For nearly three decades, Jack Jason has been the sign language interpreter and “voice” for Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin. He is familiar to audiences for his onscreen appearances with Ms. Matlin on “The Academy Awards,” “The Golden Globes,” and “The Emmy Awards.” In 2011, The Huffington Post proclaimed him as “the world’s most famous interpreter.”
Jack began his career at a young age, as the son of Deaf parents; American Sign Language is his first language. He has humorously recounted that he learned English from watching every episode of “I Love Lucy” while acting as interpreter for his parents. In 1976, Jack was certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and began working extensively in both community and educational settings in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1978, Jack was brought in to coordinate interpreting services for DCARA, the Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency and in 1980, for the University at California at Berkeley.
In 1980, Jack also began his work as an onscreen sign language interpreter on San Francisco Bay Area news and public broadcasts. In 1981, he joined the cast of the Emmy Award winning children’s program “Rainbow’s End,” as voice interpreter for Deaf cast members. That same year, Jack produced “Celebration: Deaf Artists and Performers,” the first of it’s kind nationwide arts festival at UC Berkeley.
Between 1980 and 1983, Jack also traveled extensively as on stage sign interpreter for Jane Fonda and the Campaign for Economic Democracy. From 1980 to 1983 Jack also served as instructor in sign language interpreting at Ohlone College in Fremont, California and at Vista College in Berkeley.
In 1983, Jack relocated to New York City and began his graduate and doctoral studies in Media and Technology at New York University.
While working on his advanced degree, Jack continued to teach interpreting at NYU and the New York Society for the Deaf. That same year Jack developed an interest in performing arts interpreting and began working for Broadway’s Theater Development Fund, interpreting for Broadway productions “Benefactors,” starring Glenn Close,” “I’m Not Rappaport,” with Judd Hirsch, “Biloxi Blues,” “House of Blue Leaves” with Swoozie Kurtz and John Mahoney, and the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park productions “Measure for Measure” and “Twelfth Night. In 1983, Jack ventured outside the traditional role of sign language interpreter when he joined Whoopi Goldberg on stage as her “white shadow” interpreting for her by her side in her acclaimed one woman “Spook Show.” Jack also performed as Paul Zaloom’s signing alter ego in “Theater of Trash,” and “Fruit of Zaloom,” at New York’s Dance Theater Workshop.
In 1985, on a chance meeting, Jack began working with Marlee Matlin during and following completion her first feature film, “Children of A Lesser God.” Since then, he has served as ASL interpreter and voice for every television appearance by Ms. Matlin, including appearances on “Good Morning America,” “The Today Show,” “The Tonight Show,” “The Arsenio Hall Show,” “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” “Ellen,” “Hollywood Squares,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ”The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Dancing with the Stars.” Most recently Jack was featured each week on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” assisting Ms. Matlin in raising a record setting one million dollars for her charity, the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which has provided over 500,000 free hearing aids to deaf children in developing countries.
In 1987 Jack embarked on his career as producer with Ms. Matlin and her banner, Solo One Productions. Jack has also served as story consultant and ASL instructor for a number of actors and film and television productions including the “Children Of A Lesser God” for William Hurt and Piper Laurie; “Hear No Evil,” and “What the Bleep Do We Know;” “The Family Stone” for Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Sarah Jessica Parker and for Sandra Bullock on “All About Steve.” TV productions that Jack has consulted with include the CBS tele-film, “Bridge to Silence" for Lee Remick; NBC’s “Reasonable Doubts,” starring Mark Harmon;” “Picket Fences,” “Ally McBeal,” “The West Wing;” Hallmark Hall of Fame’s “Sweet Nothing in My Ear” and the Showtime drama “The L Word.” Jack currently serves as ASL Dialogue Coach and Instructor for ABC Family’s drama, “Switched at Birth.”
Jack has also worked as an actor, including playing Ms. Matlin’s interpreter in Robert Altman’s “The Player; as Ms. Matlin’s abused interpreter in the HBO comedy, “The Larry Sanders Show;” as a frustrated hospital sign language interpreter in Lifetime’s “Strong Medicine.” Most recently, Jack performed as Ms. Matlin’s interpreter who reluctantly agreed to voice Ms. Matlin as she brutally roasted Donald Trump on Comedy Central’s “Celebrity Roast.”
In 1999, Jack embarked as a writer and wrote the teleplay “Good Old Mom,” for Showtime’s “The Outer Limits.” In 2000 Jack was credited with the story for Lifetime’s “Where the Truth Lies,” and The Disney Channel’s tele-film “Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook Off,” both of which Jack served as Executive Producer.
