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Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano;[nb 1][1] December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer.[2] She is noted for her work on stage and screen in a career spanning over seven decades. Moreno is one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Among her numerous accolades, she is one of a few performers to have been awarded an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony (EGOT)[3][4] and the Triple Crown of Acting, with individual competitive Academy, Emmy and Tony awards. She has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, the National Medal of Arts in 2009, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2015, and a Peabody Award in 2019.

Rita Moreno
Moreno in 2014
Born
Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano

(1931-12-11) December 11, 1931 (age 91)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active1943–present
WorksFull list
Spouse
Leonard Gordon
(m. 1965; died 2010)
Children1
AwardsFull list

Moreno's work includes supporting roles in the classic musical films Singin' in the Rain (1952), and The King and I (1956), before her breakout role as Anita in 1961 film West Side Story, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She made history becoming the first Latin American woman to win an Academy Award.[5] She later portrayed Valentina in the 2021 remake directed by Steven Spielberg. Her other notable films include Popi (1969), Carnal Knowledge (1971), The Four Seasons (1981), I Like It Like That (1994) and the cult film Slums of Beverly Hills (1998).

In theater, she starred as Googie Gomez in the 1975 Terrence McNally musical The Ritz earning her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She reprised her role in the 1976 film directed by Richard Lester which earned her a BAFTA Award for Best Actress nomination. She also acted in Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window in 1964 and in Neil Simon's The Odd Couple in 1985.

She was a cast member on the children's television series The Electric Company (1971-1977), and played Sister Peter Marie Reimondo on the HBO series Oz (1997-2003). She received two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles on The Muppet Show in 1977 and The Rockford Files in 1978. She gained acclaim for her roles in Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? (1994-1999), The CW series Jane the Virgin (2015–2019), and the Netflix revival of One Day at a Time (2017–2020). Her life was profiled in Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It (2021).

Early years

Moreno was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, to Rosa María (née Marcano), a seamstress, and Francisco José "Paco" Alverío, a farmer. She was nicknamed "Rosita". Moreno, whose mother was 17 at the time of her birth, was raised in nearby Juncos.[6][7] Her maternal grandparents were Justino Marcano (b. Puerto Rico) and Trinidad from Spain.[8] Moreno's mother moved to New York City in 1936, taking her daughter, but not her son, Moreno's younger brother, Francisco, whom Moreno would not see again until 2021.[9] Moreno adopted the surname of her first stepfather, Edward Moreno, Rosa Maria's second husband. She spent her teenage years living in the villages of Valley Stream on Long Island, part of the town of Hempstead bordering New York City.[10]

Career

Early career

 
Rita Moreno in 1954

Moreno began her first dancing lessons soon after arriving in New York with a Spanish dancer known as "Paco Cansino", who was a paternal uncle of film star Rita Hayworth.[11] When she was 11 years old, she lent her voice to Spanish-language versions of American films. She had her first Broadway role, as "Angelina" in Skydrift, by the age of 13, which caught the attention of Hollywood talent scouts.

Moreno said she was raped by her agent while she was a teen actor.[12][13]

Moreno's film career began in the later years of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Moreno and her mother moved to a Culver City "cottage" within walking distance of MGM.[14] She acted steadily in films throughout the 1950s, usually in small roles, including in The Toast of New Orleans (1950)[15] In 1952, she appeared in Stanley Donen's musical comedy film Singin' in the Rain alongside Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor. In the film she played silent film star Zelda Zanders. She described having gotten the role by Gene Kelly "wanting her in the movie" and that she "seemed to fit the role for him". Moreno praised Kelly for casting her in a non-stereotypical Hispanic role playing Zelda saying, "he never said 'Oh she's too Latina', he just thought I'd be fine for it". She called the experience working in the film as an "amazing experience" and a "privilege".[16]

In March 1954, Moreno was featured on the cover of Life magazine with the caption "Rita Moreno: An Actress's Catalog of Sex and Innocence".[17]

Moreno disliked most of her film work during this period, as she felt the roles she was given were very stereotypical. One exception was her supporting role in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I directed by Walter Lang. In the film she played Tuptim, a slave brought from Burma to be one of the King's junior wives.[18] She starred alongside Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr. The film was a critical and financial success. It received nine Academy Award nominations including five wins including Best Actor, Best Art Direction - Color, Best Costume Design - Color, Best Original Score, and Best Sound Recording.

