Troy Kotsur becomes first deaf actor to win SAG award

Troy Kotsur has become the first deaf male actor to win a SAG Award, for his role in CODA.

The 53-year old has won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role at the awards ceremony today, after a critically praised role as Frank Rossi in Apple TV Plus film CODA.

Kotsur portrayed the father of the child of deaf adults (CODA) Ruby, in the coming-of-age film centered around the only member of a family with hearing. Kotsur’s performance has also seen him cop a nomination for another SAG award at this years’ ceremony, for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Kotsur had previously directed No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie, which followed a deaf actor playing a superhero on a children’s television series.

Kotsur is also the first male deaf actor to land an Oscar nomination. His CODA co-star, Marlee Matlin is the only deaf performer to win an Oscar so far. Matlin took home the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1987 for Children of a Lesser God.