Films That Contain Deaf Characters
- 1948 Johnny Belinda (Hearing Actor)
- 1962 The Miracle Worker (Hearing Actor)
- 1968 The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Hearing Actor)
- 1973 Deaf Smith and Johnny Ears (Hearing Actor)
- 1986 Children of a Lesser God (Deaf Actor)
- 1987 Suspect (Hearing Actor)
- 1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral (Deaf Actor)
- 1995 Mr. Hollands Opus (Deaf Actor)
- 2005 A Lot Like Love (Deaf Actor)
- 2005 The Family Stone (Deaf Actor)
- 2010 The Hammer (Deaf Actor)
As one can see in this small chronological list for a long time it was considered common to have a Hearing Actor portray a Deaf character, just as one might have seen an Italian playing an Aboriginal person, but in the modern age it has become widely realized that this systemic discrimination is not appropriate. One might argue that as of late more Deaf actors are taking to the screen, and they would be right, thanks to the plethora of talented Deaf performers we have they are inspiring the next generation. So why is it when theatrical adaptations are made of many of these films we seeing hearing actors cast instead? Examples include this theatrical adaptation of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter or this adaptation of The Miracle Worker.
Fun Fact:
In the 2010 film Valentines Day one character's mother was mentioned going to Sign Language classes and in a later scene during an outdoor ceremony and interpreter was present despite there being no Deaf characters in the film.
Information pulled from The Internet Movie Database