In 1959, Moreno appeared as Lola Montez in Season 3, Episode 23, of the TV western Tales of Wells Fargo, episode title "Lola Montez".[19]

1960s

In 1961, Moreno landed the role of Anita in Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins' film adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking Broadway musical West Side Story, which had been played by Chita Rivera on Broadway. Moreno won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for that role.[20]

After winning the Oscar, Moreno thought she would be able to continue to perform less stereotypical film roles, but was disappointed:

Ha, ha. I showed them. I didn't make another movie for seven years after winning the Oscar.... Before West Side Story, I was always offered the stereotypical Latina roles. The Conchitas and Lolitas in westerns. I was always barefoot. It was humiliating, embarrassing stuff. But I did it because there was nothing else. After West Side Story, it was pretty much the same thing. A lot of gang stories.[21]

Moreno had a major role in Summer and Smoke (1961), released soon after West Side Story. She did appear in one film during her self-imposed exile from Hollywood – Cry of Battle (1963) – although it had been filmed directly before and after she won the Academy Award.

She made her return to film in The Night of the Following Day (1968) with Marlon Brando, and followed that with Popi (1969), and Marlowe (1969) with James Garner.

Moreno's Broadway credits include Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1969), the very short-lived musical Gantry (1970), and The Ritz, for which she won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress. She appeared in the female version of The Odd Couple[18] that ran in Chicago, for which she won the Sarah Siddons Award in 1985.[20]

1970s

 
Moreno in The Ritz in 1975

From 1971 to 1977, Moreno was a main cast member on the PBS children's series The Electric Company. She screamed the show's opening line, "Hey, you guys!" Her roles on the show included Millie the Helper, the naughty little girl Pandora, and Otto, a very short-tempered director. Moreno also starred in Mike Nichols' Carnal Knowledge (1971) alongside Jack Nicholson, Candice Bergen, Ann-Margret, and Art Garfunkel. In the film she plays a prostitute named Louise, whom Jack Nicholson plays cards with. The film was a critical success. In 1976 she starred as Googie Gomez in Richard Lester's film adaptation of the comedy farce The Ritz alongside Jack Weston, Jerry Stiller, and F. Murray Abraham. Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film made the transition from the stage "surprisingly well, given the odds," with "two of the most flamboyantly entertaining and skillful comedy performances of the year" by Jack Weston and Rita Moreno.[22]

Moreno's appearance on The Muppet Show earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 1977.[23] As a result, she became the third person (after Richard Rodgers and Helen Hayes) to have won an Oscar (1962), a Grammy (1972), a Tony (1975), and an Emmy (1977), frequently referred to as an "EGOT". She won another Emmy award the following year, 1978, this time a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Drama Series, for her portrayal of former call girl Rita Kapcovic on a three-episode arc on The Rockford Files.

1980s–1990s

In the 1980s Moreno starred as Lucille in Richard Benner's comedy-drama film Happy Birthday, Gemini alongside Madeline Kahn. She was in Alan Alda's The Four Seasons (1981) which was a financial and critical hit and starred Alda, Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis, and Jack Weston. She was a regular on the three-season network run of 9 to 5, a sitcom based on the film hit, during the early 1980s.[24] Rita Moreno has made numerous guest appearances on television series in the 1980s, including The Love Boat, The Cosby Show, George Lopez, The Golden Girls, and Miami Vice.

In 1993, Moreno was invited to perform at President Bill Clinton's inauguration and later that month was asked to perform at the White House.[25]

During the mid-1990s, Moreno provided the voice of Carmen Sandiego on Fox's animated series Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?[26] In the franchise's 2019 animated series, Moreno voices the character Cookie Booker. In the late 1990s, Moreno played Sister Pete, a nun trained as a psychologist in the popular HBO series Oz, for which she won several ALMA Awards. She made a guest appearance on The Nanny as Coach Stone, Maggie's tyrannical gym teacher, whom Fran Fine also remembered from her school as Ms. Wickavich.[27]

2000s–2010s

 
Moreno at the Walk of Fame ceremony in 2022

She released an eponymous album of nightclub songs in 2000 on the Varèse Sarabande label, with liner notes by Michael Feinstein.[28] In 2006, she portrayed Amanda Wingfield in Berkeley Repertory Theatre's revival of The Glass Menagerie. She had a recurring role on Law & Order: Criminal Intent as the dying mother of Detective Robert Goren. She played the family matriarch on the short-lived 2007 TV series Cane, which starred Jimmy Smits and Hector Elizondo. She played the mother of Fran Drescher's character in the 2011–13 TV sitcom Happily Divorced.[citation needed]

Since then, she has continued to work in film, including a small voice role in the 2014 film Rio 2, perhaps her most commercially successful film. In September 2011, Moreno began performing a solo autobiographical show at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup written by the theatre's artistic director Tony Taccone after hours of interviews with Moreno.[17] In 2014, Moreno appeared in the NBC television film Old Soul, alongside Natasha Lyonne, Fred Willard and Ellen Burstyn.[29] The film was intended as a pilot for a television series, but it was not picked up.

