Marlee Matlin’s 2024 Oscars Look Nods to Gown She Wore During Historic 1987 Win and Reflects, 'A Lot Has Changed'
At the 1987 Oscars, the actress became the first deaf person to win an Oscar and the youngest best actress recipient
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Marlee Matlin at the 2024 Oscars (left) and 1987 Oscars.Marlee Matlin is turning back time at the 2024 Oscars!
On Sunday night, the actress, 58, not only dazzled at the 96th annual Academy Awards but also called back to her historic Oscars appearance in 1987, when she became the first deaf person to win an Oscar and the youngest best actress recipient.
At this year’s ceremony, Matlin arrived on the red carpet in a sparkly, floor-length purple gown, a custom Rodarte creation and nod to the dress she wore in 1987.
At the 1987 ceremony, Matlin, who was 21 at the time, hit the red carpet — and took home an Oscar for her first career performance in the drama Children of a Lesser God — in a lacy lavender gown that featured '80s puff sleeves and satin details.
On Sunday, the star rocked a chic blonde bob and matching purple clutch. Back in 1987, the CODA actress accessorized her look by tucking flowers into her then-brunette hair.
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Marlee Matlin at the 2024 Oscars.During E!’s red carpet pre-show, Matlin reflected on her historic Oscars win while chatting with Laverne Cox, telling the host that “a lot has changed” at the Academy Awards since she took home her award.
“I think there’s more collaboration, there’s more diversity, there’s just more visibility on the part of the people who have been underrepresented all these years,” she told Cox. “It’s just a wonderful community coming together.”
Related: Marlee Matlin Reveals What William Hurt Said to Her in Limo After Her Oscar Win: ‘I Was Stunned’
Bob Riha, Jr./Getty
Marlee Matlin at the 1987 Oscars.At the 1987 Oscars, Matlin was up for best actress against Jane Fonda, Sissy Spacek, Kathleen Turner and Sigourney Weaver.
Reflecting on her historic win in 2023, Matlin told the Academy she initially thought presenter William Hurt had announced her name as a joke.
"I remember watching him, and he opened the envelope, he looked right at me, and I wasn't sure why he was looking at me, and then he signed my name," she said. "For a split second, I thought he was teasing me, that he was playing a joke."
Added Matlin: "But then I thought, 'Well, no. He can't be playing a joke on live television in front of millions of people watching the show. So, I guess I won!' "
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The 96th Oscars will air live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 10, at 7 p.m. ET.
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