The actress who played Susan on Sesame Street from the first episode was Loretta Long.
Long played Susan Robinson, Gordon Robinson's wife, beginning with Sesame Street's premiere season in 1969. Susan was one of the show's four regular human characters at launch, making Long one of the original members of the program's enduring neighborhood community.
Susan's role changed over time. She was initially presented as a housewife, but the character later became a nurse and the adoptive mother of Miles. This development reflected Sesame Street's effort to show children varied family structures, working adults, and capable women in familiar community roles.
Long also performed several other parts, including female Muppet voices and Roosevelt Franklin's mother. She earned a doctorate in urban education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1973 while continuing to work on Sesame Street. Her long tenure is sometimes overlooked because the show's better-known performers included puppeteers such as Jim Henson and Caroll Spinney.