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Rita Moreno

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Article Genealogy
Parent: Puerto Ricans in the United States Hop 4
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Rita Moreno
NameRita Moreno
CaptionMoreno in 1961
Birth nameRosa Dolores Alverío
Birth date11 December 1931
Birth placeHumacao, Puerto Rico
OccupationActress, singer, dancer
Years active1945–present
SpouseLeonard Gordon, 1965, 2010

Rita Moreno. Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano, known professionally as Rita Moreno, is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, and dancer. With a career spanning over eight decades, she is one of the few performers to have won all four major American entertainment awards: an Academy Award, a Tony Award, an Emmy Award, and a Grammy Award, collectively known as an EGOT. She is also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Kennedy Center Honors.

Early life and career beginnings

Born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, she moved to New York City with her mother as a child. She began taking dance lessons and performed in nightclubs in Greenwich Village as a teenager. Her first significant film role was in the musical Singin' in the Rain (1952), where she played the small but memorable role of Zelda Zanders. During this period, she was frequently cast in stereotypical "exotic" roles in films such as Pagan Love Song (1950) and The Toast of New Orleans (1950). She also appeared on Broadway in productions like The Last of the Red Hot Lovers and signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Breakthrough and West Side Story

Her career-defining breakthrough came when she was cast as Anita in the 1961 film adaptation of the Broadway musical West Side Story. Her fiery and poignant performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This role shattered previous typecasting and established her as a major dramatic talent. Following this success, she appeared in the political drama The King and I on television and starred in the British crime film Marlowe. She also performed on stage in productions for the American Shakespeare Theatre.

Later film and television work

In the 1970s, she gained new fame for her comedic work on the children's television series The Electric Company, where she was part of the regular cast. She later won her first Primetime Emmy Award for a guest appearance on The Muppet Show. Notable film roles during this era included a turn in the cult comedy The Ritz (1976). From 1997 to 2003, she had a recurring role as Sister Peter Marie Reimondo on the acclaimed HBO prison drama Oz, earning critical praise. She later joined the cast of the Latino-themed sitcom One Day at a Time.

Stage and other ventures

Moreno has maintained a consistent presence in American theatre. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in The Ritz on Broadway. Other notable stage credits include a celebrated turn in the female version of The Odd Couple opposite Sally Struthers. She performed her one-woman show Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Beyond acting, she has been a vocal advocate for Latino representation in Hollywood and has served on the board of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Personal life and legacy

She married cardiologist Leonard Gordon in 1965, and they remained together until his death in 2010; they have one daughter, Fernanda. She had a lengthy, tumultuous prior relationship with actor Marlon Brando. Her life and career were documented in the film Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It. She is considered a pioneering figure for Hispanic and Latino Americans in the entertainment industry, inspiring generations of performers. The Library of Congress selected West Side Story for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Awards and honors

In addition to her EGOT status, her accolades include the Peabody Award for her career achievements. She received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013. In 2004, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush. She was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2015. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. In 2019, she was honored with the Peabody Career Achievement Award.

Category:American film actresses Category:American stage actresses Category:EGOT winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees