Alaqua Cox, an American actress, gave a mouth full of answers with her dedication and success in the acting industry to those raising eyebrows about her disability.
Born deaf and an amputee on her leg, the Wisconsin-born actress got wide popularity for her role as Maya Lopez / Echo in the MCU series Hawkeye (2021).
She later reprised her role as Maya in the lead cast in the Hawkeye spin-off series Echo (2023).
In this article, we uncover Alaqua’s family, disability, and journey to on-screen career.
Alaqua Cox Is Deaf & Amputee In Real Life: Challenges While Growing Up
Cox was born deaf and is an amputee with a prosthetic leg. Many fans query “how Alaqua lost her leg”, however, the actress never stated what caused her to use a prosthetic in her right leg.
In a January 2024 interview with People, she opened up about her struggle with being deaf and an amputee while growing up. As reported, she was “bullied” and struggled at a mainstream school where no American Sign Language classes were offered.
So, in her eighth grade, Cox went to Wisconsin School for the Deaf, which was 50 miles away from her reservation. There, she played on the girls’ basketball and volleyball teams.
With her breakthrough in Hawkeye and Echo, she stands as an inspirational figure for many specially-abled persons. In November 2021, she shared an inspirational message,
“People with a disability like me can do anything: We can fight, we can flip, we can fall. I’m excited for people to say, ‘Wow, she can do that?'”
Moreover, she said that those people who used to bully her contacted her after she got TV success.
Did You Know? Alaqua’s younger brother, Jordan, is also deaf.
What Is Alaqua Cox’s Nationality? Age, Height, And Ethnicity
Cox was born on February 13, 1997, in Keshena, Wisconsin, and holds American nationality. She grew up in the Menominee Indian Reservation of her hometown. From a Native American household, she is of the Menominee tribe.
As of 2025, Alaqua is 28 years old.
Since she was born ahead of Valentine’s Day, her mother, Elena, often refers to her as “Valentine Baby.”
A down-to-earth and friendly person with black hair & brown eyes, she has a slim physique. Her height is 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m).
Related: Alaqua Cox Husband- Is She Married? Shares A Son With Partner
Alaqua Cox Parents: Father Is No More
The Hawkeye actress is the second-eldest of four children of her parents, Elena Heath Cox, and Bill Cox.
Her mother is active on Facebook where she occasionally shares pictures of her family moments while her Instagram (@ecoxiii) is switched to private.
On November 30, 2021, Alaqua took to Instagram to share the heart-breaking news of her father Bill’s demise. In the caption featuring her carousel of pictures with her dad, she wrote, “A huge piece of my heart is gone today. I am going to miss you so much, dad.”
However, no further report about her father’s cause of death was out. According to his obituary, he passed away peacefully at his home at the age of 50 (he was born on March 9, 1971, in Shawano).
On March 9, 2022, she wished a heavenly 51st birthday to her father with a heartfelt post.
At the time of her dad’s demise, her parents were married for 26 years; they had exchanged vows in 1995.
As reported, Cox’s father (full name: William Joel Cox III) was an alum of Gulf Coast Community College, where he played collegiate basketball.
Later, he ran his own logging company, WJC III Logging, and worked as a Conservation Warden for the Menominee Indian Tribe.
Also Read: Rebecca King-Crews Wiki-Bio: Illness, Age, Parents, Ethnicity, And Husband
Cox Has Three Siblings: How Many Brothers and Sisters Does She Have?
Alaqua Cox grew up with three siblings, two brothers and a sister. She has an elder brother named William Cox IV, who is one and a half years senior to her.
Her younger sister, Leah “Katie” Cox, was born on March 7, 2004, and is currently 21 years old as of 2025. She is a college student at Haskell Indian Nations University.
On the other, the youngest one, her brother, Jordan, born on October 21, 2005, is 19 now.
Cox has an age gap of seven years with her younger sister and eight years with her younger brother.
The American actress often mentions her family in her interviews.
In a January 2024 interview with Stylecaster, she recalled her memory of excitement and sharing the joy with her family as she got to join the cast of Hawkeye and later earned a reprisal of the same role in the spin-off series Echo.
Moreover, in her other interview, Alaqua credited her older brother, Will, who inspired her into athletics; they used to wrestle while growing up.
Don’t Miss: Lawyer Adila Hassim Wiki-Bio: Age, Husband, Nationality And Parents
Is Alaqua Related To Charlie Cox?
Due to the same surname “Cox”, fans often try to find out if Alaqua is somehow related to the Daredevil actor Charlie Cox. However, they are not. While Alaqua is an American actress, Charlie is an English actor.
The only connection they have is their enthusiasm for acting. Coincidentally, both have worked as superheroes in the MCU projects.
Breakthrough As Maya In ‘Hawkeye’ And ‘Echo’
In 2021, Alaqua appeared in the supporting role of Maya Lopez/Echo in the Disney+ series Hawkeye, starring Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Linda Cardellini, Florence Pugh, and Fra Fee.
The MCU role not only launched her acting career but also gave a jumpstart to her new life. There, she appeared in five out of six episodes.
In 2024, Alaqua landed in the mini-series Echo, a spin-off of Hawkeye, where she reprised Maya Lopez/Echo in the main role.
With this, she became the first deaf and indigenous actress to take the lead role in a TV series. In the mini-series Echo, she shares the screen alongside Chaske Spencer, Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Devery Jacobs.
Is Maya Lopez Deaf In Hawkeye?
Cox’s character Maya is like her- filled with sheer dedication. Aside from that, Cox shares similar physical attributes to her TV role; that she is deaf and amputee like Maya in the series.
The physical disability didn’t limit her from justifying the demanding role and performing her stunts.
In a global press conference, she compared herself with her character Maya Lopez, as both of them have had childhood trauma, but in different courses.
While she faced challenges and trauma for being an amputee while growing up and lost her father, her Hawkeye character lost her leg and mother during an accident.
How Did Alaqua Become An Actress?
Before her acting gig, Cox did some odd jobs- she worked in Amazon and FedEx warehouses and caring for the elder people in the nursing home.
Then, at one time, when she was tanning on her raft in a lake at her parents’ house, one of her friends suggested approaching an acting audition for ‘an Indigenous woman in their 20s’.
In an interview with Good Morning America, she stated that she was hesitant to pursue acting at first. However, after two of her other friends also sent her the same link for the casting call, she thought ‘It’s a sign. She’s got to go for it and give it a shot.’
That was an ignition for the birth of a new silhouette in the acting industry!
Didn’t Know She Was Auditioning For Maya Lopez In Hawkeye
In mid-2020, after Aquala passed her preliminary audition with her videotape, she went through other auditions that involved fake sides- meaning she didn’t know what role or project she would be in.
It was not until three months later, when she got a text for an urgent Zoom meeting and there she met a crowd waiting to congratulate her including Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, who was doing the deaf clap.
As they said, ‘Welcome to the Marvel family!’, it was a dream come true moment for her, as she got the role of Maya aka Echo in the Hawkeye series. She rushed to her family to share the news.
David loves to provide his diverse expertise as a content writer in Hollywood and sports niche.
