美国国家公共电台 NPR--'Sesame Street' actor, Emilio Delgado, dies after a battle with blood cancer

'Sesame Street' actor, Emilio Delgado, dies after a battle with blood cancer

Transcript¹

Generations of children knew Emilio Delgado as Sesame Street's fix-it shop owner, Luis Rodriguez. This week, Delgado died at age 81, having been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer two years ago. He played Luis for 44 years, starting in 1971. The Sesame Street Workshop noted² in a release that his was the longest running role for a Mexican American actor in a TV series.

Delgado was the coordinator³ of the Sesame Workshop's Bilingual Talk Force, helping⁴ to add bilingual content to the beloved children's show. As the first human character in the Muppet world, he introduced young audiences to Spanish words and Latino culture. Along with the Sesame Street puppets, Luis often played his guitar and sang in English and Spanish about being happy.

His storyline also helped teach children about love and family. In 1988, children watched Luis get married to Maria, played by Sonia Manzano. Grover, Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch⁵ attended the wedding, and so did Elmo, as the nervous ring bearer. Later on the show, Luis and Maria had a daughter, Gabriela, who they raised on Sesame Street.

Delgado was born in Calexico, California, and spent his childhood crossing the border to Mexicali, Mexico, where his grandparents lived. As a boy, he shined shoes and worked at his uncle's bicycle repair shop, according to his IMDb profile. He acted in high school productions in Los Angeles, and studied theater at California Institute of the Arts, while performing as a guitarist and singing traditional Spanish boleros with Mexican trios.

He got a break on the PBS series Canción de la Raza. In his early years, he was the artistic⁶ director of the Barrio Theatre of East L.A. In a 2021 interview on the YouTube series "Famous Cast Words" he said when he began on television, "Most of the roles that I went out for were either for bandits or gang members."

That changed when Sesame Street cast him in a positive, ordinary-guy role in a diverse cast of children and Muppets.

"The first time that I saw Big Bird walk on, my line was, 'Big Bird!' But I didn't say 'Big Bird,' I said, 'pájaro!'" he said in the interview. After explaining that "pájaro" meant "bird," the producers let him keep it in. "I called him 'pajaro' from then on every time I saw him," Delgado said.

Many credit Delgado for his pioneering work as a Chicano actor. He also guest starred on TV shows like Hawaii Five-O, The Lou Grant Show and The Get Down. More recently, he was in a Chicano adaptation of Don Quixote.

Delgado also continued to sing, performing with Pink Martini at the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall. He even recorded a duet of the song "Sing" for the band's album Splendor⁷ in the Grass. He was also an activist⁸, supporting organizations such as the United Farm Workers and Head Start, and serving on the Board of Directors at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, an LGBTQIA safe-space and community activist center. In 2019, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed October 15as Emilio Delgado Day in NYC, honoring him as a trailblazing Mexican-American artist.

In a statement, The Sesame Street Workshop wrote that Emilio Delgado's "warmth and humor invited children to share a friendship that has echoed through generations."

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 grouch   

n.牢骚，不满；v.抱怨

参考例句：

• He's always having a grouch about something.他总是发脾气抱怨这个抱怨那个。
• One of the biggest grouches is the new system of payment.人们抱怨最多的一点就是这种新的支付方式。

6 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

7 splendor   

n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌

参考例句：

• Never in his life had he gazed on such splendor.他生平从没有见过如此辉煌壮丽的场面。
• All the splendor in the world is not worth a good friend.人世间所有的荣华富贵不如一个好朋友。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。