girl
The Rifleman/"The Quiet Fear" (January 1962) -a character has a deaf daughter.
Ben Casey/"A Woods Full of Question Marks" (October 1964) - a group of deaf children from Mary E. Bennett school for deaf. (June Reed, Irene Wassell, Val Zimmer, Gale Doling, Steven Cole, Edward Ewald, Rebecca Fogarty, Christopher Sato, Hedy Ukovich, Anthony Hinderer, Deanna Longo)
Peyton Place (1964-69) - young deaf child
Lassie/"The Day the Mountain Shook" (April 1966) - deaf boys from Mary E. Bennett School
Mannix/"Silent Cry" (September 1968) - deaf woman witness to crime
Land of the Giants/"Shell Game" (April 1969) -a giant deaf boy
1970s
Doctor in the House (British)/"Finals" (July 1970) - deaf patient (Bert Palmer)
The Waltons/"The Foundling" (1972) - young "deaf and dumb" girl with parents who can not communicate with her in sign language and think she is retarded
Lassie/"Paths of Courage" sequence (February and March 1972) - deaf girl
Lassie/"A Girl and a Boy" (October 1972) - young deaf boy (Moosie Drier) who uses sign language. Deaf character reappeared in November 1972 episode, "Deadly Surf"
The Hanged Man (British)/"Knave of Coins" (January 1975) - deaf black character (Elanie Delmar)
Harry O/"Silent Kill" (February 1975) - deaf-mute criminal client on the show
Good Times/"Willona's Dilemma" (November 1975) - J.J. befriends a deaf man
James at 15 (1977)/"Actions Speak Louder"- character meets a deaf boy (Kevin Van Wieringen).
Hardy Boys Mysteries (1977/78)/"Silent Scream" - central character falls for deaf girl
Incredible Hulk (1977 to 1982) - Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk
Love Boat/"Sounds of Silence/Cyrano de Bricker/Murder on the High Seas" (March 1979) - a deaf friend. (Sheila Lenham)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century/"Return of the Fighting 69th" (October 1979) - deaf mute slave (Katherine Wiberg)
1980s
Little House on the Prairie/"Silent Promises" (January 1980) - deaf boy (Alban Branton) who does not know sign language learns it. Lou Fant also appears
Happy Days/"Allison" (February 1980) - Fonzie falls for a deaf girl (Linda Bove) briefly and attempts to learn sign language
Barney Miller/"Stormy Weather" (February 1981) - deaf prostitute (Phyllis Frelich)
Bosom Buddies (1981) - deaf girl at a high school reunion
CHIPS/"Silent Partner" (February 1982) - a deaf man is mistaken for a drunken driver. (Frances Ripplinger, Saul Brandt)
Little House on the Prairie/"The Wild Boy" (November 1982) - Jon Kovacs
Little House on the Prairie/"Hello and Goodbye" (March 1983) - Jon Kovacs
Voyagers/"Barriers of Sound" (June 1983) - Alexander Graham Bell's future deaf wife appears.
Hill Street Blues/"Ratman and Bobbin" (January 1984) - a deaf child (Ronald Carter)
St. Elsewhere/"Hearing" (February 1984) - deaf employee (Freda Norman)
Cagney and Lacey/"Baby Broker" (April 1984) - a deaf baby
Gimme a Break/"Earthquake" (February 1985) - deaf woman
Airwolf/"Jennie" (November 1985) - group of hearing impaired kids (Jon Kovacs)
Magnum, PI/"A Picture is Worth" (October 1986) - a deaf woman witness
Spenser: For Hire/"When Silence Speaks" (February 1986) - deaf newspaper columnist (Phyllis Frelich)
Macgyver/"Silent World" (November 1986) - Mary Beth Barber (Miss Deaf America, 1980)
Cagney and Lacey/"Right to Remain Silent" (March 1987) - deaf murder suspect (Terrylene)
Small Wonder/"I Hear You" (October 1987) - deaf boy (Scooter Stevens)
High Mountain Rangers(short-lived program)(February 1988) - group of deaf children attacked by a bear
Family Ties/"A Sign of the Times" (March 1988) - deaf boy classmate
Hunter/"Death Signs" (March 1988) - deaf man killed (Howie Seago, Mary Vreeland, David Balacater, Catherine Richardson)
Punky Brewster/"What's Your Sign" (May 1988) - deaf girl scout
A Country Practice (Australia)/"Taking a Chance" (1989) - deaf stranger
Man Called Hawk/"Hear No Evil"(?) (February 1989) - Troy Kotsur, William Byrd, Warren Snipe
The Equalizer/"Silent Fury" (March 1989) - crimes against the deaf community. Howie Seago.
Star Trek: The Next Generation/"Loud as a Whisper" (January 1989) - deaf mediator (Howie Seago)
1990s
Inspector Morse (British show)/"Driven to Distraction" (January 1990) - deaf salesman (Steve Shill)
The Bill (British)/"Watch My Lips" (July 1990) - deaf suspect
The Young Riders/"Blood Moon" (October 1990) - deaf boy at risk of being lynched
Different World/"A Word in Edgewise" (February 1991) - National Theatre of the Deaf (C.J. Jones, Bobbie Beth Scoggins)
Hunter/"Cries of Silence"(March 1991) - deaf mother's daughter runs away (Phyllis Frelich)
Quantum Leap/"Private Dancer" (March 1991) - deaf dancer (Rhondee Beriault?)
