Emilio Ernest Delgado (May 8, 1940 – March 10, 2022) was an American actor best known for his role as

Luis Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archai ...

, the Fix-it Shop owner, on the children's television series ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

''. Delgado joined the cast of ''Sesame Street'' in 1971 and remained until his contract was not renewed in late 2016, as part of Sesame Workshop's re-tooling of the series. Following his departure, the workshop stated that Delgado would continue to represent them at public events. Delgado also appeared as Luis in the TV special ''

Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration ''Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration'' is a 2019 musical television special to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ''Sesame Street''. Hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the special aired on November 9, 2019 on HBO, followed by a November ...

''. He began his professional career in Los Angeles in 1968. Delgado lived in New York City with his wife Carole and also served on the board of directors at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, an LGBT safe-place, community activist center, and educational bridge dedicated to honoring

Bayard Rustin Bayard Rustin (; March 17, 1912 – August 24, 1987) was an African American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. Rustin worked with A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement, ...

through their mission and good works.

Life and career

Childhood, education and early roles

Delgado was born in

Calexico, California Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. It is about east of San Diego ...

, to Emilio Delgado and Carmen Rodriguez Delgado on May 8, 1940. He was raised in his grandparents' house in

Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California. The city, seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali metropolitan area is home to 1,000,0 ...

, Mexico, with his poor extended family. As a citizen of the United States, he would walk daily to attend a public school in Calexico. He began working odd jobs as a ten year old, and at his uncle's bicycle shop at age 12. His family moved to Glendale, California when he was a teenager. During high school, three years of which he attended Glendale High School, he became president of the Thespian Club, played trombone both in their orchestra and a jazz band, and was a drum major in the marching band. Delgado was "adamantly and morally opposed" to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, but enlisted in the

California Army National Guard The California Army National Guard (CA ARNG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Army, and part of the National Guard of the United States. The California Army National Guard is composed o ...

for six years, serving domestically. A supply corporal, Delgado was deployed to the Watts riots in Los Angeles, in 1965, where he was "astonished to see weekend warriors being issued live ammunition to use against other Americans." Delgado began acting professionally in 1968, after nine years of "trying to knock doors down in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

to get in." That year, he received his first Equity job in a summer stock play starring

Martha Raye Martha Raye (born Margy Reed; August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994), nicknamed The Big Mouth, was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including Broadway. She was honored ...

, and later was cast in the first Mexican-American soap opera, ''Cancion de la Raza''. Befriending actor Sergei Tschernisch at Los Angeles theatre company Inner City Repertory, Delgado learned of the new theatre program at

CalArts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

, led by Provost Herb Blau. While already a professional actor as of his 1970 enrollment, Delgado praised Blau's methods, suggesting his

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

method was "amazing." As of 1970, he was the artistic director of the new Mexican-American Centre of Creative Arts, which taught Chicano high school and college students from the basement of the Euclid Heights Community Centre in East Los Angeles. Delgado told the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'': "We are 100% positive in our approach, and we are uncompromising in our belief that our kids will come away thinking of themselves as artists. Nothing is going to stop us from attaining our identification in American society." Delgado had a guest role in an October 1970 episode ''

Storefront Lawyers ''Storefront Lawyers'' (also known as ''Men at Law'') is an American legal drama that ran from September 1970 to January 1971 and February 1971 to March 1971 on CBS. The series starred Robert Foxworth, Sheila Larken, David Arkin, and A Martinez. ...

'', before being cast as a series regular in ''Angie's Garage'', in November 1970. The new children's series focused on serving Mexican-American children. He was billed as a singer-guitarist. He speculated that ''Sesame Street'' producers discovered him through the series. Delgado recorded voice over work in both English and Spanish.

Early years on ''Sesame Street'' (1971–1988)

On ''Sesame Street'', his character, Luis along with

Raul Julia Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...

as Rafael, were the first human additions to the original cast. Luis was a

handyman A handyman, also known as a fixer, handyperson or handyworker, is a person skilled at a wide range of repairs, typically around the home. These tasks include trade skills, repair work, maintenance work, are both interior and exterior, and are so ...

and an aspiring writer, who debuted on the show in 1971 simultaneously with Julia. Together they ran the L&R Fix-It Shop until Julia left the show after one season, and Luis ran the Fix-It Shop alone from then on. The enormous popularity of ''

'' created a barrage of groups providing input on the curriculum in its second season. During the season, the program attempted to teach Spanish to children whose mother tongue was English. Producer

Jon Stone Jon Arthur Stone (April 13, 1931 – March 30, 1997) was an American writer, director and producer, who was best known for being an original crew member on The Muppets' ''Sesame Street'' and is credited with helping develop characters such a ...

told ''

The Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'' (formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'') was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1992. At one time, the ''Press'' was the second larg ...

