Samuel James Supalla (December 4, 1957) is an American Sign Language performer, filmmaker, and linguist. Supalla was born in Pasco, Washington in December of 1957. On his birth he has said, "Although, I really think of myself as being born around December 23rd with the help of my brother, Ted!" Ted had helped with the creation of his name sign, which Samuel did not have till three weeks after his birth. At a very young age, he began appointing name signs for others. Both of his parents were deaf and he had three brothers, two deaf and one hard of hearing. Supalla is notable for his storytelling performances in American Sign Language (ASL), particularly for his narrative in The American Literature Series: For a Decent Living. He is a filmmaker and a linguist “whose interest lies in the rese