She was known to television audiences simply as Siren, the powerhouse who dominated the arena on American Gladiators in the 1990s. Shelley Beattie, who grew up in Oregon, was Deaf, and built a life as a professional bodybuilder, an artist and a competitive sailor before her death in 2008. Now a new documentary is bringing her story back into the light, with a Portland premiere on Tuesday.
“Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie” is directed by Portland filmmaker Irene Taylor and is told through the perspective of Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin, who is Deaf herself and was drawn to Beattie’s story, according to OregonLive.com. The film premieres Tuesday at the Portland Art Museum and debuts on HBO, with streaming on HBO Max beginning Sept. 23, per the same report. Matlin has said Beattie would make a perfect subject for a movie, and during the COVID-19 pandemic she asked Taylor whether the project should be a narrative film or a documentary; Taylor recommended a documentary, according to the outlet.
Beattie’s athletic résumé stretched well beyond the Gladiators arena. She portrayed Siren for 44 episodes of the show, and she also competed on the America3 America’s Cup sailing team in the 1990s, reaching second place, as detailed in an earlier oregonlive.com life story. As a professional bodybuilder, she placed third in both Ms. International and Ms. Olympia, the same account notes. American Gladiators itself ran for seven seasons between 1989 and 1996 before being revived for two more seasons on NBC in 2008, according to gladiatorstv.com.
A Story Framed Through Another Deaf Woman’s Eyes
The documentary explores not just Beattie’s fame but her private mental health struggles, according to Media Play News. Her story, as OregonLive reports, included both mental health issues and struggles with substances, and it ended with her death in 2008. Matlin has said Beattie had gifts and challenges she herself did not have, and Matlin has spoken about her own experiences with the impacts of substance abuse and sexual trauma, per the outlet’s reporting.
Deaf Spotlight describes the film as framed by the insight of another Deaf woman in Hollywood who found herself in the spotlight at the same time as Beattie, a description that applies to Matlin’s role in the project, according to Deaf Spotlight. Taylor, who was raised by Deaf parents and has made other films about the Deaf experience, has said she aimed to preserve Beattie’s agency and control in how the story is told, per OregonLive.
Archival Footage and Beattie’s Own Artwork
To tell that story, the film uses archival footage, home video, intimate interviews and Beattie’s personal artwork, according to Media Play News. Beattie had a love of art and drawing, and that passion is brought to life onscreen through animations created by Brian Kinkley, a frequent Taylor collaborator, the Portland outlet reports.
Where and When to See It
The Portland premiere is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Whitsell Auditorium inside the Portland Art Museum, according to OregonLive.com. The screening is free and will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Taylor and Matlin, the outlet notes.
The film debuts on HBO Tuesday and begins streaming on HBO Max on Sept. 23, one day later, according to Media Play News. An American Sign Language version of the documentary will also be available to stream on HBO Max, according to Media Play News.
Beattie’s death has also been reported with differing details about her age. OregonLive.com’s 2008 life story says she died Feb. 16, 2008, at age 40, while gladiatorstv.com reports she died on the same date at age 39.
