Troy Kotsur Height, Age, Girlfriend, Wife, Family, Biography, & More
Troy Kotsur Height, Age, Girlfriend, Wife, Family, Biography, & More
Quick Infoâ
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona
Age: 53 Years
Wife: Deanne Bray
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Troy Michael Kotsur check sources Wrestling Junkies |
| Profession(s) | Actor, Film Director, Stage Director |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters**- 183 cm** in meters**- 1.83 m** in feet & inches**- 6'** |
| Eye Colour | Hazel Green |
| Hair Colour | Salt & Pepper (Dyed Black) |
| Career | |
| Debut | Film: The Number 23 (2007) as Barnaby  TV: Strong Medicine (2001) as Lars in the episode âFixâ  Direction: No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie (2013)  |
| Awards | For the film âCODAâ (2021) ⢠Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role at Academy Awards (2022) ⢠Best Supporting Actor at BAFTA Awards (2022) ⢠Best Movie Supporting Actor at Critics' Choice Awards (2022) ⢠Outstanding Film Supporting Performance at Gotham Awards (2021) ⢠Best Supporting Male in a Feature Film at Independent Spirit Awards (2021) ⢠'Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role' and 'Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture' at Screen Actors Guild Awards (2022) Others ⢠An award in the category of 'Lead Performance' by Los Angeles Drama Circle Critics in 2012 for the play 'Cyrano' ⢠Legacy Award at 2016 Heartland Film Festival |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 24 July 1968 (Wednesday) |
| Age (as of 2022) | 54 Years |
| Birthplace | Mesa, Arizona, US |
| Zodiac sign | Leo |
| Nationality | American |
| Hometown | Mesa, Arizona, US |
| School | ⢠Phoenix Day School for the Deaf, Phoenix, Arizona ⢠Westwood High School, Mesa, Arizona |
| College/University | Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C. |
| Educational Qualification | A course in theatre, television, and film at Gallaudet University (1987-1989) check sources Golden Globe Awards Note: Troy Kotsur quit his course in 1989 after securing a job at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf's touring company, Sunshine Too. |
| Food Habit | Non-Vegetarian  |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | Deanne Bray (actress) (February 1997-August 2001) |
| Marriage Date | 1 September 2001  |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Deanne Bray (actress)  |
| Children | Daughter- Kyra Monique Kotsur  |
| Parents | Father- Leonard Stephen Kotsur (police chief in Mesa)  Mother- JoDee Louise True (tailor) |
| Siblings | Elder Brother(s)- Kevin Kotsur (assistant chief of police in Avondale), Brian Kotsur (works at the Mesa Fire and Medical Department)   Younger Brother-Brett Kotsur  |
| Favourites | |
| Cartoon | Tom & Jerry |
| Film Series | Star Wars |
| Film(s) | Jaws (1975), Extra-Terrestrial (1982) |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Troy Kotsur
Troy Kotsur is an American actor and film and stage director who won an Academy Award for playing the role of Frank Rossi in the American film âCODAâ (2021) in the category of Best Supporting Actor on March 27, 2022, becoming the first male deaf actor to win an Oscar. check sources The Independent
Kotsur grew up as the only deaf member of his family. His hearing impairment was discovered by his parents when he was just nine months old. In an interview, while sharing how his mother discovered his deafness, he said,
I was in the crib when my mother spoke behind me but I didnât respondâŚShe came back with two pans from the kitchen. She banged real loud but I still didnât hear.â
Childhood picture of Troy Kotsur with his family
After discovering their sonâs deafness, Kotsurâs parents started taking American Sign Language (ASL) lessons to aid Kotsur to develop communication skills.
When Troy was 7, his younger brother Brett Kotsur drowned in their backyard swimming pool. Brett was underwater for almost forty minutes before he was saved. Unfortunately, the incident led to severe brain damage and dysfunctionality in Brett after which he had to depend on a ventilator for the rest of his life. Brett died at the age of 21.
