Is Actor Daniel Durant Deaf? His Parents Aunt Lori Durant and His Family

Daniel Durant raised by his mother-like aunt Lori Durant. His biological parents, who are also deaf, battled drug and alcohol addiction.

When Daniel was a baby, his mother brought him to a neighbor’s home and vanished.

When he was 18 months old, the neighbor found his father and grandfather, and nine months later, he was adopted by his paternal aunt, who brought him up in Duluth, Minnesota. He had never encountered American Sign Language prior to his aunt’s knowledge of it and her efforts to learn more.

At the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, he realised he loved acting, but when he transferred to Gallaudet University, he was disappointed that he couldn’t get any roles.

In 2011, he graduated with an associate’s degree in applied computer technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York. He then enrolled at Gallaudet University, where he graduated in 2014.

In 2012, the actor became a member of the Deaf West Theatre for the Cyrano de Bergerac play.

He was cast in many productions by Deaf West Theater in Los Angeles after a string of physically expressive storytelling videos he produced on YouTube caught their eye. He also received a role in “Switched at Birth” on ABC Family.

Two mothers adopted Daniel and brought him up. His paternal aunt Lori Durant and subsequently her wife Mary Engels adopted him when he was a young child. Durant’s aunts were conversant in sign language. Their son couldn’t say much more than that.

Many practices later, Durant’s talent for telling tales started to focus. Daniel would stand by the campfire and tell ghost stories at retreats for Deaf children and their parents, where he observed various signing techniques and gained a better understanding of his culture.

Lori Durant and Mary Engels, Durant’s parents, were present at the Dancing with the Stars premiere to cheer on their son as he took the stage for the first dance.

According to Lori, the youngster has always believed in his abilities, and his parents are unbelievably proud of him. Mary said that, regardless of whether you’re deaf, or physically different, Durant transcends the categories that the world places individuals in.

His many classes for deaf actors demonstrate his enthusiasm for supporting the Deaf community. To enable the deaf to access gaming and e-sports, he founded the Deaf Gamers Network, where he frequently plays Rocket League.

Early Life & Childhood

As a full-fledged theater kid, Daniel had opportunities after transferring to Minnesota Academy for the Deaf in the seventh grade.

Durant, who had endured bullying due to his deafness and his two mothers, felt at ease in the Faribault school. But he struggled with creativity while attending Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.

He then started creating poetry and performance films, which gained a following on YouTube and caught the eye of Los Angeles’ Deaf West Theatre.

Durant, who portrayed troubled adolescent Moritz in the Deaf West version of “Spring Awakening” that was brought to Broadway and featured a mix of hearing and Deaf artists, has made that location her creative home.

Although he currently resides in Duluth, his previous residences included California, where he played a recurring role on both Netflix’s “You” and also the ABC/Freeform series “Switched at Birth,” as well as Norway, where he performed in theater for seven months while learning Norwegian Sign Language.

In addition, it was there that he first got to know Marlee Matlin, an Oscar-winning Deaf actor who plays his own mother in “CODA.”

He Played Leo In CODA

Actor Daniel Durant of Duluth portrays Leo in the opening scene while working alongside his sister and father hauling fish in the rear of the family trawler off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

In the feel-good drama “CODA,” his sister Ruby, who plays the lead and titular child of Deaf adults, belts out big-voiced soul songs while she works and then acts as the Rossi family’s representative with the hearing community, particularly the middlemen of the local fishing industry, back on land.

Durant claimed that even though Heder is not Deaf, he recognized sincerity in her script and gave her credit for doing her studies. But a common filming rumor has it that the actors backed off when they saw how the living room was set up.

Leo, a powerful Deaf man who is standing on his own two feet and rolling up his sleeves, reminded him of himself, he claimed.

American actor and theatre performer Daniel Durant became well-known for his role as Matthew in a teen drama. He didn’t have a girlfriend at the time, but his attractiveness in the job drew a lot of young girls to him.

The actor seems to be the kind of person who places a high value on protecting his privacy in his personal life.

He appears to have formerly been romantically involved. Despite this, since neither Daniels nor the authorities have corroborated the information, it is difficult to make any statements.

Daniel is anticipated to devote all his time to her acting profession as he is currently single.

His most notable appearances were as Matthew in the television series Switched at Birth and as Moritz Stifel in the 2015 Broadway version of Spring Awakening. These two performances both took place in New York.

Daniel Durant appears to have a sister as a sibling. He routinely uploads images of his niece to social media.

But the actor has shared pictures of his sister on social media. On August 13, 2014, the actor shared a photo of a gorgeous infant.

Similar to that, he wanted to use video calling to spend time digitally with his sister and niece. Based on this comment, the candidate on Dancing with the Stars clearly has a sibling. He was with her throughout his formative years and frequently recalled their shared adventures.

On social media, he routinely shares adorable pictures of his niece.

Daniel will be the third deaf celebrity to compete in DWTS, adding to the momentum. In 2008, his CODA co-star Marlee Matlin participated in the competition, and in the 22nd season, actor and model Nyle DiMarco won.

Britt Stewart, a professional dancer, is Durant’s current partner. The couple danced the tango to “Barbra Streisand” by Duck Sauce, and the judges gave them a score of 27 out of 40.

During the live performance of Elvis Presley Night, Daniel and Britt danced to “King Creole.” Due to Daniel’s deafness, Britt was observed being apprehensive before the dance that he could interfere with his time. Britt, though, could come up with hints that he could understand.

Overall, the judges and audience praised their performance in both audible and sign language as being good. The panelists appeared to go with the safe response.

Without hearing the music, Carrie Ann found it challenging to execute it. Well, three of the judges decided to give them a 7, and one gave them an 8, giving them a final score of 29/40.

Fans Love Watching Daniel & Britt Together

Fans enjoy watching Daniel and Britt perform on the dancing program on Disney+. Fans stated that Daniel did not perform as anticipated during the Elvis night performance.

He chose to wait for Brett to make a big move on the dance floor instead. Additionally, because of her patience, many people thought Brett would make a fantastic spouse for Daniel.

Fans are aware that Daniel finds it challenging to handle the dancing performance without the ability to hear the tunes.

He expressed his pride in the performance to GLAAD, saying that he intended to compete as “far [they] can.” It was “wonderful,” Durant continued, to be a part of a season that welcomed its first drag queen competitor, Shangela, and its first all-male couple.

He claimed that the increase in LGBTQ+ presence on Dancing with the Stars was particularly significant because he was adopted and raised by two mothers.