Lauren Ridloff (née Teruel; born April 6, 1978) is a deaf American actress known for her roles in the TV series The Walking Dead and the film Eternals.

She gained prominence in 2018 with a lead role in the Broadway revival of Children of a Lesser God, earning her a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play.

Ridloff's acting career gained momentum when she was hired as an American Sign Language tutor for Kenny Leon, the director of Children of a Lesser God, and subsequently cast in the lead role.

She then joined the ninth season of The Walking Dead, and she was also cast as the first deaf superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the film Eternals.

In addition to acting, Ridloff has received various accolades and is actively involved in projects that expand representation in the entertainment industry.

[3] After she graduated in May 2000, she began working at the NCOD, where she was involved in a program to improve post-secondary school education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

[2] After winning Miss Deaf America, she began a two-year stint of attending luncheons and graduation ceremonies as a spokesperson for NAD.

[3] After graduating from CSUN, Ridloff went to Hunter College in New York to study education with the goal of becoming a children's author.

[9] Ridloff played a small role as a superpowered agent in the 2017 film Sign Gene: The First Deaf Superheroes.

[11] When director Kenny Leon began producing a revival of the 1980 play Children of a Lesser God, he hired Ridloff to tutor him in American Sign Language.

The New York Times wrote, "Ms. Ridloff compares the experience of using her voice during the play to a crotch shot, saying that at first she felt exposed, and vulnerable, and ugly."

The revival premiered on Broadway in April 2018, and The New York Times wrote, "Critics were underwhelmed by the production, but mesmerized by Ms.

To film for Eternals, Ridloff took a leave of absence from The Walking Dead, not appearing in six consecutive episodes of the show's tenth season.