Born in Chicago, Illinois, he is an esteemed American actor best known for his role in the film "Sound of Metal" (2019), which earned him critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Raised by deaf parents, he is fluent in American Sign Language and has been deeply involved in the deaf community. Besides acting, he has worked extensively as a sign language interpreter and is a musician, performing with the ASL rock band Hands of Doom.