Troy Kotsur, winner of Best Supporting Actor in Coda, was a Tusken on The Mandalorian.
“I did research on the culture and environment of Tuskens,” Kotsur told the Daily Moth (via SWNN) back in 2020 about his process. Kotsur not only plays the Tusken who communicates with Mando, he created the sign language for the show, which was then again used on The Book of Boba Fett. The role made him the first deaf actor to appear in Star Wars. But now that he’s officially an Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor, we thought it was fun to revisit and maybe enlighten a few people who didn’t know about the Star Wars connection.
This is dedicated to the deaf community, the CODA community and the disabled community,” he said in his acceptance speech, delivered in American Sign ...
But he was in a car accident, and he became paralyzed from the neck down, and he no longer was able to sign. And the reason why is you brought the Deaf world and the hearing world together, and you are our bridge. Thank you to my biggest fans, my wife and my daughter, Kyra, and my hometown of Mesa, Ariz., and Mark Finley, my manager, and our team. My dad, he was the best signer in our family. I just wanted to say that this is dedicated to the Deaf community, the CODA community and the disabled community. I read one of [Steven] Spielberg’s books recently, and he said that the best director, the definition of the best director was a skilled communicator. Instead, I really want to thank all of the wonderful Deaf theater stages where I was allowed and given the opportunity to develop my craft as an actor. Thank you so much to all the members of the Academy for recognizing my work. It’s really amazing that our film “CODA” has reached out worldwide; it even reached all the way to the White House. And they invited the cast of “CODA” to visit and have a tour of the White House. We met our president, Joe, and Dr. Jill, and I was planning on teaching them some dirty sign language, but Marlee Matlin told me to behave myself. (Fun fact: He helped create the sign language that Tusken Raiders use in “The Mandalorian.”) Voters honored his heartstring-tugging supporting performance in “ CODA” as a fisherman struggling to relate to his hearing daughter. Kotsur had been the favorite to win the supporting actor Oscar after receiving similar honors from more than a dozen awards groups.
Troy Kotsur's win for "CODA" makes him the first deaf man to win an Oscar for acting.
Sian Heder, you are the best communicator. And the reason why is you brought the deaf world and the hearing world together, and you are our bridge," he said. Until his win on Sunday, Kotsur's “CODA” co-star, Marlee Matlin, was the only deaf person to win an Oscar for acting. So don’t worry, Marlee; I won’t drop any F-bombs in my speech today," he joked. “Dad, I learned so much from you. “This is our moment.”
The actor took home the trophy for best supporting actor, winning for his performance as a fisherman named Frank Rossi. Marlee Matlin, the first Deaf person ...
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LOS ANGELES — Troy Kotsur, the first deaf male actor nominated for an Oscar, won best supporting honors for his role in “CODA” at the Academy Awards on ...
Kotsur took home the Best Supporting Actor prize for his role in CODA, and became the first Deaf man to win an Academy Award for acting.
But he was in a car accident, and he became paralyzed from the neck down, and he no longer was able to sign. Instead, I really want to thank all of the wonderful Deaf theater stages where I was allowed and given the opportunity to develop my craft as an actor. It’s really amazing that our film CODA has reached out worldwide; it even reached all the way to the White House. And they invited the cast of CODA to visit and have a tour of the White House. We met our president, Joe, and Dr. Jill, and I was planning on teaching them some dirty sign language, but Marlee Matlin told me to behave myself. Thank you so much to all the members of the Academy for recognizing my work. His pre-CODA career was limited to television guests spots and the occasional indie. She holds the honor of being the first Deaf actor to win an Oscar, for Children of a Lesser God. Kotsur has said in interviews that watching her performance in that film gave him the confidence to become a professional actor.
His costar in the film, Marlee Matlin, was the first Deaf actor to ever win an Oscar, winning in 1987 for "Children of a Lesser God."
I love you," Kotsur said at the end of his speech. Kotsur also singled out his father, who he said was the "best signer" in his family. "This is our moment."
"CODA" star Troy Kotsur made history with last night's win, taking home only the second acting Oscar ever awarded to a deaf performer.
Despite the "breakout performance" framing of his role in newly minted Best Picture winner "CODA," Kotsur has actually been acting for years. He appears in episode five of "The Mandalorian" as an unnamed Tusken raider scout. He demonstrated some of the show's language, and also explained that the sign for Mandalorian is "based on the helmet and the 'M' handshape."
Troy Kotsur, the Academy Award-winning star of CODA, created the sign language used by the Tusken Raiders in The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett.
Kotsur was made an honorary member of the international Star Wars fan costuming group, the 501st Legion for his vital work and contribution to Star Wars, an honor that the actor welcomed with great enthusiasm. Star Wars News Net reports that Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kotsur was instrumental in creating the sign language used by the Tusken Raiders in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. The Tuskens do not speak Basic - the Star Wars universe's version of English - but instead speak through their own unique sign language. Kotsur explained that he wanted the Tusken Raiders' sign language to be something quite different than American Sign Language. Kotsur originally appeared as a Tusken Raider in The Mandalorian season 2 episode 5, but was later credited in the spin-off show as the Tusken Sign Language creator.