Troy Kotsur's Wife Deanne Bray Is His 'Backbone' – Inside Their Marriage

Troy Kotsur and his wife, Deanne Bray, have become the poster children for deaf Hollywood stars. While she has become well-known for her representation of the deaf community on television, her husband made history as the first deaf actor to win an individual award at the SAG Awards.

Troy Kotsur and his wife, Deanne Bray, have celebrated over two decades of marriage since meeting in the 1990s while working together. And the famous pair has since become a power couple.

Not only have Troy Kotsur and his wife become the face of deaf Hollywood stars, but they have also given back to the deaf community. After winning at the 2022 SAG Awards, the actor thanked his "backbone," the mother of his child, and his wife of many years.

Deanne Bray and Her Famous Husband Knew Each Other for Years before Their Romance Blossomed

Troy and Deanne first met in 1993 in Connecticut while she was visiting a friend at the National Theatre of the Deaf. He later relocated to Los Angeles, joining Deanne in the City of Angels and sharing the stage with her in several productions. Deanne said:

"We didn't click because I didn't believe in falling for someone while working on stage. Over time, our friendship grew from there. We clicked in 1997 and got married in 2001."

In January 2021, Troy took a trip down memory lane and shared a throwback of him and Deanne performing in Mark Twain's "Big River" on Broadway. "Great memories," the "CODA" star captioned the post.

In May 2022, the actor took to Instagram again to celebrate his wife's birthday, and in July 2022, Troy dedicated a post to his wife, where he thanked her for being his "best friend" and wife.

In November 2022, the actor shared an adorable snap of him and Deanne dancing, and in February, he posted a picture of her looking "so cute" in his cap.

Troy Kotsur Thanked His 'Backbone' Wife after Making History at the 2022 SAG Awards

In 2022, Troy beat out Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Jared Leto, and Kodi Smit-McPhee when he made history as the first deaf actor to claim the win for outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Before taking home the SAG Award, he took to the stage to deliver his acceptance speech via an ASL interpreter and dedicated a part to his wife, sharing:

"She is still here with me today. She's been with me through all these years of struggle. Thank you so much for being my backbone, and thank you for supporting me. I love you."

Deanne Bray Has an Acting Career That Stretches Back Decades

Deanne kickstarted her acting career in 1995 when she landed a role in "Ed McBrain's 87th Precinct: Lightning." Over the years, she shared the screen with famous actresses in hit shows such as Ellen DeGeneres in "Ellen," Julia Louis Dreyfus in "Veep," and Jennifer Beals in "The L Word." The actress has also proved she is a doting wife away from the screen.

Troy and Deanne's daughter had over 1,000 followers on Instagram.

In December 2022, she shared a throwback of her and Troy from her 40th birthday, and the actress took another trip down memory lane this year with a snap of her and her husband from 1997. Earlier this year, Deanne posted photos of her and Troy on the dance floor at a neighbor's wedding.

Troy Kotsur's Daughter Is Fluent in ASL despite Not Being Deaf

During their long-standing marriage, Deanne and Troy welcomed a daughter, Kyra. Unlike her famous parents, she is not deaf, and her mom shared, "My daughter is hearing. She uses American Sign Language fluently and speaks spoken English very well."

At the time of this publication, Deanne and Troy's daughter had over 1,000 followers on Instagram and had become a regular on her parents' social media. On January 5, 2022, Troy shared a snap of him and his daughter learning to train their dog at a workshop.

On January 15, 2022, the actor posted a picture of himself sweetly planting a kiss on Kyra's head. More recently, Troy took to Instagram to celebrate Father's Day and shared in part:

"There's no greater gift than being Kyra's dad."

During an interview, Troy revealed that Kyra was learning to play the guitar and recalled when she sang for her kindergarten class as a little girl. However, despite being unable to hear, he found a way to share those moments with his daughter. He touches her neck while she sings or holds the guitar when she plays to feel the music.