Micah D. Fowler (born March 5, 1998) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying J.J. DiMeo on the ABC sitcom Speechless.
Early life
Fowler grew up in Barnegat Township, New Jersey.
[ ] He grew up performing in local theater productions along with his sister,
Kelsey Fowler. After Kelsey began getting roles in
Broadway theatre, Fowler developed his own ambitions for an acting career.
Career
Fowler started pursuing acting at the age of 5, playing roles on
Blue's Clues and
Sesame Street. At age 13, Fowler booked his role in
Labor Day. On his eighteenth birthday, Fowler found out he had booked the role of J.J. DiMeo on
Speechless. In an interview with
People magazine, Fowler said that getting the role was the "best birthday present ever!"
Both Fowler and J.J. have cerebral palsy; however, Fowler is able to speak, and J.J. is not. Fowler has said that while filming, he sometimes wanted to speak after long stretches of time where he was not allowed to speak while in character. Fowler is one of the few disabled actors who have portrayed a disabled character on primetime network television.
Ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation
When not performing, Fowler works as an ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation (CPF). After each episode of
Speechless aired on ABC, the CPF's website posted content and short informational videos about cerebral palsy. Fowler encouraged the viewers of
Speechless to use the CPF's resources, saying, "So the next time you watch
Speechless, take 10 minutes to check out their post for the night."
Personal life
When taking the role for
Speechless, Fowler had to move from New Jersey to Los Angeles and also missed much of his sled hockey season and most of his senior year.
Fowler had previously been somewhat averse to social media; however, after joining the cast of Speechless, he created accounts on Instagram and Twitter to promote the show.
Regarding the media he grew up on, Fowler has said, "I couldn't help but notice the lack of characters dealing with disabilities." In the future, Fowler hopes to be in a Star Wars or Marvel Studios film.
Filmography
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Blue's Clues (2005)
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Sesame Street (2006)
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2 Lives: 2 Miles Apart (2012)
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Labor Day (2013)
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Speechless (2016–2019)
External links