Moreno plays the matriarch of a Cuban-American family in the Netflix sitcom One Day at a Time, a remake produced by Norman Lear of Lear's 1975–84 sitcom. The first season premiered in January 2017. Critics overall praised the show, and especially the performances of Moreno and the series' star, Justina Machado.[30] Also that year, Moreno and others contributed to Lin-Manuel Miranda's single "Almost Like Praying" where proceeds from the song went to the Hispanic Federation's UNIDOS Disaster Relief program to benefit those affected by Hurricane Maria that devastated the island of Puerto Rico.[31]

2020s–present

In 2020–21, Moreno starred in and executive-produced the Steven Spielberg–directed adaptation of West Side Story.[32] Moreno plays a newly created character, Valentina; she famously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Anita in the 1961 original movie. The film was released on December 10, 2021. Justin Chang of NPR wrote, "Sixty years later, Moreno is an executive producer on Spielberg's West Side Story. She also gives a poignant performance in the new role of Valentina, the widow of Doc, the drugstore owner. By her presence, Moreno teaches us how to approach this movie, as both an affectionate tribute and a gentle corrective."[33]

On August 29, 2021, Moreno took part in the "Wicked in Concert" special on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video App, performing "The Wizard and I".[34][35]

Moreno's life was profiled in the feature documentary entitled Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It which was produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received positive reviews. The Guardian declared, "Overall, she emerges just as vampish, feisty and fun as you’d expect, and as a gracious giver of speeches at ceremonies where she collects endless lifetime achievement awards".[36]

In 2023 Moreno starred in the sports comedy 80 for Brady about four elderly women who travel to see Tom Brady and the New England Patriots play at the Super Bowl LI. Moreno co-starred alongside Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Sally Field. Also in 2023 she is set to play Abuela Toretto, the grandmother of Dom (Vin Diesel), Jakob (John Cena), and Mia (Jordana Brewster) in the Fast and the Furious film Fast X.

Personal life

From 1954 to 1962, Moreno was in an on-and-off relationship with Marlon Brando.[37] She revealed in her memoir that she became pregnant by Brando and he arranged for an abortion. The abortion was botched, she went home and bled as the fetus died inside her and she had to be rushed to the hospital to have it surgically removed. Soon after, Brando fell in love with his co-star on Mutiny on the Bounty, yet returned to her; Moreno attempted suicide by overdosing on Brando's sleeping pills.[38]

In 1965, Moreno married cardiologist and internist Leonard Gordon,[39] who became her manager after he retired from medicine.[40][41] In 1995, they relocated to Berkeley, California.[42] They remained together until his death in 2010.[43] Moreno and Gordon have one daughter, Fernanda Gordon Fisher, and two grandsons.[44] Moreno said she once considered leaving her husband, but did not to avoid breaking up the family.[45]

Awards and honors

 
Moreno with President Bush in 2004, prior to receiving the Medal of Freedom

Moreno has achieved what is called the Triple Crown of Acting, with individual competitive Academy, Emmy and Tony awards for acting; as well as the EGOT. In 1962, she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for West Side Story. In 1972, she received a Grammy Award for Best Children's Album for The Electric Company. In 1975, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Ritz. She won her Primetime Emmy Awards in 1977 and 1978 for her performances in The Muppet Show and The Rockford Files, respectively.[46]

She has also received a Golden Globe Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she was Inducted into the California Hall of Fame, 2007[47] In 2013, she received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award which was presented to her by Morgan Freeman.[48]

She has won numerous other honors, including various lifetime achievement awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor. In 2009, President Barack Obama presented her with the National Medal of Arts.[49] In 2015, she was awarded a Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award for her contribution to American culture, through performing arts.[50] She was awarded the Peabody Career Achievement Award in 2019. She also received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013, and was awarded the Peabody Award in 2019.[51]

In 2000, The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actresses (HOLA) renamed their Award for Excellence in her honor, known as the HOLA Rita Moreno Award for Excellence.[52]

Among Moreno's awards and recognition are the following:

Acting credits

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Alverío and the second or maternal family name is Marcano.

