Desiree Casado (born 18 August 1985 in New York, United States) is an American actress most notable for the role of Gabriela "Gabi" Rodriguez on PBS's Sesame Street, the daughter of long-standing main characters Luis and Maria. Casado took over the role in 1993 (being the first child actress hired to appear on Sesame Street).[1] Casado got the role when the past actress, Gabriela Rose Reagan (the real-life daughter of the actress playing Maria, Sonia Manzano), told her mother she did not enjoy being on television. The character of Gabi has become a more integral part of the show's cast in the last few years, perhaps mostly to fulfill Sesame Workshop's need to sustain youth among the cast, as the old guard of the show ages. Casado's character of Gabriela is one of only a handful of Latino/Latina characters who have appeared on Sesame Street.[2]
In addition to her role as Gabi, Casado appeared in several television commercials (including for Jell-O along actor/comedian/rapist Bill Cosby, and a then-known Lindsay Lohan). Her film credits include I Like It Like That (1994), Bed of Roses (1996), Joe's Apartment (1996), Wishful Thinking (1997), Gloria (1999), and Anamorph (2007). In 2004, she acted in her first starring role in the independent film Juicy. She also played a small role on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She came back in character as Gabi at Sesame Place, promoting "Healthy Habits" in 2006.[3] According to her official Sesame Street cast biography, Casado liked to dance, especially hip-hop, and is taking ballet lessons. She also appears to have a brother named Steven, who also appeared as one of the kids in episode 3300 (season 26) on Sesame Street. As of 2012, she was also working as a sixth grade teacher at Seven Bridges Middle School while continuing her dream as an actress as well as her appearances on the show. She married Michael Miller in 2012 and has 2 children together; a son and a daughter.
References[edit]
- ^ "The gentrification of "Sesame Street": Cashing out, once and for all, from the radical notion that the urban working class are people, too". Salon. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ^ "10 Latino Characters Who Made Their Way to Sesame Street". Latina. Latina. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ^ Muppet Central Forum
External links[edit]
- Desiree Casado at IMDb
- Sesame Place: Sesame Place holds Healthy Habits Weekend
- Hollywood.com: Desiree Casado Archived 2012-09-07 at the Wayback Machine
- Biography from Sesame Place Official Website
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