Deanne Bray (born May 14, 1971) is an American actress. Bray was born

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an Audiology, audiological condition. In this context it ...

and is bilingual in

American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual lang ...

and English.

Early Life and Education

Bray was born in

Canoga Park Canoga Park is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Before the Mexican–American War, the district was part of a rancho, and after the American victory it was converted into wheat farms and t ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and has spent most of her life in southern California being raised by her father, though she lived in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

for a few years with her mother and attended Washington State School for the Deaf for grade 8. Bray's father knew some basic ASL, but her mother chose not to learn to sign at all. Bray's parents made certain their daughter was instructed from an early age to speak and write

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and learn

as well, sending her through a variety of learning programs and centers to strengthen her language skills. A California native, Bray broke into the entertainment industry after she was discovered performing with a deaf dancing group called "Prism West" at a Deaf festival at

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

, where she earned a bachelor's degree in

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

. She is pursuing a master's degree in Sign Language Education.

Career

Bray is best known for her role as Sue Thomas in the show '' Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye'' and has also had a recurring role as Emma Coolidge on ''

Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

,'' besides being a co-host with Missy Keast on the DVD ''Your Pregnancy: What To Expect,'' a comprehensive resource for pregnant deaf and hard of hearing women. Bray is also an advocate for improving early childhood education for deaf children and is a spokesperson for Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (

LEAD-K The Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K) campaign is a grassroots organization. Its mission is to work towards kindergarten readiness for deaf and hard-of-hearing children by promoting access to both American Sign Language (ASL) ...

Personal life

Bray is married to

Troy Kotsur Troy Michael Kotsur (; born July 24, 1968) is an American actor in theater, film, and television. His supporting role in the film ''CODA'' (2021) earned him a number of accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Scr ...

, who is also a deaf actor. On September 8, 2005, they had a daughter, Kyra Monique Kotsur.

Filmography

Film

Theatre

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bray, Deanne 1971 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American deaf actresses American film actresses American television actresses California State University, Northridge alumni People from Canoga Park, Los Angeles