Linda Bove
| Linda Bove | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 30, 1945 Garfield, New Jersey |
Linda Bove (born November 30, 1945) is a deaf American actress who performed as Linda the Librarian on the PBS children's series Sesame Street from 1971 to 2003.
Bove was born deaf in Garfield, New Jersey, to two deaf parents. As a child, she attended St. Joseph School for the Deaf in Bronx, New York, and then Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf in Trenton, New Jersey from which she graduated in 1963. She attended Gallaudet University for college where she studied library science. From there, she became interested in theatre. She participated in several theatrical productions at Gallaudet including The Threepenny Opera and poetic characterizations of the Spoon River Anthology. In her senior year at Gallaudet University, she studied in a Summer School Program at the National Theater for the Deaf.
In 1970, Bove married Ed Waterstreet, another deaf actor. They met while working together with the National Theatre for the Deaf.
Bove is still an active member of the deaf arts community.
Bove appeared in an episode of Happy Days as Allison, Arthur Fonzarelli's deaf girlfriend. She also performed on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow.
With her role on Search for Tomorrow, Bove became one of the first deaf actresses to become a regular on a soap opera series. She performed as a member of the National Theater of the Deaf, founded in 1967.
Bove debuted on Sesame Street circa 1971-72 as the deaf character Linda. On Sesame Street, she has introduced millions of children to sign language and issues surrounding the deaf community. Her character owns a very playful dog, Barkley. Her role on Sesame Street lasted from 1971 to 2003, making it the longest running role for a deaf person in television history. Also, in her role on Sesame Street, she increased public awareness of deaf culture and made it known that being deaf was not shameful.
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