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The summer of her senior year of college, Bove performed with the National Theatre of the Deaf and fell in love with performing. It was here where she met her future husband, Ed Waterstreet and chose to put her librarian career on hold.
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Bove attended Gallaudet University and received a degree in library sciences. -
Linda Bove made her Broadway debut in the performances Songs from Milkwood and Sganarelle. -
Linda Bove married Ed Waterstreet, a fellow actor in the NTD. -
In 1971, Linda Bove was in her first or second year of acting with the NTD. Scouting agents from New York observed the troupe during their preparation for a tour hoping to find deaf actors interested in a role on a new PBS show. The scouts selected Linda Bove and offered her the role of Linda the Librarian on the new PBS show, Sesame Street. -
Linda Bove kept the role of Linda the Librarian for 22 years, which is the longest recurring role for any Deaf person in mainstream media. Bove's character was so loved by the masses that she was given a recurring role. Bove helped the writers and producers learn how to respectfully interact with a Deaf person as well as remove any prejudices or assumptions they had about Deaf people. She hoped to show that Deaf people were more than their disabilities.
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Bove was awarded the Italian-American Award for her presence on television.
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Linda Bove used the traction gained from her appearances on Sesame Street to further the education of children regarding ASL and Deaf culture. In 1980, she published a children's book that taught children the alphabet in ASL.
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A series of 15 books that included excerpts from Linda Bove's book, "Sign Language Fun".
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Bove cofounded this troupe with her husband, Ed Waterstreet, in LA. This was the first theater to be run by Deaf actors. The troupe uses ASL to tell stories as well as ballet and dance. Since its creation, the theatre has won over 80 awards.
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Bove won this award for her work in advancing the rights of the Deaf community and individuals through her work on television shows. In her time on Sesame Street, Bove highlighted the capabilities of Deaf individuals and showed the world that there is more to them than being Deaf.
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Bove was awarded the Media Advocacy Award for her work in sharing the struggles of the Deaf community and working toward the advancement of their rights.
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Bove continues to inspire future storytellers and Deaf community members. By being an advocate for her community, Bove raised awareness for the need for acceptance of every individual, regardless of what talents or challenges they have in their lives. Bove continues to inspire storytellers and her signing lives forever in the digital age. Her way of teaching became accessible to people around the world and will continue on long past her time.