Emilio Delgado, Luis On ‘Sesame Street,’ Dies at 81

Emilio Delgado, the actor who played Luis on Sesame Street for 45 years, has died. He was 81.

The actor was surrounded by family when he died Thursday in his New York City home following a battle with cancer, his wife Carole Delgado told TMZ.

Born in Calexico, California, Delgado got his start on the Mexican-American soap opera Cancion de la Raz, as well as drama series like Lou Grant and Falcon Crest. He went on to appear on such series as Hawaii Five-O, Person of Interest, House of Cards, and The Get Down.

However, Delgado best known for portraying kindly Fix-it shop owner Luis Rodriguez on Sesame Street. He joined the show in 1971 and, apart from a brief hiatus in 1988, remained a series regular until 2016.

“For the first time on television, they showed Latinos as real human beings,” the actor told the Houston Chronicle in 2020. “We weren’t dope addicts. We weren’t maids or prostitutes, which were the way we were shown in television and film. Here on Sesame Street, there were different people who spoke different languages and ate interesting foods, and they were all Americans.

Following news of his death, the Sesame Street team paid tribute to Delgado.

“A beloved member of the Sesame family for over 50 years, his warmth and humor invited children to share a friendship that has echoed through generations,” a rep for Sesame Street said in a statement to the New York Post. “At the forefront of representation, Emilio proudly laid claim to the record for the longest-running role for a Mexican-American in a TV series. We are so grateful he shared his talents with us and with the world.”