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Loretta Long | |
|---|---|
| Born | Loretta Mae Moore (1938-10-04)October 4, 1938 (age 86) Paw Paw, Michigan, U.S. |
| Education | BA,Western Michigan University, 1960Ph.D.,University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1973 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, voice actress |
| Years active | 1967–present |
Loretta Mae Long (néeMoore; born October 4, 1938)[1] is an American actress. She played the character ofSusan Robinson onSesame Street from 1969 to 2016. Long is also a consultant andpublic speaker on issues ofmulticulturalism and education.
Long earned herPh.D. in urban education in 1973 from theUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst while she was starring onSesame Street. She has acted in musicals (such asGuys and Dolls) and appeared on theFlip Wilson Show with otherSesame Street cast members during its first season. In the early years, she voiced a few female Muppet characters, including Suzetta Something,Roosevelt Franklin's mother, one of the Anything Muppet backup singers in "Mahna Mahna", and other Muppets where a female voice was needed. Long's character,Susan Robinson, is the only surviving non-puppeteer actor on Sesame Street from its first episode; Will Lee (Mr. Hooper) died in 1982, Matt Robinson (the original Gordon) left the show in 1972 and died in 2002, andBob McGrath (Bob) left the show in 2016 and died in 2022.[citation needed]
BeforeSesame Street, Long served as co-host of theWNET programSoul! a weekly music, cultural, social and artisticPBS program, from its premier broadcast on September 12, 1968 (when she co-hosted withAlvin Poussaint, the black Harvard psychologist) through December 5, 1968 (when she co-hosted with then-futureSoul! sole co-host Ellis Haizlip). At the same time, Long also was a substitute teacher inNew York City.[2] She continued to substitute-teach during her early days working forSesame Street, occasionally causing confusion for students who had watched her onSesame Street before coming to school and then saw her in their classroom later that same morning.[3]
Long earned her Bachelor of Arts from Western Michigan University in 1960.[4] Long commuted to the University of Massachusetts on her days off fromSesame Street to complete a Ph.D., awarded in 1973. Her dissertation, "'Sesame Street': A Space Age Approach to Education for Space Age Kids", examined the educational model used onSesame Street.[citation needed]
Long's main role onSesame Street, until the character was phased out in 2016, wasSusan, wife ofGordon Robinson. At the beginning of the first season, her character was a housewife; afterwards, her role expanded to that of being a nurse as well as the mother of adopted son Miles. Long lent her voice to various other Muppet segments onSesame Street, particularly during the early seasons. On the 8th episode of the first season (1969), she was the voice of the mother Muppet in the song "Five People in My Family."
She recordedSusan Sings Songs from Sesame Street (Scepter Records SPS-584) in 1970, including the "ABC Song" and "If You're Happy and You Know It".[5] The album reached #86 on Billboard's Top LP's chart and was nominated for aGrammy Award in the categoryBest Recording for Children in 1971, ultimately losing to anotherSesame Street recording.[citation needed]
In 1975, Long released a single under her own name onRCA Records called "Rainy Day Friend" with aB-side titled "July the 12th, 1939".[6]
Long's father was a welder, and her mother was a cosmetics sales representative. On February 10, 2010, Long was struck by a car as she crossed Route 130 near her home inEast Windsor, New Jersey, suffering head injuries as a result. She was listed in fair condition following the accident and made a full recovery.[7][8]
| Television | |||
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1969–2016 | Sesame Street | Susan Robinson Roosevelt Franklin's Mother Suzetta Something One of the Anything Muppet backup singers in "Mah Nà Mah Nà" Mother in "Five People in My Family" Various other Muppet characters | |
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