References

  1. ^ Gettell, Oliver (January 18, 2014). "SAG Awards 2014: Rita Moreno receives lifetime achievement award". Los Angeles Times. from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "Rita Moreno | Biography, West Side Story, Movies, Oscar, & Facts". Encyclopædia Britannica. from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "16 stars who are EGOT winners". Entertainment Weekly. July 27, 2020. from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Nicole Lyn Pesce; Joe Dziemianowicz; Margaret Eby (March 3, 2014). "Oscars 2014: Bobby Lopez becomes youngest person to get an EGOT with Best Original Song win for 'Let It Go'". Daily News. New York. from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  5. ^ "Rita Moreno becomes the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar". History Channel. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Rita Moreno: A Memoir. Celebra (Penguin Group). 2013. ISBN 978-0-451-41637-7.
  7. ^ filmreference.com blacklisted
  8. ^ Rita Moreno: A Memoir. Celebra (Penguin Group). 2013. ISBN 978-0-451-41637-7. from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  9. ^ "Rita Moreno Says It Was "Spooky" Working Alongside New Anita in "West Side Story"". YouTube. December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "Rita Moreno joining Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' remake". Newsday. November 27, 2018. from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  11. ^ Rita Moreno Interview 2000 on YouTube.
  12. ^ Article from 2022 in The Mercury News
  13. ^ Interview in 60 minutes from 2021 on CBS
  14. ^ Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For ItAmerican Masters Season 35, Episode 19 (documentary)
  15. ^ Schallert, Edwin (March 22, 1950). "TV Tempts Crawford' Betty Garrett Ending MGM Pact; "Mother" Set". Los Angeles Times.
  16. ^ "Rita Moreno & SINGIN IN THE RAIN". Youtube. from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Rita Moreno's life laid bare in 'Life without Makeup'". Berkeleyside. September 8, 2011. from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  18. ^ a b Rita Moreno at IMDb
  19. ^ "Lola Montez". IMDb. February 16, 1959. from the original on February 9, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  20. ^ a b . Archived from the original on December 23, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
  21. ^ "Rita Moreno overcame Hispanic stereotypes to achieve stardom". The Miami Herald. September 14, 2008. from the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  22. ^ Champlin, Charles (October 6, 1976). "Gays and Gags in 'The Ritz'". Los Angeles Times. Part IV: 1. from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  23. ^ Green, Elon (August 7, 2018). "'I Can't Stop Laughing': Rita Moreno Remembers Singing with Animal". The New Yorker. from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  24. ^ Rita Moreno at IMDb
  25. ^ . Archived from the original on October 4, 2013.
  26. ^ Mangan, Jennifer (May 4, 1994). "'Educating Rita". Chicago Tribune. from the original on September 15, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  27. ^ "Rita Moreno". All American Entertainment Speakers. All American Speakers Bureau. from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  28. ^ Rita Moreno, Varèse Sarabande 302 066 189 2 (2000)
  29. ^ Nellie Andreeva (February 8, 2014). "Rita Moreno to Co-Star in Amy Poehler's NBC Comedy Pilot 'Old Soul'". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  30. ^ "One Day at a Time: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. January 2017. from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  31. ^ Villafañe, Veronica. "Lin-Manuel Miranda Releases Star-Studded 'Almost Like Praying' Song For Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief". Forbes. from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  32. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 27, 2018). "Rita Moreno Returns to 'West Side Story': EGOT Winner to Play the Role of Valentina in Steven Spielberg's Remake". Deadline. from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  33. ^ "Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' will make you believe in movies again". NPR. