How Emilio Delgado Blazed a Trail from Calexico to 'Sesame Street'
Emilio Delgado was considered a trailblazing Mexican American actor whose warm smile and welcoming demeanor greeted children for 45 years when he played Fix-It Shop owner Luis Rodriguez on "Sesame Street." He played Luis from 1971 to 2015, making him one of few actors to have played the same character for such a long period. Delgado died March 10, 2022, at the age of 81 in New York, surrounded by family while in hospice care due to multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, with which he was diagnosed in December 2020. He is survived by his wife Carole and children Lauren and Aram.
Delgado previously said in interviews that he couldn't remember a time when he didn't want to be an actor. During his lifetime, he starred in dozens of shows, including the bilingual show "Canción de la Raza" (Song of the People) on KCET and a long tenure on the TV drama "Lou Grant." Most recently, he played the lead in the stage play "Quixote Nuevo" until the pandemic shut down production.
"Emilio was an immense talent who brought so much joy and smiles to his fans," said Robert Attermann, CEO of A3 Artists Agency, which represented the actor. "He will be missed by many, and we know his legacy will live on."
Young Emilio
A border town kid, Delgado was born in Calexico, California but grew up across the border in Mexicali, Mexico, with his large extended family. As a young boy, his life was split between two countries daily: Going to school in the U.S., where he first began performing in plays and musicals, and working in Mexico by shining shoes and helping at his uncle's bicycle repair shop.
Delgado was the only child to pursue acting and singing in his family with the support of his mother and grandparents, with whom his family lived. In many ways, his love for music was ingrained in him since he was a child, he said in a 2011 interview on "Up Close with Patsy Smullin."
"I went to sleep to the music of the streets," he said, mentioning how he would hear the sound of mariachis performing late into the night at a pair of beer gardens near his home.
His musical influences led to a performance branch of his career as a folk singer, guitarist and Spanish bolero singer with Mexican trios. He also performed at the Hollywood Bowl as a guest performer with the multi-language band Pink Martini.
When he was a teen, Delgado's family moved to Glendale. He attended and graduated from Glendale High School. While there, his interest in theater and music grew. He performed in all the school plays, played the trombone in the symphony orchestra and jazz band, and performed as a drum major in the marching band.
He studied acting in Hollywood with Russian actress Eugenie Leontovich through a scholarship, then enrolled at Glendale College and CalArts to continue his studies in theater.
A Time of Turmoil
Delgado said it was difficult to get a job on television when he started working as a Chicano actor in the 1960s. The few roles available typically revolved around stereotypes like bandits or drug dealers and other demeaning parts, he said in a 2021 interview on "Famous Cast Words."
During this time, as the nation underwent social turmoil, so too did Southern California, and Delgado was attuned to the struggles of his people.
According to Current.org, Delgado was an active participant in demonstrations against employment discrimination and racial prejudice, and he supported farm workers striking for fair wages.
"He was intimately aware of the stakes of such actions: As a supply corporal in the California National Guard called to respond to the Watts Rebellion, he saw firsthand how quickly social justice protests could be met with brutality," says digital archiver Kathryn Ostrofsky in her Current.org piece.
Delgado previously said he was "adamantly and morally opposed" to the Vietnam War. In 1963, he enlisted in the National Guard and served for six years rather than face being drafted.
When his unit was called to control the 1965 Watts Riots, Delgado passed out helmets and rifles as the supply corporal. According to his CalArts biography, he was astonished to see "weekend warriors being issued live ammunition to use against other Americans," according to his CalArts biography.
By 1968, Delgado received his actor equity card through the Actors' Equity Association and became a professional actor, and soon after was cast on "Canción De La Raza." He described it as the first show with a Mexican American theme.
The 70-part drama was a first for the Los Angeles PBS station KCET. Throughout its run from 1968 to 1969, the show found innovative ways to engage its new audience, including casting a majority of Mexican American actors, many amateurs from the surrounding East Los Angeles community. The show also held an open phone line where the community could provide feedback for the show's storylines.
Though only one episode is archived, and not much else is known about the cast, the show was considered a success and won an Emmy for its efforts to reflect Mexican Americans' struggles. That first episode's storyline focuses on one family's involvement in the East L.A. Blowouts of 1968.
Moving Forward
Delgado helped move the Latino community forward through the arts when not on the screen. He served as artistic director of the Barrio Theatre Ensemble of East Los Angeles for a time. His goal with the job was "attain[ing] our identification in American society."
As Luis on "Sesame Street," Delgado played the role proudly because it meant bringing to life a positive role model for young viewers; his presence broke down negative stereotypes of Latinos by playing a loving husband and father. He showcased the beauty of the Spanish language in the words he taught and the songs he sang.
Delgado was cast on "Sesame Street" following the first season in response to producers seeking out Latino representation, including a Mexican American bilingual actor.
In an interview with "Famous Cast Words," Delgado talked about how he incorporated Spanish words into his script. The first time he addressed Big Bird, he called him pájaro, the Spanish word for bird, and producers allowed it.
Delgado jumped at the opportunity to showcase his acting, singing and Spanish skills. By the start of the third season, he was named the coordinator of the Bilingual Task Force organized by the Television Children's Workshop, the nonprofit behind "Sesame Street."
He told the San Antonio Express that in 1972, he traveled across the country to engage and receive feedback from community groups to add more bilingual and bicultural components to the show.
"My commitment to the show goes beyond that of an actor," Delgado told the paper. "I am very much committed to do something for my people. I feel that being on 'Sesame Street,' I am doing what is the best I know how, that is as a performer and interpreter."
In interviews, Delgado said that Latino fans would later tell him how his face on television made them feel seen and represented and a familiar face that brought comfort. At the same time, those who lived in white neighborhoods said the character Luis was the first Latino they encountered in their lives.
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio even proclaimed October 15, 2019, "Emilio Delgado Day" in New York City, honoring him as a "trailblazing Mexican-American artist."
His work and activism, both on and off the screen, guided his philanthropy and ambassadorship throughout his life. As recently as December 2021, Delgado joined the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice board. Additionally, he contributed to organizations such as the United Farmworkers of America, Head Start and others.
