about the authors
 DOUG
COONEY (playwright, co-author of original book)
is a Los Angeles based playwright, screenwriter and
novelist. His plays and musicals include Nobody’s
Perfect (Kennedy Center), Imagine (South
Coast Rep), The Beloved Dearly (Lincoln Center
Institute), The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip
(Kirk Douglas Theatre), and The Legend of Alex (Mark
Taper Forum). Additional productions include Battledrum
(Eckerd Theater Company), Here and Now (Cincinnati
Playhouse in the Park), Long Story Short (Florida
Stage), Innocent Until (Florida Stage) and
The Final Tour (Sundance Theatre Labs). He
is the author of several books for young readers, including
The Beloved Dearly, published by Simon &
Schuster Books for Young Readers, as well as books co-written
with the actress Marlee Matlin, Nobody’s Perfect,
Leading Ladies and the forthcoming Deaf Beth.
Cooney has written screenplays and television scripts
for Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Films, SONY Pictures,
SONY Animation, Disney Channel and Fox Television. He
is a member of the Writers Guild of America and the
Dramatists Guild, and is represented by Harden-Curtis
Associates. www.dougcooney.com
 MARLEE
MATLIN (co-author of original book) received
worldwide critical acclaim for her film debut in Paramount
Pictures’ Children of a Lesser God, for
which she received the Academy Award® for Best Actress.
Since then, Marlee starred in numerous features, including,
The Player, Hear No Evil, in the AIDS drama
It’s My Party, and most recently in the
independent feature hit, What the Bleep Do We Know.
For the last seven years, Marlee guest starred on NBC’s
award-winning drama, The West Wing, and most
recently executive produced Eddie’s Million
Dollar Cook Off for the Disney Channel. In 2008,
Marlee broke new ground, joining the sixth season cast
of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Marlee
currently serves as national spokesperson for The American
Red Cross and in 1992, was instrumental in getting legislation
passed in Congress in support of Closed Captioning.
She also serves on the boards of a number of charitable
organizations including The Children Affected by AIDS
Foundation and Easter Seals. She has received numerous
awards for her charity work and was chosen as America
On Line’s “Chief Everything Officer”
in 2006. Simon and Schuster published the sequel to
Marlee’s 2003 novel for children, Deaf Child
Crossing, entitled Nobody’s Perfect
in 2005. Her second sequel, Leading Ladies,
came out in 2007. Marlee makes her home in the Los Angeles
area with her husband and their four children, Sarah,
Brandon, Tyler, and Isabelle.
DEBORAH WICKS LA PUMA (music)
- see her bio page
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