'' that their attempts were "a disaster. It was tokenism at best, and condescension at worst." For the third season, the show rebooted their efforts, adding Puerto Ricans and Chicanos, and creating new Spanish segments. Seven new cast members were added at the start of the season, including Delgado, Panchito Gómez,

, and

Sonia Manzano Sonia Manzano (born 1950) is an American actress, screenwriter, author, singer and songwriter. She is best known for playing Maria on ''Sesame Street'' from 1971 to 2015. She received a Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy Award in 2016. Her mem ...

. Delgado was still enrolled at CalArts, as of casting. Delgado's character, Luis, ran "The Fix-It Shop," a repair service on Sesame Street, alongside Julia's Rafael. The character has been described as the "antithesis" of the Mexican and Latino stereotypes that proliferated television at the time, as he was "an honest, upstanding, hard-working, affable person." Delgado expected the role to last one or two seasons. Delgado joined the series' live events by at least 1972, when he performed with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra. Delgado was named the coordinator of the Children's Television Workshop's Bilingual Task Force, and sent across the country to meet with groups. The efforts were to lead to further updates to content in season 4. He commented in 1972 that the series didn't "teach Spanish, we teach in Spanish." Delgado is believed to have played "the same role on U.S. television longer than any other Mexican-American actor," according to CalArts.

Later seasons on ''Sesame Street'' (1988–2016)

During ''Sesame Street'' 19th season, first aired in 1988, Luis fell in love with

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

, performed by

, and married her. The characters Luis and Maria taught viewers about

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

culture and language throughout their shared run of the show. According to Delgado, "to this day, there are fans out there who want to believe that the Luis and Maria wedding episode in 1988 was real, "but the fact of the matter is, it was just terrific acting." Delgado later appeared at various pop culture conventions, often under the brand "Humans of Sesame Street". Delgado also reprised the role of Luis in the TV special ''

''. Delgado also performed in live shows throughout his ''Sesame Street'' career, singing the songs of ''Sesame Street'' and entertaining thousands of children and their families.

Additional roles

Delgado took guest roles on other series while ''Sesame Street'' was not taping. Notably, he had a recurring role as national news editor Rubin Castillo on the television series ''

Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character ...

''. Delgado starred in ''Quixote Nuevo'' that premiered in 2018 at CalShakes Theater in Berkeley, California, then went on tour in 2019 to

Hartford Stage Hartford Stage is an American 501(c)(3) non-profit regional theatre company located on Church Street in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Since its founding in 1963, Hartford Stage has won the Regional Theatre Tony Award (1989) and many Connectic ...

, Boston's Huntington Theatre and Houston's

Alley Theatre The Alley Theatre is a Tony Award-winning theatre company in Houston, Texas. It is the oldest professional theatre company in Texas and the third oldest resident theatre in the United States. Alley Theatre productions have played on Broadway at L ...

production (2020) of Octavio Solis, a modern Chicano adaptation of ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

''. In Los Angeles, he was a company member of Inner City Rep, The Group Repertory, and LA Repertory. Some of his New York City theatre credits include ''Floating Home'' (HExTC), ''Boxing 2000'' (Richard Maxwell NYC Players), ''Dismiss All the Poets'' (New York Fringe Festival 2002),

Nilo Cruz Nilo Cruz is a Cuban-American playwright and pedagogue. With his award of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' Anna in the Tropics'', he became the second Latino so honored, after Nicholas Dante. Biography Early years Cruz was bor ...

's adaptation of '' A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings''

Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is one of the largest professional Shakespeare companies in North America, serving over 100,000 adults and children annually. Located in Madison, New Jersey, it is the state's largest theatre company dedica ...

, Dinosaurios (IATI), ''Night Over Taos'' INTAR Theatre an adaptation How the García Girls Lost Their Accents''

Round House Theatre Round House Theatre is a nonprofit theater company based in Bethesda, Maryland. History Round House began life in 1970 as “Street ’70”, a program of the Montgomery County Department of Recreation that provided educational outreach in th ...

and Emilio appeared in the role of King Claudius in

Asolo Repertory Theatre The Asolo Repertory Theatre or Asolo Rep (AKA: Asolo Theatre Company, Inc.) is a professional theater in Sarasota, Florida. It is the largest Actors' Equity Association, Equity theatre in Florida, and the largest Repertory, Repertory theatre in t ...

production of ''Hamlet, Prince of Cuba'', with alternating performances in English and Spanish, where one reviewer wrote that Delgado "is equally brilliant as King Claudius". His other television appearances include ''

House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...

