
Sonia Manzano
actor | screenwriter
Growing up in the Bronx, Sonia Manzano loved watching television as an escape from the chaos around her. But, she never saw anyone that looked like her on the small screen. At 21, the arts student seized a historic opportunity ~ to change the face of mainstream media + transform children's educational programming.
When Sonia joined the cast of Sesame Street as Maria, she finally saw the street she grew up on reflected in society. She went on to act + write for the world's best loved children's program for 44 years. Along the way, Sonia earned 15 Emmys and scripted her real-life marriage + pregnancy into the show. Today, the diversity advocate shares her story on stages + pages with talks and books.
trailblazing tv | the first Latina on the world's most popular children's show
being "Maria" | 44 years playing the same beloved character on Sesame Street
making bilingual the norm | with songs + characters like Rosita
1971 | joined the cast of Sesame Street
2003 | honored with the Hispanic Heritage Award for Education
2015 | retired from Sesame Street + published her memoir Becoming Maria
from | to
a Bronx kid growing up in an unstable home | an icon tv character who helped generations of kids grow up
born on
June 12, 1950
born in
New York City, New York
birth name
Sonia Manzano
citizen of
The United States
daughter of
Puerto Rican immigrants who moved to New York ~ Nuyoricans
~ her father was a violent alcoholic, but her mother was a long-time supporter of Sonia's acting career ~
educated at
High School of Performing Arts
~ New York City ~
~ famously, the setting of Fame ~
Carnegie Mellon University
~ Pittsburgh, PA ~
~ she earned a scholarship to their prestigious conservatory program, but left after her Junior her to pursue acting gigs in New York City ~
loved studying
theater
married to
Richard Reagan
mother of
1 daughter | Gabriella
advocate for
early childhood education
education equality
fine arts
March of Dimes
tweets
@SoniaMManzano
image credit
"I hope I can be remembered as a person who created a moment of safety for a child watching."
Sonia Manzano Interview | july 2004
"Kids are people, too. They understand more than you think. They shouldn't be talked down to. They're not second-class citizens."
Sonia Manzano Interview | july 2004
"When we started in '69, we presented this idealistic world. Now, we are helping kids live in the world that exists."
"Sesame Street" celebrates its 45th anniversary | november 2014
"I grew up wondering how I was going to contribute to a society that didn't see me because I felt invisible."
Sonia Manzano on 'Becoming Maria' | june 2015
"Art is taking something that is banal and making it glorious."
Sonia Manzano on 'Becoming Maria' | june 2015
"It was a tumultuous childhood . . . It was a topsy-turvy world of hope and despair, hope and despair."
Sonia Manzano on 'Becoming Maria' | june 2015
"Here was a moment, an hour, where there's order, where there's humor, where there's love in a place that looks like your home."
NPR Morning Edition | august 2015
for further reading about Sonia Manzano:
curated with care by Alicia Williamson {august 2015}
Maria meets the muppets of the street
Sonia was tapped to join the cast of Sesame Street two years after the show's 1969 debut. The 21-year-old Carnegie Mellon grad took on the role of the charismatic teen Maria ~ a part she would play for 44 years. During that time, Maria came of age alongside her audiences, taking on babysitting jobs, marrying her boyfriend Luis, running the Fix-It shop + having a baby girl {named for her own daughter, Gabi}.
CBS News
© all rights reserved
Maria + Luis's wedding
Big Bird joined the loving couple who owned Sesame Street's Fix-It Shop for a wedding portrait. Maria's storyline on the show mirrored her real-life romance with her husband Richard. She recalls that her first-hand experience helped make the script come to life ~ it was a fun give children an authentic lesson about love.
The Sesame Workshop
© all rights reserved
No Dogs Allowed!
Besides writing award-winning scripts for Sesame Street, Sonia is the author of several books. This 2004 book ~ Sonia's humorous take on the great American roadtrip ~ was adapted into a children's musical put on by the Arvada Center for the Arts in 2013.
Antheneum Books
© all rights reserved