At the age of eight, Kotsur was mesmerized by an American epic space film of the Star Wars trilogy. Enchanted by the visuals and costumes, Kotsur went on to view the film over 28 times. In an interview, while talking about the Star Wars film, he said,
It was so visual, the costumes, it just blew me away. I watched it again and again. And it got me hoping that someday I could make a movie.â
Although he was intrigued by acting at a very young age, he first appeared on stage after joining Westwood High School. Kotsurâs drama teacher at Westwood High, Jay Jones, encouraged him to perform a pantomime skit in the senior variety show. The sparks of his passion for acting were fueled by watching the standing ovation he received following his electrifying performance.
Apart from participating in skits and plays, he also played varsity basketball during his high school days.
When Troy was 17, his father, Len, suffered a serious car accident, which paralyzed his body from the neck down. Following the horrific accident, a communication gap arose between the father and son as Len could no more use ASL to communicate with Troy. Len died in 2001.
After high school, he had a stint as an editor at Phoenixâs TV station KTSP-TV (now KSAZ-TV).
In 1989, while attending Gallaudet University, he appeared in his first play, Susan Zederâs âIn a Room Somewhere,â directed by Victor Brown.
In an interview, Kotsur talked about initial struggles in the entertainment industry and said,
During auditions, I would generally never get the role because most of the time they would ask, âCan you speak?â And of course another actor could speak better than I could, since Iâm completely deaf and that can be a challenge⌠I was doing it the old-fashioned way back in the â90s: I had to buy $300 worth of envelopes and stamps and send these headshots to 300 different casting directors, and out of that, I may get one audition.â
While studying at Gallaudet University, he secured an opportunity to work with the National Technical Institute for the Deafâs touring company called Sunshine Too, where he worked from 1990 to 1991.
Thereafter, he joined the National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD), Connecticut, for two years, touring with the plays Treasure Island (1991-1992) and Ophelia (1992-1993).
In 1993, he made acquaintance with Deanne Bray when she visited NTD in Chester, Connecticut, where Kotsur was working as an actor. The couple started dating in 1997. The American actress Deanne Bray is best known for playing the title role in PAX TVâs Canadian-American TV series âSue Thomas: F.B.Eyeâ (2002-2005).
In 1994, he joined Deaf West Theatre, Los Angeles, where he worked as an actor and stage director.
In 1997, he starred in the ASL adaptation of Lyle Kesslerâs theatrical production âOrphansâ in which he worked alongside American Deaf artist Chuck Baird.
Other popular theatrical productions in which he appeared include âA Streetcar Named Desireâ as Stanley, âTrue Westâ as Lee, and âOf Mice and Menâ as Lenny. As a stage director at Deaf West Theatre, he directed the ASL adaptations of numerous plays like Aladdin And The Wonderful Lamp, Eye, The Giving Tree, Aesop Who?, Three Musketeers, Lone Star, Whereâs the Cross?.
From 2002 to 2005, he played the recurring role of Troy Myers in the Canadian- American TV series âSue Thomas: F.B.Eye.â Telecast on Pax TV (now Ion), Troy Kotsur shared the screen with his wife, Deanne Bray, the protagonist of the show. In the show, Troy Myers is a deaf car thief who later becomes an informant of the protagonist, Sue Thomas.
A still from the TV show âSue Thomas F.B.Eyeâ featuring Troy Kotsur as Troy Myers
Other American TV series in which he appeared include Doc (2003), CSI: NY (2006), and Scrubs (2007).
Following his film debut in 2007, Kotsur featured in the 2009 documentary titled âSee What Iâm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary.â
In 2011, he came into the spotlight with the musical play âBig Riverâ in which he played the signing role of Huckleberry Finnâs drunkard father, Pap. Based on Mark Twainâs novel âThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,â the play was staged at the American Airlines Theater in New York City. In the Broadway show, each role was portrayed by a combination of hearing and signing actors. In the play, Kotsur played the signing role of Pap, alongside the hearing American actor Lyle Kanouse.