'', '' Law & Order'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. He was a regular cast member of ''

'' and the short-lived ''

Born to the Wind ''Born to the Wind'' is an American drama television series that aired on NBC from August 19, 1982, to September 5, 1982. Synopsis The series centered on a small Native American tribe in an unnamed part North American North America i ...

''. He also appeared in episodes of '' Police Story''; ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

''; and ''

Quincy, M.E. ''Quincy, M.E.'' (also called ''Quincy'') is an American mystery medical drama television series from Universal Studios that aired on NBC from October 3, 1976, to May 11, 1983. Jack Klugman starred in the title role as a Los Angeles County med ...

'' Delgado's other creative endeavor was to sing and record with the band

Pink Martini Pink Martini is an American band that was founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Group members call it a little orchestra that crosses several styles, such as classical, latin, traditional pop, and jazz. The co-lead vo ...

. He performed with the band at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in New York City, The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, in

Woodinville, Washington Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a part of the Seattle metropolitan area. There is also a much larger population with Woodinville mailing addresses in adjacent unincorporated areas of King ( Cottage Lake) an ...

at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, and in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

at the

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (opened as the Portland Publix Theatre before becoming the Paramount Theatre after 1930) is a historic theater building and performing arts center in Portland, Oregon, United States. Part of the Portland Cent ...

, Crystal Ballroom and the

Oregon Zoo The Oregon Zoo, originally the Portland Zoo and later the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, approximately southwest of downtown Portland. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi R ...

. He appears on their album ''

Splendor in the Grass ''Splendor in the Grass'' is a 1961 American period drama film produced and directed by Elia Kazan, from a screenplay written by William Inge. It stars Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty (in his film debut) as two high school sweethearts, naviga ...

'', in which he recorded the song " Sing", a duet with

China Forbes China Forbes (born April 29, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter who has been the lead singer of the band Pink Martini since 1995. Life and career The daughter of Peggy (née Woodford) and Donald Cameron Forbes, China Forbes was born and ...

Personal life

Emilio and Carole were married in Bermuda, January 28, 1990. Delgado has a daughter, Lauren, from his present marriage, and a son, Aram, from a previous marriage. Delgado's voice has been described as "gravelly and sonorous, his words precise and deliberate."

Death

In December 2020, Delgado was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He died from the disease at his home in Manhattan, New York City, on March 10, 2022, at the age of 81.

Filmography

*'' I Will Fight No More Forever'' - TV movie - Ollokot (1975) *''

'' - White Bull (1982) *'' Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird'' - Luis Rodriguez (1985) *''

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland ''The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland'' is a 1999 American musical adventure comedy film directed by Gary Halvorson in his feature film debut. This was the second film to be based on the children's television series ''Sesame Street'', after '' ...

'' - Luis Rodriguez (1999) *'' A Case of You'' - Roberto (2013) * '' Peeples'' - Chief Oneka (2013) * '' Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street'' - Self (2021)

Television

*''

'' - Luis Rodriguez (1971–2015 & 2019) *''

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

'' - episode - Cry Wolf - Dr. Guiterrez (1976) *'' Police Story'' - episode - Spanish Class - Agitator #1 (1976) *''

'' - episode - The Ninth Step - Vic Salazar (1977) *''

ABC Weekend Specials ''ABC Weekend Special'' is a weekly 30-minute American television anthology series for children that aired Saturday mornings on ABC from 1977 to 1997, which featured a wide variety of stories that were both live-action and animated. Similar to b ...

'' - episode - Tales of the Nunundaga - White Bull (1977) *''

The Chisholms ''The Chisholms'' is a CBS western miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used inter ...

