On June 29, 2015, it was announced that Manzano would be retiring from the show after 44 years. Manzano joined the production of Sesame Street in 1971, where she eventually began writing scripts for the series. In her junior year, she came to New York to star in the original production of the off-Broadway show Godspell. She attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on a scholarship. Manzano attended the High School of Performing Arts, where she began her acting career. Manzano was born and raised in the South Bronx in New York City.
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. 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 received a Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy Award in 2016. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street from 1971 to 2015. Sonia Manzano (born 1950) is an American actress, screenwriter, author, singer and songwriter. 15 Emmy Awards for writing, 2016 Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy Award
