Troy Kotsur, the Oscar-winning deaf actor, will be singing the national anthem in sign language at the NFL Super Bowl LVII on Sunday. Kotsur is married to Deanne Bray, also a deaf actor, since 2001.
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Who is Deanne Bray?
Deanne Bray, 51, was born in Los Angeles, California on May 14, 1971 She is a deaf actor and played multiple roles Her best-known performance is as Sue Thomas in the show Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye.
Bray has lived in southern California for the majority of her life; she was born there in Canoga Park, Los Angeles. Although she was primarily reared by her father in California, she spent a few years living in Seattle with her mother, where she completed grade 8 at the Washington State School for the Deaf.
While Bray’s mother elected not to learn any ASL, her father was able to communicate in some simple ASL. Bray’s parents made sure their daughter was taught to speak, write, and learn American Sign Linguistics from a young age. Growing up, they also sent her through a range of learning programs and centers to improve her language abilities.
As a representative for Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids, Bray fights for better early childhood education for deaf children (LEAD-K). She gave birth to her daughter Kyra Monique Kotsur on September 8, 2005.
Bray graduated with a bachelor’s in biology from California State University, Northridge, and was found performing with a deaf dancing company named “Prism West” at a Deaf festival. This led to her breaking into the entertainment industry. She is working towards her master’s in sign language education.