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  34. ^ "Rita Moreno to Perform in PBS' "Wicked in Concert" Special". August 9, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  35. ^ "Photos-See-Idina-Menzel-Kristin-Chenoweth-Amber-Riley-Gavin-Creel-Ali-Stroker-Alex-Newell-More-in-Photos-From-WICKED-IN-CONCERT". August 25, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  36. ^ "Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It review – vampish and sharp as a stiletto". The Guardian. December 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  37. ^ . People. April 21, 1975. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010.
  38. ^ Cahalan, Susannah (February 17, 2013). "Rita Moreno tells all about her 'near-fatal' affair with Marlon Brando in memoir". New York Post. from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  39. ^ "Leonard Isadore Gordon Obituary". Los Angeles Times. July 11, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  40. ^ Brunati, Bryan (December 11, 2019). "Who Is Rita Moreno's Husband? Get to Know the 'West Side Story' Star's Late Spouse Leonard Gordon". Closer Weekly. from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  41. ^ Johnson, G. Allen (June 15, 2021). "Review: 'Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It' a feisty documentary that matches its fascinating subject". Datebook. sf chronicle. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  42. ^ Guthrie, Julian (September 18, 2011). "Rita Moreno reflects on her remarkable career". SFGATE. Retrieved October 26, 2021. "I would call my story an American story," Moreno said, sitting in her Berkeley hills home, where she has lived for the past 16 years.
  43. ^ "Gordon, Leonard". San Francisco Chronicle. July 11, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  44. ^ "Leonard Isadore Gordon". Los Angeles Times. July 11, 2010. from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2020 – via Legacy.com.
  45. ^ McElwaine, Sandra (January 15, 2014). . The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on June 7, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  46. ^ "Rita Moreno". Television Academy. Retrieved December 10, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  47. ^ Moreno inducted into California Hall of Fame January 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, California Museum. Retrieved 2007
  48. ^ Rita Moreno Honored With SAG Life Achievement Award during the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards September 30, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 19, 2014
  49. ^ White House Announces 2009 National Medal of Arts Recipients May 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  50. ^ Viagas, Robert. "Carole King, Cicely Tyson, Rita Moreno and More Named 2015 Kennedy Center Honorees" December 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine Playbill, July 15, 2015
  51. ^ "Rita Moreno to Receive Peabody Award for Career Achievement". TheWrap. March 28, 2019. from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  52. ^ Gil de Rubio, Dave (October 6, 2021). "The Many Lives of Rita Moreno: Veteran performer reflects in latest documentary". East Bay Express. Retrieved December 10, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  53. ^ "Luz Casal, Leo Dan, Rita Moreno, Milton Nascimento, Daniela Romo, Poncho Sanchez, and Toquinho to Be Honored with the Lation Recording Academy® Lifetime Achievement Award" (Press release). LARAS. September 13, 2012. from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  54. ^ Rita Moreno honored at commencement June 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Berklee College of Music official site, May 2016.
  55. ^ . Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  56. ^ Actresses, gymnast named grand marshals of 2020 Rose Parade October 20, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, AP, October 15, 2019
  57. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2022: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. Retrieved December 10, 2022.

