Lou Fant (December 13, 1931 – June 11, 2001) was a pioneering teacher, author and expert on

American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that i ...

(ASL). He was also an actor in film, television, and the stage. Natively bilingual in ASL and English, he often played roles relating to sign language and the deaf. His life centered on advocacy and teaching for the deaf.

Personal life and education

Fant was born December 13, 1931, in Greenville, South Carolina. He was the only child of deaf parents Louie Judson Fant and Hazeline Helen Reid. Though hearing, he learned ASL as a native language from his parents. They moved to Dallas in 1944 where he graduated from

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

, and later received his M.A. in Special Education from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. At Baylor, he met and married Lauralea Irwin. They moved to New York, and later to Washington D.C. where he taught at Gallaudet College. They had four children and remained married until her death in 1988. Fant later married Barbara Bernstein, and was married to her until his death in Seattle of pulmonary fibrosis.

Career

He began his career teaching at the New York School for the Deaf, then at

Gallaudet University Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school ...

in Washington, D.C. In 1967, Fant helped establish the

National Theater of the Deaf The National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD) is an American theatre company founded in 1967, based in Connecticut. It is the oldest theatre company in the United States that has maintained a continuous history of domestic and international touring, as ...

Waterford, Connecticut Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Southeastern Connecticut ...

and the

Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc (RID) is a non-profit organization founded on June 16, 1964, and incorporated in 1972, that seeks to uphold standards, ethics, and professionalism for American Sign Language interpreters. RID is curren ...

. Fant was also a sign language poet, using creative alterations in space and time of ordinary signs to create a type of sign language performance art. Fant led the Seattle Central Community College Interpreter Training Program from 1989 to 2000, until his retirement.

Hollywood career

In the 1970s Fant relocated to Southern California to pursue his acting career. Fant took part in numerous television productions, including ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'' and ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books comprise a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adulthood in the Midwestern United States, Americ ...

'', and in film, such as '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar''. He was also sign-language coach for some well-known actors, including

Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler (born October 30, 1945) is an American actor, producer, director, and author. Widely known as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1974–1984), Winkler has distinguished himself as a character acto ...

Diane Keaton Diane Keaton (née Hall; born January 5, 1946) is an American actress. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Diane Keaton, various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Award, a Bri ...

, Robert Young and

Melissa Gilbert Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest-starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ing ...

. He coached actors in the use of sign language for Children of a Lesser God. He also appeared in television commercials. While in Southern California, he also co-hosted a talk show, "Off Hand," with Herb Larson, a deaf instructor at California State University Northridge, where Fant also taught ASL classes. GREEN

Publications

Fant published nine books, and contributed to eight films promoting use of sign language. His ''Ameslan: An Introduction to American Sign Language'' (1972)Fant, Lou (1972). ''Ameslan: An Introduction to American Sign Language.'' Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf was the first book designed to teach ASL as a unique language rather than as a mere lexicon of signs.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fant, Lou 1931 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American educators Special education in the United States Writers from Greenville, South Carolina Baylor University alumni Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Deaf culture in the United States Educators of the deaf Gallaudet University faculty