Amanda McDonough is an experienced SAG/AFTRA actress, published author, and inspirational speaker who communicates fluently in English and American Sign Language. Amanda began acting professionally at the age of 4. As a child, she performed in an extensive list of commercials, plays, and had a guest starring role on the show "Unsolved Mysteries." Ms. McDonough then took a break from Hollywood to focus on her education and graduated from Cal Polly Pomona University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, double majoring in International Business and Marketing Management (with an emphasis on Entertainment Marketing). After college she rediscovered her love of acting and storytelling.
Amanda’s recent acting credits include: Netflix's "Sweet Magnolia's," ABC's "Speechless," NBC’s “Bad Judge,” Freeform’s “Switched at Birth,” Chris Lilly’s Pilot series “Just Us Guys,” Deaf West/ Pasadena Playhouse’s “Our Town” and independent films such as “Keys,” “Listen,” and "Technicolor Aria.” Several of her films have gone on to show in various festivals, like her short film "Lady Electric" which showed at Cannes Film Festival and in 2022 she was nominated for "Best Actress" at ESDFC for her lead role in "In the Mirror."
Amanda's life story is unique and inspiring and has even been the subject of film documentaries such as USC's "Amanda" and radio broadcast stories such as KCRW's "Silence."
In 2018 Amanda McDonough became a published author. Her memoir, “Ready to be Heard: How I Lost My Hearing and Found My Voice,” details the true story of how Amanda became Deaf, fought for her independence, and found her purpose. She now also imparts her story of resilience and perseverance on audiences as a motivational speaker. Ms. McDonough travels the world motivating and inspiring audiences to overcome obstacles in their lives and become the hero of their own stories.
From there she began using her unique perspective to write screenplays with authentic D/deaf and HOH characters. She served as a writer during the CBS Pipeline Leadership program and won the coveted CBS Outstanding Leader award for her work in the program in 2022.
To learn more about Amanda visit her website amanda-mcdonough.com, her book website ReadyToBeHeard.com, or her speaker website AmandaMcDonoughSpeaker.com!
Amanda’s recent acting credits include: Netflix's "Sweet Magnolia's," ABC's "Speechless," NBC’s “Bad Judge,” Freeform’s “Switched at Birth,” Chris Lilly’s Pilot series “Just Us Guys,” Deaf West/ Pasadena Playhouse’s “Our Town” and independent films such as “Keys,” “Listen,” and "Technicolor Aria.” Several of her films have gone on to show in various festivals, like her short film "Lady Electric" which showed at Cannes Film Festival and in 2022 she was nominated for "Best Actress" at ESDFC for her lead role in "In the Mirror."
Amanda's life story is unique and inspiring and has even been the subject of film documentaries such as USC's "Amanda" and radio broadcast stories such as KCRW's "Silence."
In 2018 Amanda McDonough became a published author. Her memoir, “Ready to be Heard: How I Lost My Hearing and Found My Voice,” details the true story of how Amanda became Deaf, fought for her independence, and found her purpose. She now also imparts her story of resilience and perseverance on audiences as a motivational speaker. Ms. McDonough travels the world motivating and inspiring audiences to overcome obstacles in their lives and become the hero of their own stories.
From there she began using her unique perspective to write screenplays with authentic D/deaf and HOH characters. She served as a writer during the CBS Pipeline Leadership program and won the coveted CBS Outstanding Leader award for her work in the program in 2022.
To learn more about Amanda visit her website amanda-mcdonough.com, her book website ReadyToBeHeard.com, or her speaker website AmandaMcDonoughSpeaker.com!
