Troy Michael Kotsur (born July 24, 1968) is an American actor and director. Deaf since birth, he was raised in Mesa, Arizona where he first became interested in acting while attending Phoenix Day School for the Deaf. He is best known for his role in the comedy drama film CODA (2021), where his performance was critically acclaimed and won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first male deaf actor, and second overall (after Marlee Matlin) to win an acting Oscar. He is also known for roles in Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye (2002-2005), Universal Signs (2008), Primate (2025) and No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie (2013), the latter in which he also directed.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 24, 1968 (58)
- Mesa, Arizona, USA
- Actor, also director
- 13 on Motif · 19 credits in all
What are Troy Kotsur's films like?
Across their 6 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 2
Grounded 3 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 2
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
A split, not a type: Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 2
A split, not a type: Casual 3 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 2
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Shadowas Frank Rossi in CODA (2021)
- Allyas Will in In Cold Light (2025)
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous1
- Other1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Troy Kotsur's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 13 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Troy Kotsur's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
19 credits, 13 with a Motif page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
In Cold Light(2025)
Motif score: 15th percentile of all films
Primate(2025)
Motif score: 31st percentile of all films
Black Rabbit(2025)
Motif score: 70th percentile of all shows
The Book of Boba Fett(2021)
Motif score: 38th percentile of all shows
Foundation(2021)
Motif score: 74th percentile of all shows
CODA(2021)
Motif score: 99th percentile of all films
The Mandalorian(2019)
Motif score: 99th percentile of all shows
Wild Prairie Rose (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)
Motif score: 51st percentile of all films
Universal Signs(2008)
Motif score: 81st percentile of all films
The Number 23(2007)
Motif score: 56th percentile of all films
I See The Crowd Roar: The Story of William Dummy Hoy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)
Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye(2002)
Motif score: 76th percentile of all shows
Scrubs(2001)
Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows
Curb Your Enthusiasm(2000)
Motif score: 98th percentile of all shows
Strong Medicine (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)
Alone (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Flash Before the Bang (not in the Motif catalog yet)
The American Winner (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 90th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 19 titles, 16 of them dated from 2000 to 2026; peak year 2021.
Film career
Peak 2021 · their film career is on the way up. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 2007Screen debut· The Number 23
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
How do Troy Kotsur's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 13 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved4
- Loved with Detractors1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Troy Kotsur work with?
People who share at least 2 of Troy Kotsur's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Marlee Matlin shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Marlee MatlinShared titles: Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (2025), CODA (2021), No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie (2013)See all 3 shared titles with Marlee Matlin
- John MaucereShared titles: Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (2025), No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie (2013)See all 2 shared titles with John Maucere
Mixed roles
- Sian HederShared titles: Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (2025), CODA (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Sian Heder