'' - TV Mini-Series - Native Trader (1979) *''

'' - 19 episodes - Rubin Castillo (1979–1982) *''

'' - episode - Welcome to Paradise Palms - Felix Wanaka (1980) *''

'' - episode - D.U.I. - Officer Garcia (1981) *'' Falcon Crest'' - episode - Unaired Pilot - Fernando Diaz (1982) *'' Falcon Crest'' - episode - Lord of the Manor - Paul (1982) *'' The 10th Annual People's Choice Awards'' - TV Special - Himself - Accepting Award from Favourite Children's Program (1984) *''Learning About Letters'' - Sesame Street Video short - Luis Rodriguez (1986) *''Sing Along'' - Sesame Street Video short - Luis Rodriguez (1987) *''Sesame Street, Special'' - TV Movie - Luis Rodriguez (1988) *'' Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting'' - TV Special - Himself/Luis Rodriguez (1989) *''Sing Yourself Silly!'' - Sesame Street Video short - Luis Rodriguez (1990) *''Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Hospital'' - Sesame Street Video short - Luis Rodriguez (1990) *'' Sesame Street Stays Up Late!'' - TV Special - Himself/Luis Rodriguez (1993) *''All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!'' - Sesame Street TV Movie - Luis Rodriguez (1994) *''

Elmo Saves Christmas ''Elmo Saves Christmas'' is a Sesame Street musical fantasy comedy television special released on PBS on December 2, 1996. It was released to VHS that same year. Inspired by the 1892 short story "Christmas Every Day" by William Dean Howells, Elmo ...

'' - Video - Luis Rodriguez (1996) *''Learn Along with Sesame'' - episodes - Lead Away, and For Me, For You, For Latter (1996–2011) *'' Elmopalooza!'' - TV Special - Himself/Luis Rodriguez (1998) *''Sesame Street 'A Is for Asthma - Sesame Street Video short - Luis Rodriguez (1998) *'' Cosby'' - episode - It's a Wonderful Wife (2000) *''

Between the Lions ''Between the Lions'' is an American animated/live-action/puppet children's television series designed to promote reading. The show was a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, in association with Mis ...

'' - episode - The Ram in the Pepper Patch - The Ram (voice) (2000) *''

Law and Order In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...

'' - episode - Surrender Dorothy - Elias Soriano (2000) *''Sesame Street: Three Bears and a New Baby'' - Video - Luis Rodriguez (2003) *'' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' - episode - Pas de Deux - Ari Hernandez (2004) *''Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On'' - TV Movie - Luis Rodriguez (2004) *''Sesame Street: Friends to the Rescue'' - Video - Luis Rodriguez (2005) *''Guess That Shape and Color'' - Sesame Street Video short - Luis Rodriguez (2006) *'' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' - episode - Amends - Rodolfo Delgado (2007) *''Ready for School'' - Sesame Street Video - Luis Rodriguez (2007) *'' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' - episode - Inconceivable - Enrique Diaz (2008) *'' The 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards'' - TV Special - Himself (uncredited) (2009) *'' Person of Interest'' - episode - Pilot - Detective Padilla (uncredited) (2011) *''Sesame Street: Fairy Tale Fun!'' - Video - Luis Rodriguez (2013) *''Little Children, Big Challenges'' - episode - Incarceration - Luis Rodriguez (2013) *'' The Michael J. Fox Show'' - episode - Couples - Flower Vendor (2014) *'' I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story'' - Documentary - Himself (2014) *''

'' - episode - Chapter 33 - Ambassador Davila (2015) *''

The Get Down ''The Get Down'' is an American musical drama television series created by Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis. The series debuted on Netflix on August 12, 2016, and was cancelled after the first season. Produced by Sony Pictures Television ...

'' - 1 episode - Minister Ruiz (2017) *''

The Bravest Knight ''The Bravest Knight'' is a 2D animated series, produced by Big Bad Boo Studios and a Hulu original which became the first kids original on the streaming service. The first episodes were added to the streaming service on June 21, 2019 and the o ...

'' - 3 episodes The King (voice) (2019) *''

'' - TV special - Luis Rodriguez (2019) *''Quixote Nuevo'' - Houston Alley Theater - Don Quixote (2020, final theater role)

Videogames

*''Let's Learn to Play Together'' - Luis Rodriguez (1988) *''

Red Dead Revolver ''Red Dead Revolver'' is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. It is the first entry in the ''Red Dead'' series, and was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in May 2004. Set in the 1880 ...

'' - Video Game - Bandits #3, D-Troopers #1 (2004) *''

Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in 1899 and f ...

'' - Del Lobos, The Local Pedestrian Population (2018) *'' Red Dead Online'' - Alfredo Montez (2019)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Delgado, Emilio 1940 births 2022 deaths American male actors of Mexican descent American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors California National Guard personnel Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from multiple myeloma Male actors from California Male guitarists People from Calexico, California 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors