Troy Kotsur was born  in Mesa, Arizona on July 28, 1969. He was born with a hearing loss, but the reason is unknown. Kotsur fully lost his hearing at just 9 months old. 

Troy started school at Phoenix Day School for the Deaf, but switched to Westwood public high school for his last two years of school to explore his interest in theater. He was able to get roles in the school plays and even received his first standing ovation. 

At a young age Kotsur would watch Tom and Jerry after school as it didn't use any language and Troy didn't wear hearing aids as he was profoundly deaf. The next day, he would go to school and act out what he watched the night before. Kotsur knew he wanted to be an actor from a very young age. 

Troy Kotsurs father, Leonard was his greatest hero as he describes in many interviews. It was around this age that his father got into a car crash causing him to be paralyzed from the neck down. This limited the communication between Kotsur and his father as he was unable to use sign language. This left Troy devastated. 

In 1987 Kotsur studied in Washington D.C, at Gallaudet University for theater. He dropped out shortly after to pursue acting at the National Theatre of Deaf. 

Troy was able to work in over 20 West theater productions and meet his wife Deanne Bray through the theatre. 

It was around this time that Kotsur sadly lost both of his parents and he decided to have his wedding in their back yard to honor them. 

September 8, 2005 Kotsur and his wife, Deanne, gave birth to their daughter, Kyra. However, she was born hearing and was able to learn sign language to communicate with her parents. 

Around this time Kotsur's acting was not doing the best and he was forced to get a desk job in order to provide for his wife and daughter. Kotsur fell into a deep depression as he felt like he wasn't pursuing his dreams. 

Then in 2021 Kotsur scored his breakthrough role in the movie 'Coda.' In this movie Kotsur plays a deaf fisherman who struggles with his hearing daughter who wants to pursue singing. From this movie he became the first deaf actor to receive an individual nomination for a SAG award, won the outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role award, and won the Academy Award for best supporting actor. 

Troy Kotsur made a difference for the deaf community in how Hollywood sees individuals who are deaf. He is currently continuing his acting career, his most recent in a Netflix series called Black Rabbit that premiered September 2025. He also continues to bring light to the Deaf Community and spread knowledge.