NED BLESSING: THE STORY OF MY LIFE & TIMES/CBS/1993 (Deaf
Blind Mute)
**(Bill McKinney) Verlon Borgers, a ruthless outlaw struck deaf,
dumb and blind when the ghost of a dead sheriff (whom Borgers
killed) materialized during a gunfight against Ned Blessing. Borgers
had placed the head of the sheriff on display in a pickle jar. A
mute character named Seli Pedit, a black man born without being able
to speak, was also featured on the series.
THE PRISONER/CBS/1968-69 (Mute Little Person)
**(Angelo Muscat) Dwarf manservant who worked at the strange coastal
resort which imprisoned a former espionage agent known only as
Number Six. This "silent butler" (he never spoke on the series)
catered to Number Six's every need during the life of this bizarre
spy fantasy series. In the last episode, both the butler and Number
Six escaped the Village.
SEARCH FOR TOMORROW/CBS/1951-1985 (Mute)
**(Don Knotts) Wilbur Peabody, man who became mute from shock by
almost killing his foster father during the 1954 run of SEARCH FOR
TOMORROW. Eventually, he reenacted the scene, regained his voice and
was written out of the script. Don Knotts is probably best
remembered as the bumbling, hypertensive deputy living in Mayberry,
North Carolina on the rural comedy THE ANDY GRIFFITH
SHOW/CBS/1960-68.
THE STAND - ABC TV-MOVIE (Deaf-Mute)
**(Rob Lowe) Nick Andros, a deaf-mute character from Stephen King's
THE STAND, on ABC's eight-hour version of the blockbuster novel. In
real life, Rob Lowe is completely deaf in my right ear -- from an
ear infection when he was five months old. Lowe commented on his
condition saying "The thing that really concerns me more than
anything is that people think I'm rude because I don't respond. If
I'm at a sporting event, and somebody's on the right side of me, and
they go, "Well, how about that basket --" And I just...nothing. I
know there are people who think I'm the most arrogant
son-of-a-bitch, but they don't know that I just didn't hear what
they said." Lowe also starred on the NBC political drama THE WEST
WING.
YOUNG RIDERS/ABC/1989-92 (Mute)
**(Travis Fine) Ike McSwain, mute Pony Express rider who worked at a
prairie station near Sweetwater on the Central Overland Express line
in the year 1860. As a child, Ike was struck Scarlet Fever. The
disease left him without any hair and without the ability to speak.
When Ike's family was massacred (he was not able to cry out for
help), Ike was raised in an Catholic Mission. Ike learned Indian
Sign Language from his friend Buck Cross, who learn it from the
Kiowa Indians. In the series third season, Ike was killed while
protecting the life of Emily Metcalfe, whom he loved. He jumped in
front of a bullet meant for her that was fired by her father's
killer.
ZORRO/ABC/1957-59 (Deaf & Mute)
*(Gene Sheldon/costar) Bernardo, the deaf mute manservant of Don
Diego De La Vega alias the masked swordsman, Zorro. The mute
Bernardo, the only other person who knew of Don Diego's dual
identity, faked his deafness to aid his master in thwarting the evil
politicians of early California. He communicated with hand signs.
Bill Dana played Bernardo on the spoof of the original series ZORRO
AND SON/CBS/1983. In 1990, Zorro returned to television on the
western series ZORRO/FAM/1990-93 starring Duncan Regehr. This time
around Zorro's mute aide was named Felipe (Juan Diego Botto).