Lyle Kanouse (left) in the hearing role and Troy Kotsur (right) in the signing role of Papp in the play Big River (2011)
He garnered popularity with the titular role in the ASL adaptation of Stephen Sachsâ play âCyranoâ (2012). A Deaf West Theatreâs production, the play narrates the story of a brilliant deaf poet named Cyrano who falls in love with a beautiful hearing woman named Roxy. As the story unfolds, Roxy, who doesnât understand sign language, falls in love with Cyranoâs hearing brother, Chris.
Troy Kotsur (center) as Cyrano in 2012
In 2012, he appeared in the episode âThe Silencerâ of the American police procedural crime drama âCriminal Minds.â In the episode, he played the role of John Myers, an escaped inmate who sews his victimsâ mouths shut.
Troy Kotsur as John Myers in Criminal Minds (2012)
The production team of âCriminal Mindsâ took a remarkable step in Hollywood casting by rewriting John Myersâ character in the episode from a hearing role to a deaf role solely so they could hire a deaf actor. The casting director of the show saw Troy Kotsur on stage in the hit play âCyranoâ at the Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles. Blown away by Kotsurâs performance, the casting director convinced the showâs team to change the role in the episode from a hearing character to a deaf character to hire Kotsur.
His directional debut film, âNo Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movieâ (2013), premiered at the Heartland Film Festival. In the film, a deaf actor named Tony Kane, who plays a superhero on TV, protects an eight-year-old boy named Jacob from bullies at school.
In 2015, Kotsur starred in another popular theatrical production âAmerican Buffaloâ for which he was nominated for the LA Drama Critics Circle Award (2015).
Paul Raci (left) and Troy Kotsur (right) as Teach in American Buffalo (2017)
He garnered immense appreciation for playing the role of James Hansen in the indie drama film âWild Prairie Roseâ (2016). The central character of the film, Rose, returns to her rural hometown to aid her ailing mother, and she falls in love with James, a deaf man.
A still from the film Wild Prairie Rose (2016) featuring Troy Kotsur as James
In 2017, he starred in numerous theatrical productions of Deaf West Theatre like Our Town, American Buffalo, and Edward Albeeâs At Home at the Zoo.
A picture of Troy Kotsur (left) as Peter in the play âEdward Albeeâs at Home at the Zooâ
In the same year, he starred in the short film âFatherâs Day Breakfastâ as Stephen, a deaf father of his hearing son named Michael. The short film chronicles the journey of the father-son duo in which they struggle to showcase their love for each other.
For the 2018 romantic play âArrival & Departure,â directed by Stephen Sachs, Kotsur partnered with his wife Deanne Bray. The play follows two married strangers, who stumble upon each other in a New York City subway station and innocently fall into love.
In the Star Wars franchiseâs live-action TV series âThe Mandalorianâ (2019), Kotsur played the role of a Tusken Raider belonging to a tribe of nomads on the planet Tatooine. Apart from appearing in the series, Kotsur also developed a fictional sign language for the Tuskens.
Troy Kotsur as a Tusken raider in The Mandalorian (2019)
Kotsurâs breakout role came in the coming-of-age comedy-drama film âCODAâ (2021) in which he played the role of a deaf fisherman named Frank Rossi who struggles to relate to his teenage daughter, Ruby. In the film, Ruby is the only hearing member of her family, who wants to pursue a career in music instead of joining her fatherâs business.
Troy Kotsur as Frank Rossi in the film CODA (2021)
Apart from being the first deaf male actor to win an Oscar, he is also the first deaf person to win an individual Screen Actors Guild Award. check sources Vanity Fair
Kotsur has a pet dog named Stella. He posts various pictures with Stella on his Instagram account.
Troy Kotsur and Deanne Bray with their pet dog, Stella
In a Facebook post, Deanne Bray shared a fun fact about her marriage with Kotsur and revealed that she got married to him twice, first in September 2001 and then in November 2001. However, she did not mention the reason behind the marriages.
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