TV & VIDEO - Jan. 24, 1989

Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin was to be at Jimmy’s restaurant in Beverly Hills on Monday night, where 10 new performers were welcomed into the ABC Talent Development Program. Her assignment: to introduce John Lee Maucere, the first hearing-impaired actor to become a member of the program. ABC established the program in 1980 to supplement the network’s full-time casting activities. The actors and actresses are used in guest roles both in daytime and prime-time ABC shows. Among the program’s graduates attending Monday night’s reception to welcome the newcomers were Ann Jillian, Emma Samms and Gordon Thompson. The development program also has fostered Tom Hanks, John James, Arsenio Hall, Emanuel Lewis and Ralph Macchio, among others.