“In the deaf community, we give people name signs based on their quirks or characteristics. So it means you can't really give someone a name in sign language without knowing them, and it's a rite of passage that you are connected to the deaf community or at least one deaf person.”

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.