Photo: fourandsixty / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Sonia Manzano holds a permanent place in my affection. Born in New York in 1950 and trained at Carnegie Mellon, she played Maria on Sesame Street from 1971 to 2015, earning a Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy. What moves me is not the longevity alone but what it meant: a Puerto Rican woman from the South Bronx gave countless children who rarely saw themselves on screen the simple, radical message that they belonged. She later wrote a memoir and children's books, becoming a storyteller off-camera too. Beneath that warm smile lives a genuine social conscience, and I treasure performers like her.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Sonia Manzano
- Name (Japanese)
- ソニア・マンザーノ
- Reading
- そにあ・まんざーの
- Born
- June 12, 1950 (age 76)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Tiger
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- voice actor / stage actor / television actor / screenwriter / film actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School
- University
- Carnegie Mellon University
Awards & achievements
- 2013 Américas Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.soniamanzano.com/
- Xhttps://x.com/SoniaMManzano
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia%20Manzano
Frequently asked questions
When was Sonia Manzano born?
Born June 12, 1950 (age 76).
Where is Sonia Manzano from?
Sonia Manzano is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Sonia Manzano do?
Sonia Manzano works as voice actor, stage actor, television actor, screenwriter, film actor.
Voice actor — see all → · Stage actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.