External links

rita, moreno, born, rosa, dolores, alverío, marcano, december, 1931, puerto, rican, actress, dancer, singer, noted, work, stage, screen, career, spanning, over, seven, decades, moreno, last, remaining, stars, from, golden, hollywood, among, numerous, accolades. Rita Moreno born Rosa Dolores Alverio Marcano nb 1 1 December 11 1931 is a Puerto Rican actress dancer and singer 2 She is noted for her work on stage and screen in a career spanning over seven decades Moreno is one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood Among her numerous accolades she is one of a few performers to have been awarded an Emmy a Grammy an Oscar and a Tony EGOT 3 4 and the Triple Crown of Acting with individual competitive Academy Emmy and Tony awards She has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 the National Medal of Arts in 2009 the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013 the Kennedy Center Honor in 2015 and a Peabody Award in 2019 Rita MorenoMoreno in 2014BornRosa Dolores Alverio Marcano 1931 12 11 December 11 1931 age 91 Humacao Puerto RicoOccupationsActresssingerdancerYears active1943 presentWorksFull listSpouseLeonard Gordon m 1965 died 2010 wbr Children1AwardsFull listMoreno s work includes supporting roles in the classic musical films Singin in the Rain 1952 and The King and I 1956 before her breakout role as Anita in 1961 film West Side Story which earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress She made history becoming the first Latin American woman to win an Academy Award 5 She later portrayed Valentina in the 2021 remake directed by Steven Spielberg Her other notable films include Popi 1969 Carnal Knowledge 1971 The Four Seasons 1981 I Like It Like That 1994 and the cult film Slums of Beverly Hills 1998 In theater she starred as Googie Gomez in the 1975 Terrence McNally musical The Ritz earning her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical She reprised her role in the 1976 film directed by Richard Lester which earned her a BAFTA Award for Best Actress nomination She also acted in Lorraine Hansberry s The Sign in Sidney Brustein s Window in 1964 and in Neil Simon s The Odd Couple in 1985 She was a cast member on the children s television series The Electric Company 1971 1977 and played Sister Peter Marie Reimondo on the HBO series Oz 1997 2003 She received two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles on The Muppet Show in 1977 and The Rockford Files in 1978 She gained acclaim for her roles in Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego 1994 1999 The CW series Jane the Virgin 2015 2019 and the Netflix revival of One Day at a Time 2017 2020 Her life was profiled in Rita Moreno Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It 2021 Contents 1 Early years 2 Career 2 1 Early career 2 2 1960s 2 3 1970s 2 4 1980s 1990s 2 5 2000s 2010s 2 6 2020s present 3 Personal life 4 Awards and honors 5 Acting credits 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External linksEarly yearsMoreno was born in Humacao Puerto Rico to Rosa Maria nee Marcano a seamstress and Francisco Jose Paco Alverio a farmer She was nicknamed Rosita Moreno whose mother was 17 at the time of her birth was raised in nearby Juncos 6 7 Her maternal grandparents were Justino Marcano b Puerto Rico and Trinidad from Spain 8 Moreno s mother moved to New York City in 1936 taking her daughter but not her son Moreno s younger brother Francisco whom Moreno would not see again until 2021 9 Moreno adopted the surname of her first stepfather Edward Moreno Rosa Maria s second husband She spent her teenage years living in the villages of Valley Stream on Long Island part of the town of Hempstead bordering New York City 10 CareerEarly career Rita Moreno in 1954 Moreno began her first dancing lessons soon after arriving in New York with a Spanish dancer known as Paco Cansino who was a paternal uncle of film star Rita Hayworth 11 When she was 11 years old she lent her voice to Spanish language versions of American films She had her first Broadway role as Angelina in Skydrift by the age of 13 which caught the attention of Hollywood talent scouts Moreno said she was raped by her agent while she was a teen actor 12 13 Moreno s film career began in the later years of the Golden Age of Hollywood Moreno and her mother moved to a Culver City cottage within walking distance of MGM 14 She acted steadily in films throughout the 1950s usually in small roles including in The Toast of New Orleans 1950 15 In 1952 she appeared in Stanley Donen s musical comedy film Singin in the Rain alongside Gene Kelly Debbie Reynolds and Donald O Connor In the film she played silent film star Zelda Zanders She described having gotten the role by Gene Kelly wanting her in the movie and that she seemed to fit the role for him Moreno praised Kelly for casting her in a non stereotypical Hispanic role playing Zelda saying he never said Oh she s too Latina he just thought I d be fine for it She called the experience working in the film as an amazing experience and a privilege 16 In March 1954 Moreno was featured on the cover of Life magazine with the caption Rita Moreno An Actress s Catalog of Sex and Innocence 17 Moreno disliked most of her film work during this period as she felt the roles she was given were very stereotypical One exception was her supporting role in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein s The King and I directed by Walter Lang In the film she played Tuptim a slave brought from Burma to be one of the King s junior wives 18 She starred alongside Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr The film was a critical and financial success It received nine Academy Award nominations including five wins including Best Actor Best Art Direction Color Best Costume Design Color Best Original Score and Best Sound Recording In 1959 Moreno appeared as Lola Montez in Season 3 Episode 23 of the TV western Tales of