Emilio Delgado, the beloved handyman Luis in “Sesame Street”, died at 81 –

Mr. Delgado joined the show in its third season in 1971 and remained in the lead role for more than forty years. His character, Luis Rodriguez, was the owner of the Fix-It Shop and was adept at repairing toasters, singing and dancing.

From the start, “Sesame Street” featured a racially diverse live cast who appeared on screen alongside Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch and other models created by Jim Henson.

Mexican-American whose early childhood was on the southern border of the United States, Mr. Delgado served as a television model for Latino children at a time when Spanish actors largely tended to play “thugs, gangsters.” , confused characters, etc. ” Mexicans under a cactus.

“All my professional life, I’ve been trying to be in a place where I can change it, whether I’m talking about it or trying to get involved in a project that shows Latinos in a good light,” Delgado said. He told the Houston Chronicle in 2020. “So Sesame Street was such a good thing. For the first time on television, they showed Latins as real people.

“We weren’t addicted to doping. We weren’t maids or whores, whatever [was] As they showed us on TV [and] “The movie,” he added. “Here on Sesame Street there were several people who spoke different languages ​​and ate interesting food, and they were all Americans.

Mr. Delgado, who is often accompanied by a guitar song, has introduced many English-speaking children to Spanish. For many years, Carol Spin has referred to the yellow canary bird, the large bird she played with her doll, calling it “Pajaro”, which in Spanish means “bird”.

Little Carol Spinn, who gave birth to the big bird of Sesame Street, has died at the age of 85.

Mr. Delgado “does a really good job of blurring the boundaries between ethnic groups, but not in a way that destroys culture,” said Catherine A., Mr. Delgado. Ostrovsky is a media history expert who researched Sesame Street in an interview.

“He used Chicano culture,” he added, “and made it part of the experience that every American child has had for generations watching Sesame Street.”

Sesame Street, which aired today, has become the longest-running children’s show on American television. One of the most memorable episodes of him remained the episode of the 1988 film in which Luis marries his beloved on the screen Maria, played by the actress Sonia Manzano. In the episode during their romance, Luis dances in a tuxedo with Maria, who is elegantly dressed in the shape of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, in the Spanish song “Hola”.

Luis and Maria later gave birth to a daughter, Gabriela, who for a time played Manzano’s real daughter of the same name. The writers of “Sesame Street” used her arrival to explain to young audiences how a child develops, but – in respect of many parents – not how it was conceived.

The letter states: “Luis and Maria’s relationship was so real on TV that when fans saw them with their real wives, Emilio Delgado and Sonia Manzano revealed a lot.” Tribute to Mr. Delgado He launched a sesame workshop after his death.

Mr. Delgado was born on May 8, 1940 in Calexico, California, the eldest of six children raised by a single mother. He spent part of his upbringing in Mexico with his mother’s family, crossing the border every morning to school in Calexico.

“The border was not what we thought or should have been,” his wife said in a phone call. “Everything she said was ‘American citizen’, and they smiled and played with their hands.”

“I heard Mr. Delgado say there was Mariachi on one side and rock ‘n’ roll on the other,” he added, describing the world of youth culture. “He has embraced everything.”

Mr. Delgado was interested in theater from an early age and was encouraged by his mother to pursue artistic pursuits. While in high school, she moved to Glendale, California where she joined theater bands and clubs.

Mr. Delgado served in the California National Guard for six years before enrolling at the California Institute of the Arts to study theater in Santa Clarita. He starred in the TV series “Canción de la Raza”, which tells the story of a Mexican American family, before being invited to play Lewis on “Sesame Street”.

She said she was unemployed at the time, supported by a small child, and saw the opportunity to join the casting as proof that an angel was “looking for” her.

“I was looking at my latest unemployment check when someone from Sesame Street called me and asked if I wanted to audition for the show,” he said. He told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2018. “The agent was not involved. He came out of nowhere. “

“So Luis has a lot of Emilio,” he said. “They wanted reality and they got it from the actor.”

In addition to his role in “Sesame Street” and live performances from the show, Mr. Delgado played Rubin Castillo, the newspaper editor, and starred in the TV series “Lou Grant” Ed Asner. Mr. Delgado has also appeared on programs such as “Hawaii Five-O”, “Quincy, ME” and “Falcon Crest” and most recently as Davila Ambassador on the “Law & Order” and “House of Cards” series.

Before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Octavio Solis staged Quixote Nuevo, an adaptation of Don Quixote by Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes.

Mr. Delgado’s marriage to Barbara Snavel and actress Linda Moon Redfearn has ended.

Survivors include his 32-year-old wife, Manhattan Carol Webb Gillespie; Son of his first marriage, Aram Delgado Penzance, England; Daughter of her third marriage, Lauren Delgado Tucson; two brothers; Two sisters; And grandson.

Mr. Delgado repaired radios, watches and flashlights at the Fix-It Shop, ready with a screw in hand. At times an inconsistent question arose and he explained why and how a lesson can be learned from this truth in these cases.

As blunt as Lewis’ portrayal is, Mr. Delgado admitted to the Chronicle that there was a fundamental difference between Massa and his character.

“I accept,” he said. “I’m not a real life mechanic. My wife thinks better than me. You can fix everything. “