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Deaf Antoinette Abbamonte is an actor, producer, and advocate who challenges norms within the entertainment industry and beyond. She is the founder and owner of Mermaid Signature Production, a film company in Hollywood. Antoinette announced that she initiated and created the first Deaf superhero featured by Disney in the 2020 release of Eternals. She gained recognition for her role as the insightful Lisa Chesnick opposite Larry David in HBO’s acclaimed series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Her notable television appearances include ABC Family’s Switched At Birth and FOX comedies Raising Hope and Ryan Murphy’s The New Normal. Music fans know her as a Deaf mother exploring her relationship with her hearing daughter in the Adelitas Way music video Alive, directed by award-winning Gavin Bowden.
Antoinette collaborates with producers Ged Dickersin and Anir Chakravorty and writers Dwayne Alexander Smith and Ben Ramsey. She also acts and produces an upcoming Action Mystery Sci-Fi film about Deaf individuals who have brain microchips implanted. When these implants are weaponized against them, they use their unique abilities to confront the antagonist and advance to the next stage of development. Recently, Antoinette finished acting and co-producing an independent film titled Since August. This film follows a young girl’s quest for redemption, which helps a Deaf woman gain freedom. Since August won Best Picture in New York City and was nominated for Best Film at the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival Golden Goblet Awards.
Committed to pushing artistic boundaries, Antoinette has taken on a consulting role for Since August, collaborating closely with editors on closed and open captioning. She previously served as a moderator for Edgar Wright’s critically praised Baby Driver and worked as an American Sign Language director with Linda Palmer on the indie feature Turnover. Born Deaf and raised in a Deaf family in Brooklyn, New York, Antoinette was the first Deaf student admitted to the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. She also studied at the National Theatre of the Deaf, inspiring herself and fellow actors to reach new heights. Her stage credits include a national tour of Children of a Lesser God with Cleveland SignStage Theatre Company and the role of Peggy in South Coast Repertory’s Found On Pandora Avenue.
Antoinette has taught theatre workshops at Deaf West Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre, Deaf Arts Council, Deaf Media, Opera Piccola, and other institutions. She currently directs and instructs ASL and drama for hearing and Deaf homeschool students in Los Angeles. She contributed to the children’s video Sign and ABC for Alymer Press and authored the books Gratitude, Trust, Intimacy, Love and the children’s book Tree Wise.
A long-time advocate for diversity and disability inclusion in Hollywood, Antoinette encourages productions to consider Deaf actors for any role, not just those written for Deaf characters. She played a key role in the successful SAG-AFTRA-AEA tri-union campaign I.AM and has represented Deaf actors on panels and at conferences nationwide through PWD (Inclusion in the Arts & Media of People With Disabilities). As a Women In Film committee member, she leads efforts to educate filmmakers, directors, and producers on diversity and disability inclusion. Off-screen, Antoinette actively fights for Deaf community equality. Among her achievements, she negotiated with the Los Angeles Science and Discovery Museums to add subtitles and captions to educational films, ensuring Deaf children have equal learning access. She currently consults with the Los Angeles Police Academy on Deaf culture and language. Antoinette believes that Deaf culture and language are simply different, and those who embrace inclusion will enjoy richer, more fulfilling lives.
