8 Things You Didn’t Know About Lauren Ridloff

Lauren Ridloff was born on April 6, 1978 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was born deaf to deaf parents, a Mexican-American father and a black mother. Hugo, her father, worked as a counsellor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

If you are getting curious to know more about this beautiful woman, then you may find these 8 unknown facts interesting

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Lauren Ridloff

1. Born In Chicago

Lauren Ridloff was born deaf and raised in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighbourhood as Lauren Teruel. She enjoyed reading and watching movies as a child. She was drawn to writing and the theatre as outlets for her creativity. Lauren appeared in the school production of “The Wiz” while attending Gallaudet University High School. ^[1]

2. Worked As A Teacher In Washington DC

Lauren earned a degree in Creative Writing from the University of Illinois. She was a teacher in Washington, DC before relocating to Manhattan. She married Doug, who is deaf as well. The couple lives in a red brick row house in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighbourhood. ^[2]

3. Works With The Deaf

Lauren Ridloff works with deaf people and encourages them to participate in the arts. Lauren began working for the New York Deaf Theater while working as the Family Liaison at the Lexington School for the Deaf. She co-directed “Sign Me Not” and directed the first deaf production of “The Vagina Monologues” in New York City.

4. Her Role In Children Of A Lesser God

Lauren Ridloff is getting rave reviews for her performance as Sarah Newman in the Broadway revival of “Children of a Lesser God” at the Studio 54 Theater in Manhattan. She brings her dynamic personality and confidence to the role of the silent school janitor. ^[3]

5. Cast As Connie In The Walking Dead

Ridloff made her television debut as Connie in the eighth season of The Walking Dead. She wowed critics once more, and her performance created a high demand for her talent in Hollywood. She was cast in the upcoming Eternals soon after TWD. ^[4]

6. Miss Deaf America

Ridloff represented Illinois in the National Association of the Deaf’s Miss Deaf America competition in 2000, and she won the entire competition. She was the first person of African-American or Mexican-American ancestry to hold the title. ^[5]

7. Attended California State University

Ridloff chose to attend California State University, Northridge because of its National Center on Deafness, which has a large deaf and hard-of-hearing student population. She majored in English with a concentration in creative writing and graduated in 2001. ^[6]

8. Went To Hunter College

Ridloff attended Hunter College in New York after graduating from CSUN with the intention of becoming a children’s author. She began teaching kindergarten and first grade at Public School 347 in Manhattan after receiving her Masters Degree in Education in 2005. ^[7]