“My hands are my voice,” says actor Robert Schleifer, slowly and deliberately, as he holds out his palms. “Inflection comes with facial expressions, body language, and visual gestures.”
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It worked, to an extent. To understand other people’s speech, Schleifer read lips. But he grasped some polysyllabic words easier with games of charades; he says his brother once referred to Tennessee by swinging an imaginary tennis racquet and pointing to his eyes.
Schleifer finally confronted his prejudice head-on during his freshman year at Rochester Institute of Technology. His deaf classmates signed, and Schleifer couldn’t understand them. Reluctantly he enrolled in an American Sign Language class. To his surprise, his hands became a more fluid voice.
Although he loves theater, Schleifer ultimately wants to act in movies and on TV. He may make his film debut in the upcoming remake of Miracle on 34th Street. If he doesn’t end up on the cutting-room floor, he’ll be waving as Santa’s sleigh takes off.
