Norton, who lost her hearing at the age of two, when she contracted spinal meningitis, passed away on 22 April (15) at her home in Fremont, California.

She began her career in 1967 when she was a founding member of The National Theatre of the Deaf, the oldest theatre company in the U.S.

Combining the use of American Sign Language with spoken word in each production, Norton toured with NTD for years across America and in Europe.

Norton also served as a trailblazer for the hearing impaired community on the small screen, becoming the first deaf actor to appear on American network TV in an episode of hit crime series Mannix in 1969.

She went on to appear in other series such as Family Affair, The Streets of San Francisco and The Man and The City.