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Marlee Matlin Reflects on Addiction, Abusive Relationship in New Doc

Marlee Matlin stormed into our awareness with 1986’s Children of a Lesser God and won an Oscar — a first for a deaf actor, and now she’s examining her struggles with abuse, addiction and just being understood in her new documentary

Coverage of her standout first role in 1986’s Children of a Lesser God ranged from clueless (one reviewer spoke of her “silent world” as “strange and frightening”) to cruel (her Oscar nod was “wasted”). They became a couple, and “the love was deeply intense.” Their fights turned physical — her interpreter, Jack Jason, remembers hearing her screaming and furniture being thrown around — and the conflicts “evolved into a habit of abuse,” she says. Meryl Streep has been in the business for more than forty years and shows no signs of stopping, continuing to stun on the red carpet and earn 18 Oscar nominations for her acting abilities -- see photos of the celebrated actress!

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