In the 1970s, more deaf actors and actresses began to appear on television programs, but appearances were relatively scarce. Roles were limited, and deaf characters were never anything more than "guest" appearances. During this era, deaf characters on television were largely curiousities. In the list below, actors who are known to be deaf are indicated with an asterik (*).
- Doctor in the House (British)/"Finals" (July 1970) - deaf patient (Bert Palmer)
- The Waltons/"The Foundling" (1972) - young "deaf and dumb" girl with parents who can not communicate with her in sign language and think she is retarded
- Lassie/"Paths of Courage" sequence (February and March 1972) - deaf girl
- Lassie/"A Girl and a Boy" (October 1972) - young deaf boy (Moosie Drier) who uses sign language. Deaf character reappeared in November 1972 episode, "Deadly Surf"
- The Hanged Man (British)/"Knave of Coins" (January 1975) - deaf black character (Elanie Delmar)
- Harry O/"Silent Kill" (February 1975) - deaf-mute criminal client on the show
- Good Times/"Willona's Dilemma" (November 1975) - J.J. befriends a deaf man
- James at 15 (1977)/"Actions Speak Louder"- character meets a deaf boy (Kevin Van Wieringen*).
- Hardy Boys Mysteries (1977/78)/"Silent Scream" - central character falls for deaf girl
- Incredible Hulk (1977 to 1982) - Lou Ferrigno* as the Hulk
- Love Boat/"Sounds of Silence/Cyrano de Bricker/Murder on the High Seas" (March 1979) - a deaf friend. (Sheila Lenham)
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century/"Return of the Fighting 69th" (October 1979) - deaf mute slave (Katherine Wiberg)
By the end of the decade, there was a television movie solely about deafness: "And Your Name is Jonah", featuring a young Jeffrey Bravin. This movie has never appeared on home video, and I receive inquiries about it from time to time. I also coined a term, "Jonah Syndrome," because of this television movie.
More: Deaf People on Television 1950s to Modern Times
Sources:
IMDB.com, Epguides.com, and TV.com were the sources for much of this material.
