Dawn Jani Birley was born on 30 November 1977 and is a Canadian deaf actress, television anchor, educator and a popular taekwondo practitioner.
17 Facts About Dawn Birley
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Dawn Birley was engaged in her sport, taekwondo in the early parts of her life before becoming a professional actor in the mid-2000s.
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Dawn Birley is best known for her efforts in revealing the Deaflympic scandal about the cancellation of the 2011 Winter Deaflympics in Slovakia.
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Dawn Birley is a fluent speaker of nine languages including five sign languages: American Sign Language, Finnish Sign Language, Swedish Sign Language, Norwegian Sign Language and International Sign.
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Dawn Birley was born on 30 November 1977 to deaf parents in an all-deaf family in Regina, Saskatchewan.
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Dawn Birley started to play volleyball, basketball and softball during her childhood before becoming a taekwondo practitioner.
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Dawn Birley has played volleyball, basketball and softball for the Gallaudet University.
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Dawn Birley served as a teacher in countries including Norway and Finland after her college career.
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Dawn Birley practiced the Korean martial art taekwondo at the age of 12.
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Dawn Birley became the world junior taekwondo champion in 1992, becoming the first Canadian female athlete to achieve the feat.
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Dawn Birley represented Canada at several international taekwondo competitions including Pan American Games from 1989 to 1999.
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Dawn Birley was the part of the Canadian National Taekwondo Olympic team prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics after earning a spot in the Canadian National Olympic Team for 1996 but she was not able to compete in the event due to the removal of taekwondo from that Olympic Games.
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Dawn Birley is working as a coordinator in the development of deaf sports in several countries.
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Dawn Birley spent 15 years in Finland where she was afforded more acting opportunities including a role in the world's first sign-language opera.
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Dawn Birley was honoured as the 2015 Riksteatern's Artist of the Year from the National Swedish Touring Theatre, a prestigious acting award in Sweden for her performance in the leading role of When Winter Stars Shine Here.
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Dawn Birley became the first deaf person to achieve this honour.
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Dawn Birley was awarded the Toronto Theatre Critics Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role as Horatio in Prince Hamlet.