The Electric Company

…on the educational television series The Electric Company (1971–72) alongside actors Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman. In 1975 she starred in director Gordon Parks, Jr.’s, drama Aaron Loves Angela, a modern film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set in New York City. She went on to star in…

long-running Sesame Street and The Electric Company and eventually serving as president (1970–88), chair and CEO (1988–90), and chair of the executive committee (1990–2020). In 2007 the Sesame Group created the Joan Ganz Cooney Center to explore the use of digital media in children’s education. Ganz was inducted into…

…the educational children’s television show The Electric Company as the character Easy Reader. Freeman’s performance in the film Brubaker (1980) and on the soap opera Another World (1982–84), along with several enthusiastic reviews for his theatrical work in the early 1980s, led to more challenging film roles.

…in the children’s educational series The Electric Company, where she became noted for the catchphrase “Hey, you guys!” In 1972 she received a Grammy for her work on the show’s album. An appearance on The Muppet Show earned her an Emmy in 1977, and with that award she became the…