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As the first actor to portray the kindly Gordon on long-running children's television staple Sesame Street, actor Matt Robinson endeared himself into the hearts of parents and children nationwide with his gentle demeanor and interaction with the show's memorable characters. Though his run on the Children's Television Workshop favorite lasted a mere three years, Robinson would later find success as a television writer and producer. Born in Philadelphia, PA, in 1937, Robinson began his career in his native city in 1963. Shortly after serving as writer, producer, and on-air talent at WCAU, he would begin his tenure on Sesame Street as both the aforementioned character and as the voice of puppet Roosevelt Franklin. Continuing as a writer and producer following his departure from the show, Robinson would next serve in both capacities for the films Save the Children (1973) and Amazing Grace (1974) before penning the off-Broadway The Confessions of Stepin Fetchit and episodes of television's Sanford and Son and Eight Is Enough. Married to Dolores Robinson, the couple would parent both a son and a daughter, with whom Matt, a sufferer of Parkinson's Disease since 1982, would later co-found the Hollyrod Foundation, an organization devoted to helping those suffering from the disease. In 1983, Robinson would team with fellow Philadelphia native Bill Cosby to write and produce the family oriented sitcom The Cosby Show, which would go on to become one of the most successful television sitcoms of all time. On August 5, 2002, Robinson died in his sleep in his Los Angeles home, putting a peaceful end to his 20-year struggle with the ravages of Parkinson's disease. He was 65.