Sesame Workshop did not say how her absence would be explained. During her 44-year career as the iconic 'Maria,' and the first leading Latina woman on television, she was a role model for young girls and women for generations." In confirming Manzano's retirement, Sesame Workshop said "she will always be a part of the fabric of our neighborhood. As Maria, she and Luis became the masters of repair, including a large quantity of toasters, as co-owners of the Fix-It Shop. In 1971, she auditioned for "Sesame Street," then only 2 years old. She moved up with it as it transferred to a club in New York's Greenwich Village, then to off-Broadway, then Broadway. She began her show business career in the original cast of the musical "Godspell," which began as a student production on the Carnegie Mellon campus.
She has also written children's books.īorn in a Puerto Rican neighborhood of The Bronx that resembled the city world "Sesame Street" would later embrace, Manzano attended Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts and then Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Manzano also served as a writer for the show, sharing in 15 Emmy awards as a member of the writing team. Manzano attended the High School of Performing Arts.
Her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico. Manzano was born in New York City and was raised in South Bronx. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street from 1971 until her retirement in 2015. She said she wouldn't be part of PBS' new "Sesame Street" season.Ī beloved resident of Sesame Street since she was a teenager, the character Maria owned the neighborhood repair shop with husband Luis (played by Emilio Delgado, who remains on the show). Sonia Manzano (born June 12, 1950) is an American actress and writer. Manzano, 65, broke the news earlier this week at the American Library Association Annual Conference. Sonia Manzano, who has played the role of Maria on the groundbreaking kid show since 1971, is retiring. NEW YORK - "Sesame Street" is about to be less A-OK.