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 television, 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 Worksh ...

''. He joined the cast of ''Sesame Street'' in 1971 and remained until his contract was not renewed, in late 2016, as part of

Sesame Workshop Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization and Television station, television company that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's ...

's retooling 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''. He began his professional career in Los Angeles in 1968. Delgado lived in New York City with his wife Carole Delgado.

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 Mexico–United States border, Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California ...

, 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 States of Mexico, Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali, Cale ...

, Mexico, during a portion of his childhood, with his extended family, during part of his childhood. 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 Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

, 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 in the symphony orchestra, the jazz band and he was a drum major in the marching band. He also played acoustic guitar from his early teens throughout his lifetime, playing in folk groups during the 1960s and his 44 years on Sesame Street. Delgado was "adamantly and morally opposed" to the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, 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 United States National Guard, National Guard of the United States. The California Army ...

for six years, serving domestically. A supply corporal, Delgado was deployed to the

Watts riots The Watts riots, sometimes referred to as the Watts Rebellion or Watts Uprising, took place in the Watts neighborhood and its surrounding areas of Los Angeles from August 11 to 16, 1965. The riots were motivated by anger at the racist and abus ...

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, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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 on Broadway. She was hono ...

, and later he was cast in the first Mexican-American

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

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

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

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 East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, East Los Angeles is designated as ...

. Delgado told the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'': "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 Mart ...

'' 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. He was known for his intense and varied roles on stage and screen. He started his career in the Public Theater before transitioning to film. He ...

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, maintenance worker, maintenance man, repairman, repair worker, or repair technician, is a person who is knowledgeable in skills such as basic carpentry, plumbing, minor electrical w ...

, 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 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, for over a century, from 1884 to 1992. At the height of its popul ...

'' 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 June 12, 1950) is an American actress, writer and speaker. 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 memoir, ''Becoming ...

. Delgado was still enrolled at CalArts when he was cast. 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 Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization and television company that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—includin ...

's Bilingual Task Force, and he was 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, performed by

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

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 '' Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration''. 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''. Delgado starred in ''Quixote Nuevo'' that premiered in 2018 at CalShakes Theater in Berkeley, California, then went on tour in 2019 to Hartford Stage in Connecticut, Boston's Huntington Theatre and Houston's Alley Theatre production (2020) of

Octavio Solis Octavio Solis (born 1958) is an American playwright and director whose plays have been produced at theaters and small companies across the United States. He has written over 25 plays, including his most famous works: ''Lydia'', ''Santos & Santos ...

, a modern Chicano adaptation of ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

''. 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's adaptation of '' A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings'' Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Dinosaurios (IATI), ''Night Over Taos'' INTAR Theatre an adaptation ''

How the García Girls Lost Their Accents ''How the García Girls Lost Their Accents'' is a 1991 novel written by Dominican-American poet, novelist, and essayist Julia Alvarez. Told in reverse chronological order and narrated from shifting perspectives, the story spans more than thirt ...

'' Round House Theatre and Emilio appeared in the role of King Claudius in Asolo Repertory Theatre 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 struc ...

'', ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. He was a regular cast member of '' Lou Grant'' and the short-lived '' Born to the Wind''. He also appeared in episodes of '' Police Story''; '' Hawaii Five-O''; and '' Quincy, M.E.'' Delgado's other creative endeavor was to sing and record with the band

Pink Martini Pink Martini is an American band founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Group members call it a little orchestra that crosses several styles, such as Classical music, classical, Latin music, Latin, traditional pop, and ...

. He performed with the band at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

and

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

in New York City, The

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

in Los Angeles, in

Woodinville, Washington Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 13,069 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is east of Bothell. Woodinville has waterfront parks on the Sammamish River, a win ...

at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, and in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

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 Center ...

