Sonia Manzano_

Sonia Manzano (born June 12, 1950) is an American actress, writer and speaker. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street from 1971 to 2015. She received a Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy Award in 2016. Her memoir, Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx was published in 2015, and her works include the novel The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano as well as several children's books. She is the creator of the animated children's television series Alma's Way, from Fred Rogers Productions, and serves as an executive producer, writer and voice actor for the show.