Wells Fargo episode title Lola Montez 19 1960s In 1961 Moreno landed the role of Anita in Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins film adaptation of Leonard Bernstein s and Stephen Sondheim s groundbreaking Broadway musical West Side Story which had been played by Chita Rivera on Broadway Moreno won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for that role 20 After winning the Oscar Moreno thought she would be able to continue to perform less stereotypical film roles but was disappointed Ha ha I showed them I didn t make another movie for seven years after winning the Oscar Before West Side Story I was always offered the stereotypical Latina roles The Conchitas and Lolitas in westerns I was always barefoot It was humiliating embarrassing stuff But I did it because there was nothing else After West Side Story it was pretty much the same thing A lot of gang stories 21 Moreno had a major role in Summer and Smoke 1961 released soon after West Side Story She did appear in one film during her self imposed exile from Hollywood Cry of Battle 1963 although it had been filmed directly before and after she won the Academy Award She made her return to film in The Night of the Following Day 1968 with Marlon Brando and followed that with Popi 1969 and Marlowe 1969 with James Garner Moreno s Broadway credits include Last of the Red Hot Lovers 1969 the very short lived musical Gantry 1970 and The Ritz for which she won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress She appeared in the female version of The Odd Couple 18 that ran in Chicago for which she won the Sarah Siddons Award in 1985 20 1970s Moreno in The Ritz in 1975 From 1971 to 1977 Moreno was a main cast member on the PBS children s series The Electric Company She screamed the show s opening line Hey you guys Her roles on the show included Millie the Helper the naughty little girl Pandora and Otto a very short tempered director Moreno also starred in Mike Nichols Carnal Knowledge 1971 alongside Jack Nicholson Candice Bergen Ann Margret and Art Garfunkel In the film she plays a prostitute named Louise whom Jack Nicholson plays cards with The film was a critical success In 1976 she starred as Googie Gomez in Richard Lester s film adaptation of the comedy farce The Ritz alongside Jack Weston Jerry Stiller and F Murray Abraham Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film made the transition from the stage surprisingly well given the odds with two of the most flamboyantly entertaining and skillful comedy performances of the year by Jack Weston and Rita Moreno 22 Moreno s appearance on The Muppet Show earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 1977 23 As a result she became the third person after Richard Rodgers and Helen Hayes to have won an Oscar 1962 a Grammy 1972 a Tony 1975 and an Emmy 1977 frequently referred to as an EGOT She won another Emmy award the following year 1978 this time a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress Drama Series for her portrayal of former call girl Rita Kapcovic on a three episode arc on The Rockford Files 1980s 1990s In the 1980s Moreno starred as Lucille in Richard Benner s comedy drama film Happy Birthday Gemini alongside Madeline Kahn She was in Alan Alda s The Four Seasons 1981 which was a financial and critical hit and starred Alda Carol Burnett Len Cariou Sandy Dennis and Jack Weston She was a regular on the three season network run of 9 to 5 a sitcom based on the film hit during the early 1980s 24 Rita Moreno has made numerous guest appearances on television series in the 1980s including The Love Boat The Cosby Show George Lopez The Golden Girls and Miami Vice In 1993 Moreno was invited to perform at President Bill Clinton s inauguration and later that month was asked to perform at the White House 25 During the mid 1990s Moreno provided the voice of Carmen Sandiego on Fox s animated series Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego 26 In the franchise s 2019 animated series Moreno voices the character Cookie Booker In the late 1990s Moreno played Sister Pete a nun trained as a psychologist in the popular HBO series Oz for which she won several ALMA Awards She made a guest appearance on The Nanny as Coach Stone Maggie s tyrannical gym teacher whom Fran Fine also remembered from her school as Ms Wickavich 27 2000s 2010s Moreno at the Walk of Fame ceremony in 2022 She released an eponymous album of nightclub songs in 2000 on the Varese Sarabande label with liner notes by Michael Feinstein 28 In 2006 she portrayed Amanda Wingfield in Berkeley Repertory Theatre s revival of The Glass Menagerie She had a recurring role on Law amp Order Criminal Intent as the dying mother of Detective Robert Goren She played the family matriarch on the short lived 2007 TV series Cane which starred Jimmy Smits and Hector Elizondo She played the mother of Fran Drescher s character in the 2011 13 TV sitcom Happily Divorced citation needed Since then she has continued to work in film including a small voice role in the 2014 film Rio 2 perhaps her most commercially successful film In September 2011 Moreno began performing a solo autobiographical show at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre Rita Moreno Life Without Makeup written by the theatre s artistic director Tony Taccone after hours of interviews with Moreno 17 In 2014 Moreno appeared in the NBC television film Old Soul alongside Natasha Lyonne Fred Willard and Ellen Burstyn 29 The film was intended as a pilot for a television series but it was not picked up Moreno plays the matriarch of a Cuban American family in the Netflix sitcom One Day at a Time a remake produced by Norman Lear of Lear s 1975 84 sitcom The first season premiered in January 2017 Critics overall praised the show and especially the performances of Moreno and the series star Justina Machado 30 Also that year Moreno and others contributed to Lin Manuel Miranda s single Almost Like