DOUG COONEY (playwright, co-author of original book) is a Los Angeles based playwright, screenwriter and novelist. His plays and musicals include Nobody’s Perfect (Kennedy Center), Imagine (South Coast Rep), The Beloved Dearly (Lincoln Center Institute), The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip (Kirk Douglas Theatre), and The Legend of Alex (Mark Taper Forum). Additional productions include Battledrum (Eckerd Theater Company), Here and Now (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Long Story Short (Florida Stage), Innocent Until (Florida Stage) and The Final Tour (Sundance Theatre Labs). He is the author of several books for young readers, including The Beloved Dearly, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, as well as books co-written with the actress Marlee Matlin, Nobody’s Perfect, Leading Ladies and the forthcoming Deaf Beth. Cooney has written screenplays and television scripts for Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Films, SONY Pictures, SONY Animation, Disney Channel and Fox Television. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America and the Dramatists Guild, and is represented by Harden-Curtis Associates.

MARLEE MATLIN (co-author of original book) received worldwide critical acclaim for her film debut in Paramount Pictures’ Children of a Lesser God, for which she received the Academy Award® for Best Actress. Since then, Marlee starred in numerous features, including, The Player, Hear No Evil, in the AIDS drama It’s My Party, and most recently in the independent feature hit, What the Bleep Do We Know. For the last seven years, Marlee guest starred on NBC’s award-winning drama, The West Wing, and most recently executive produced Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook Off for the Disney Channel. In 2008, Marlee broke new ground, joining the sixth season cast of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Marlee currently serves as national spokesperson for The American Red Cross and in 1992, was instrumental in getting legislation passed in Congress in support of Closed Captioning. She also serves on the boards of a number of charitable organizations including The Children Affected by AIDS Foundation and Easter Seals. She has received numerous awards for her charity work and was chosen as America On Line’s “Chief Everything Officer” in 2006. Simon and Schuster published the sequel to Marlee’s 2003 novel for children, Deaf Child Crossing, entitled Nobody’s Perfect in 2005. Her second sequel, Leading Ladies, came out in 2007. Marlee makes her home in the Los Angeles area with her husband and their four children, Sarah, Brandon, Tyler, and Isabelle.