Emilio Delgado, beloved ‘Sesame Street’ actor, dies aged 81

According to Carol, her husband had remained working as an actor right up until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This included playing the lead in Quixote Nuevo in a theatre production that played in three cities before the theatre industry shut down. As recently as this January, Delgado had done some voiceover work.

The Mexican-American actor was a pioneer in children’s television. His most iconic role was Luis, the Fix-it Shop owner on Sesame Street. Delgado joined the cast in 1971, two years after its debut, and became a familiar and welcome onscreen presence over the proceeding four decades.

Delgado only departed the series in 2016 when his contract wasn’t renewed as Sesame Street underwent a major revamp. He continued to represent Sesame Street at public events though, and he also appeared as Luis in the TV special Sesame Street’s 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2019.

Away from Sesame Street, Delgado also appeared on many other TV shows. He played a news editor on Lou Grant, a spinoff of iconic sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Other credits included House of Cards, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He also performed in live theatre throughout his long career, including some Sesame Street productions.

Outside of acting, Delgado and his wife served on the Board of Directors at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, an LGBTQ+ safe-space and community activist center dedicated to preserving the memory and work of African American civil rights leader Bayard Rustin.

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Check out Emilia Delgado as Luis on Sesame Street:

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