, Crystal Ballroom and the

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

. He appears on their album '' Splendor in the Grass'', in which he recorded the song "

Sing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

", a duet with China Forbes. In the latter years of his life, just before his death, he also served on the board of directors at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, an LGBTQIA+ safe-space, community activist center, and educational bridge dedicated to honoring

Bayard Rustin Bayard Rustin ( ; March 17, 1912 – August 24, 1987) was an American political activist and prominent leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. Rustin was the principal organizer of the March on Wash ...

through their mission and good works.

Personal life

Emilio and Carole were married in Bermuda, January 28, 1990. Delgado has a daughter, Lauren, and a son, Aram Delgado, from his previous marriage, who died on December 28, 2023. He has one grandson, Eladio Delgado. Delgado's voice has been described as "deep, smooth and sonorous, his words precise and deliberate."

Recognitions

Delgado received The Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, The HOLA Ilka Award, and the Keys to the cities of Evansville and Omaha.

Death

In December 2020, Delgado was diagnosed with

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...

. He died from the disease at his home in

Manhattan, New York City Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the smallest county by area in the U.S. state of New York. Located almost entire ...

, on March 10, 2022, at the age of 81.

Filmography

*'' I Will Fight No More Forever'' - TV movie - Ollokot (1975) *'' Born to the Wind'' - White Bull (1982) *'' Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird'' - Luis Rodriguez (1985) *''Reggie's Prayer'' - Stadium Announcer (1996) *''

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland ''The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland'' (or simply ''Elmo in Grouchland'') is a 1999 American musical adventure comedy film directed by Gary Halvorson (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay written by Mitchell Kriegman and Joe ...

'' - Luis Rodriguez (1999) *''Perhaps Tomorrow'' - Zelgai (2010) *'' A Case of You'' - Roberto (2013) *'' Peeples'' - Chief Oneka (2013) *''Montauk'' - Eduardo (2013) *''Luz Marina'' - Carlos (2018) *''iGilbert'' - Rodolfo Gonzalez (2021) *'' Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street'' - Self (2021)

Television

*''

'' - episode - Survivors Will Be Prosecuted - Cadena (1970) *''

'' - Luis Rodriguez (1971–2016 & 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 during th ...

'' - episode - Cry Wolf - Dr. Guiterrez (1976) *'' Police Story'' - episode - Spanish Class - Agitator #1 (1976) *'' Delvecchio'' - episode - The High Price of Justice - Attorney (1977) *'' Hawaii Five-O'' - episode - The Ninth Step - Vic Salazar (1977) *'' ABC Weekend Specials'' - episode - Tales of the Nunundaga - White Bull (1977) *''

The Chisholms ''The Chisholms'' is a CBS western miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and ...

'' - TV Mini-Series - Native Trader (1979) *'' Lou Grant'' - 19 episodes - Rubin Castillo (1979–1982) *'' Quincy, M.E.'' - episode - Welcome to Paradise Palms - Felix Wanaka (1980) *'' Born to the Wind'' - White Bull (1981) *'' Quincy, M.E.'' - episode - D.U.I. - Officer Garcia (1981) *''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera created by Earl Hamner Jr. that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Cha ...

'' - episode - Unaired Pilot - Fernando Diaz (1982) *''

'' - 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'' - 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 educational children's television series designed to promote reading. The show is a co-production between WGBH in Boston, Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, and Mississipp ...

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

'' - 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) *''

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of the '' Late Night'' franchise. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon,

'' - 1 episode - Don Enrique *''

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid ( , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known as Amor (Latin: ...

'' - episode - Live and Let Spy - Gus (2009) *'' The 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards'' - TV Special - Himself (uncredited) (2009) *''

Person of Interest "Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no leg ...

'' - 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 one season. Produced by Sony Pictures Television, the s ...

'' - 1 episode - Minister Ruiz (2017) *'' The Bravest Knight'' - 3 episodes The King (voice) (2019) *'' Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration'' - TV special - Luis Rodriguez (2019)

Video games

*''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 188 ...

'' - 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 a fictiona ...

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

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Delgado, Emilio 1940 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 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 in the United States Hispanic and Latino American military personnel Male actors from California Military personnel from California People from Calexico, California United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War