“Growing up, books were my best friends, just because I didn't really have a lot of peers as deaf kids. So I read, and I used to books as a way to access the world that I didn't have access to. And the characters became my friends.”

deaf American actress

Lauren Ridloff is a deaf American actress, known for her work on stage and screen. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, and first worked as a teacher before turning to acting. She came to wider attention in 2018 with the Broadway revival of Children of a Lesser God, where she played a lead role and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play. Ridloff is also known for The Walking Dead and Eternals. She attended California State University, Northridge, earned a master’s degree in education from Hunter College, and was crowned Miss Deaf America.