Baywatch/"Big Monday"(Feburary 1992) - deaf character (Aimee Walker) befriends orangutan
A Country Practice (Australia)/"A Different Drum" (March 1992) - deaf boy
Beverly Hills, 90210/"Too Little Too Late/Paris" (July 1992) - deaf boy (Darrell Utley) at a camp
Doogie Howser, M.D./"Doogie, Can You Hear Me"(November 1992) - hearing impaired patient (Terrylene) (Listing provided by an About visitor)
Time Trax/"Little Boy Lost" (May 1993) - "deaf and mute" boy
Law and Order/"Benevolence"(May 1993) - deaf students questioned when deaf girl is murdered
Power Rangers/"Different Drum" (September 1993) - deaf friend
Are You Afraid of the Dark/"Tale of the Closet Keepers" (January 1995) - deaf girl is captured.
Outer Limits/"The Message" (July 1995) - deaf woman helps aliens (Marlee Matlin)(Listing provided by an About visitor)
E.R./"Days Like This" (November 1995) - deaf girl (Marlo Lovitch)
John Larroquette Show/"John's Lucky Day" (January 1996) - deaf couple (Vikee Waltrip, David Freeman)
Hetty Wainthrop Investigates (British)/"Eye Witness" (January 1996) - deaf crime witness
Father Ted (British)/"Rock-a-hula Ted" (April 1996) - deaf character
High Incident/"Women and Children First"(April 1996) - deaf brother and sister (Alan Schwartz, Jennifer Delora)
Ellen/"Ellen's Deaf Comedy Jam" (February 1997) deaf group (Deanne Bray, Anthony Natale)
Murder, Country Style, (February 1997)- Deanne Bray
7th Heaven (May 1997) - Andrea Ferrell in recurring role of a deaf girlfriend
Earth: Final Conflict/"Through the Looking Glass" (April 1998) - young deaf boy reappears after disappearing, with an implant. (This may have been one of the first times the concept of a cochlear implant appeared on television)
Touched by an Angel/"The Lady of the Lake" (October 1998) - deaf woman (Kathy Buckley) tries to save a community
BayWatch,"Friends Forever, November 1998, " had Marlo Lovitch as a young deaf Special Olympian
Pacific Blue/"Broken Dreams"(December 1998) - deaf group appears (Terrylene, Anthony Natale, John Maucere, Emily Macedo, Erika Dickson, Darrell Utley, Phyllis Frelich)
The Tribe (Britain/New Zealand) (April to June1999) - deaf boy (Zachary Best)
Diagnosis Murder/"Today is the last day of the rest of my life"(May 1999) - deaf woman wants to die (Phyllis Frelich)
The HBO program "Sex and the City" "They shoot single people don't they"June 1999 had a deaf character
Sports Night,"Louise Revisited, October 1999, " one of the characters has a deaf sister
Walker, Texas Ranger, "Suspicious Minds," November 1999: Rebecca Lovitch was a young deaf girl
2000s
The Doctors (British)/"Picking Up the Pieces" (March 2000) - deaf woman (Joyce Gibbs)
The X-Files (November 2000) - 2-episode sequence with Christine Firkins in a deaf role.
Holby City (British)/"Extra Time" (January 2001) - deaf boy
Casualty (British)/"Scent of the Roses" (February 2001) - deaf woman (Paula Garfield)
CSI/"Sounds of Silence" (April 2001) - deaf victim. (Also includes appearance by Deanne Bray)
Strong Medicine/"Fix" (January 2001) - Deanne Bray and her husband Troy Kotsur
Brothers Garcia/"Student Buddy" (July 2001) - new deaf girl at school (Rebecca Lovitch)
Any Day Now/"Don't forget to take out your teeth" (July 2001) - deaf client (Anthony Natale)
The Chris Isaak Show (Showtime)/"Behind the Isaak" (July 2001) - deaf and blind masseuse
Off Centre (WB)/"Hear No Evil, See No Package" (March 2002) - deaf character (Shoshannah Stern)
Inspector Lynley Mysteries (British) April 2002 - deaf girl murdered
Providence/"Great Expectations" (April 2002) - Shoshannah Stern
Odyssey 5 (Showtime)/"Symbiosis" (July 2002) - young deaf girl has a cochlear implant
Soul Food (Showtime)/"Child Safety" (August 2002) - deaf girl (Michelle Banks)
Night Visions /"Patterns/Voices" (September 2002)- deaf woman (Terrylene) reads people's minds
Girlfriends (UPN)/"Don't Leave Me a Loan"(October 2002) - deaf boss (Michelle Banks)
Boston Public/Chapter Fifty(November 2002) - Shoshannah Stern
John Doe/"Idaho" (November 2002) - deaf killer
Strong Medicine/"Philadelphia Chromosome" (December 2002) - deaf girl with arthritis
Marlee Matlin continues to be a staple guest star on shows, just a few examples of which are below.
Chicken Soup for the Soul (late 1999)
Judging Amy (late 1999)
Gideon's Crossing (January/February 2001) (also Kovacs)
The Practice (2000)
Blues Clues (2001)
The Division/"Testimonial" (Lifetime) (February 2003) (also included Shoshannah Stern, who also had a guest role in January 2003on E.R., "A Little Help from My Friends" episode)
Deaf People on Television, 2002-Present
In the 2002-2003 season, the waywas led by Deanne Bray, who stars in the Pax program Sue Thomas, FBEye.
In the 2003-04 season, Shoshannah Stern became a regular on ABC's Threat Matrix, playing security analyst Holly Brodeenat the National Security Agency.
