Lauren Ridloff is a deaf American actress known for starring in several iconic roles in projects like The Walking Dead and MCU’s Eternals throughout her career. Much like Alaqua Cox (who is also deaf), Lauren Ridloff getting into the world of acting was a mere coincidence!
From starring in a superhero movie to a Broadway play and finally the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Lauren Ridloff has quite a story to tell. Born in Illinois and raised in a Catholic school with hearing children, the actress indeed faced a rough childhood, but it was all going to be worth it for Ridloff!
Lauren Ridloff Was Born Deaf
Back in 1978, Lauren Ridloff was born to two hearing parents. Her father was a musician while Ridloff’s mother was an artist. Until the time she was two years old, her parents thought that Ridloff suffered from a developmental delay. When the actress was two years old, her parents found out that she was deaf!
Learning and teaching her sign language, her parents enrolled her in a Catholic school with other hearing children. However, when Lauren Ridloff was 13 years old, she stopped using her voice so that people would stop judging her intelligence based on her speech.
Lauren Ridloff Majored in English with Creative Writing!
Following her school and college years, the actress completed her degree of major in English with an emphasis on creative writing in 2001. The actress later competed in the National Association of the Deaf’s Miss Deaf America competition, wherein she ultimately won the title of Miss Deaf America.
After marrying Douglas Ridloff in 2006, the duo had two children, both boys and deaf but they lived a peaceful life in Brooklyn while Lauren Ridloff was a teacher. Leaving her job to take care of her children, the family shifted to Austin, Texas, in 2022, but before that, Ridloff’s acting career was about to take off!
Children of a Lesser God
The Broadway play is based on the story of a deaf student and her former professor as they find themselves in a romantic and yet professional relationship. Ridloff was called in as an advisor on the usage of sign language (or ASL) on the sets, but director Kenny Leon was already impressed by her!
Casting her in the lead role, the play did not find much success, but Lauren Ridloff outshined all others. Although she was credited with minor roles before the Broadway play, the character of Sarah Norman gave a flight to the acting career of Lauren Ridloff!
Lauren Ridloff Was A Fan of The Walking Dead
The first season of The Walking Dead premiered in 2010, and Ridloff was already hooked on to the show. The actress had sent an audition tape to the series, and to her surprise, she got a call back! The actress was cast in the role of Connie in the ninth season of The Walking Dead back in 2018.
The actress also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Makkari in Chloé Zhao’s 2021 film Eternals. Lauren Ridloff became the first deaf superhero to ever join the MCU. After the MCU movie, Lauren Ridloff was seen in the 2023 TV series Accursed. Throughout her career, the actress has often faced a time when she had to expand her comfort zone. With interviews and the likes, Ridloff simply proved how great of an actress she is!
“My Voice Still Has Power”
Related: Eternals: Fans Are Rooting For A Couple From The Movie, And No It Isn’t Ikaris-Sersi
After becoming Miss Deaf America, the Eternals star had to roam around for two years while giving inspirational speeches to students. Although she had stopped using her voice at the age of 13, Ridloff had no other choice but to step out of her comfort zone. In her statements (via Playbill), the actress remarked that she started to fall in love with herself again!
“I have reclaimed my body in its entirety, specifically my voice. I still don’t see myself using my voice for everyday conversations; but, for a long time, I felt that my voice had no place in my life. I don’t sound like you, like people out there. But that doesn’t matter to me. My voice still has power.”
With an iconic journey that she has been through, the world only wishes to see more of Lauren Ridloff in Hollywood. Alaqua Cox, the deaf actress known for portraying the role of Maya Lopez in MCU’s Echo is another actress who had to step out of her comfort zones much like Lauren Ridloff and the world couldn’t be happier. Lauren Ridloff’s Eternals is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
