Loretta Long

Loretta Mae Long (née Moore; born October 4, 1938)[1][2] is an American actress, voice artist, singer, media personality, and educator. She has played the character of Susan Robinson on Sesame Street since its debut in 1969.

Loretta Long
Born
Loretta Mae Moore

(1938-10-04) October 4, 1938
Paw Paw, Michigan, U.S.
EducationPh.D, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1973
Occupation
  • Actress
  • singer
  • voice artist
  • educator
  • media personality
Years active1967–present

Long earned her Ph.D. in urban education in 1973 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst while she was starring on Sesame Street. She has acted in musicals (such as Guys and Dolls) and appeared on the Flip Wilson Show with other Sesame Street cast members during its first season.

In the early years, she voiced a few female Muppet voices including Roosevelt Franklin's mother, Suzetta and other Muppets where a female voice was needed.

Long's character, Susan, and Bob (Bob McGrath) are the only two remaining non-puppeteer actors on Sesame Street from its first episode before they were phased out of the show in 2015, as Will Lee (Mr. Hooper) died in 1982.

In addition to starring on Sesame Street, Long is a consultant and public speaker on issues of multiculturalism and education.

Career

Before Sesame Street, Long served as co-host of the WNET program SOUL! a weekly music, cultural, social and artistic PBS program, from its premier broadcast on September 12, 1968 (when she co-hosted with Alvin Poussaint, the black Harvard psychologist) through December 5, 1968 (when she co-hosted with then-future SOUL! sole co-host Ellis Haizlip). At the same time, Long also was a substitute teacher in New York City.[3] She continued to substitute teach during her early days working for Sesame Street, occasionally causing confusion for students who had watched her on Sesame Street before coming to school and then saw her in their classroom later that same morning.[4]

Education

Long commuted to the University of Massachusetts on her days off from Sesame 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 on Sesame Street.

Sesame Street

Long's main role on Sesame Street is Susan, the wife of Gordon Robinson. In early seasons, 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 has also lent her voice to various Muppet segments on Sesame Street, particularly in 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 also voiced the mother of Roosevelt Franklin and a backup singer in the nonsense song "Mahna Mahna".

Musical career

She recorded Susan 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 a Grammy Award in the category Best Recording for Children in 1971, ultimately losing to another Sesame Street recording.

In 1975, Long released a single under her own name on RCA Records called "Rainy Day Friend" with a B-side titled "July the 12th, 1939".[6]

Personal life

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 in East 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]

Filmography
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1969–present Sesame Street Susan Robinson
Roosevelt Franklin's Mother
Suzetta Something
One of the Anything Muppet backup singers in "Mahna Mahna"
Mother in "Five People in My Family"
Various other Muppet characters

References
  1. Street Gang by Michael Davis
  2. "Loretta Long's Interview from Television Academy Interviews". The Interviews: An Oral History of Television. August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  3. "Dr. Loretta Long". Linked In. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  4. SesameStreet.Org. "Loretta's Biography". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  5. Discogs. "Loretta Long – Susan Sings Songs From Sesame Street (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  6. Discogs. "Loretta Long—Rainy-Day Friend / July the 12, 1939 (Vinyl)". Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  7. Fair, Matt (2010-02-11). "Actress hit by car recovering". The Times, Trenton. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  8. Chiappardi, Matt. "East Windsor: Sesame Street actress hit by car on Route 130", CentralJersey.com, February 11, 2010. Accessed August 18, 2020. "East Windsor - A township resident and cast member of the iconic children’s television show Sesame Street was hospitalized Tuesday night with head and leg injuries after she was hit by car while crossing Route 130, according to township police. Loretta Long, 71, of Einstein Way, was taken to Capital Health Systems Fuld Campus in Trenton around 6:45 p.m. after a car making a left turn from Dutch Neck Road onto Route 130 struck her, police said."
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