Praying where proceeds from the song went to the Hispanic Federation s UNIDOS Disaster Relief program to benefit those affected by Hurricane Maria that devastated the island of Puerto Rico 31 2020s present In 2020 21 Moreno starred in and executive produced the Steven Spielberg directed adaptation of West Side Story 32 Moreno plays a newly created character Valentina she famously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Anita in the 1961 original movie The film was released on December 10 2021 Justin Chang of NPR wrote Sixty years later Moreno is an executive producer on Spielberg s West Side Story She also gives a poignant performance in the new role of Valentina the widow of Doc the drugstore owner By her presence Moreno teaches us how to approach this movie as both an affectionate tribute and a gentle corrective 33 On August 29 2021 Moreno took part in the Wicked in Concert special on PBS PBS org and the PBS Video App performing The Wizard and I 34 35 Moreno s life was profiled in the feature documentary entitled Rita Moreno Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It which was produced by Lin Manuel Miranda The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received positive reviews The Guardian declared Overall she emerges just as vampish feisty and fun as you d expect and as a gracious giver of speeches at ceremonies where she collects endless lifetime achievement awards 36 In 2023 Moreno starred in the sports comedy 80 for Brady about four elderly women who travel to see Tom Brady and the New England Patriots play at the Super Bowl LI Moreno co starred alongside Jane Fonda Lily Tomlin and Sally Field Also in 2023 she is set to play Abuela Toretto the grandmother of Dom Vin Diesel Jakob John Cena and Mia Jordana Brewster in the Fast and the Furious film Fast X Personal lifeFrom 1954 to 1962 Moreno was in an on and off relationship with Marlon Brando 37 She revealed in her memoir that she became pregnant by Brando and he arranged for an abortion The abortion was botched she went home and bled as the fetus died inside her and she had to be rushed to the hospital to have it surgically removed Soon after Brando fell in love with his co star on Mutiny on the Bounty yet returned to her Moreno attempted suicide by overdosing on Brando s sleeping pills 38 In 1965 Moreno married cardiologist and internist Leonard Gordon 39 who became her manager after he retired from medicine 40 41 In 1995 they relocated to Berkeley California 42 They remained together until his death in 2010 43 Moreno and Gordon have one daughter Fernanda Gordon Fisher and two grandsons 44 Moreno said she once considered leaving her husband but did not to avoid breaking up the family 45 Awards and honors Moreno with President Bush in 2004 prior to receiving the Medal of Freedom Main article List of awards and nominations received by Rita Moreno Moreno has achieved what is called the Triple Crown of Acting with individual competitive Academy Emmy and Tony awards for acting as well as the EGOT In 1962 she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for West Side Story In 1972 she received a Grammy Award for Best Children s Album for The Electric Company In 1975 she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Ritz She won her Primetime Emmy Awards in 1977 and 1978 for her performances in The Muppet Show and The Rockford Files respectively 46 She has also received a Golden Globe Award a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame she was Inducted into the California Hall of Fame 2007 47 In 2013 she received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award which was presented to her by Morgan Freeman 48 She has won numerous other honors including various lifetime achievement awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom America s highest civilian honor In 2009 President Barack Obama presented her with the National Medal of Arts 49 In 2015 she was awarded a Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award for her contribution to American culture through performing arts 50 She was awarded the Peabody Career Achievement Award in 2019 She also received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013 and was awarded the Peabody Award in 2019 51 In 2000 The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actresses HOLA renamed their Award for Excellence in her honor known as the HOLA Rita Moreno Award for Excellence 52 Among Moreno s awards and recognition are the following Joseph Jefferson Award Best Chicago Theatre Actress 1968 Sarah Siddons Award for her portrayal of Olive Madison in the female version of The Odd Couple 1985 Library of Congress Living Legends Award April 2000 Special Recognition Award from the International Latin Music Hall of Fame 2001 Hispanic Organization of Latin Actresses HOLA Lifetime Achievement Award 2010 Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 2012 53 Honorary doctorate of music awarded by the Berklee College of Music May 7 2016 54 Ellis Island Medal of Honor May 11 2018 55 Grand Marshal of the 2020 Rose Parade 56 BBC 100 Women 2022 57 Acting creditsMain article Rita Moreno on screen and stageSee also Puerto Rico portal Biography portalList of Puerto Ricans List of Puerto Ricans in the Academy Awards List of people who have won an Emmy a Grammy an Oscar and a Tony Award List of Puerto Rican Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients History of women in Puerto RicoNotes In this Spanish name the first or paternal surname is Alverio and the second or maternal family name is Marcano References Gettell Oliver January 18 2014 SAG Awards 2014 Rita Moreno receives lifetime achievement award Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on September 14 2021 Retrieved October 25 2021 Rita Moreno Biography West Side Story Movies Oscar amp Facts Encyclopaedia Britannica Archived from the original on October 11 2021 Retrieved October 15 2021 16 stars who are EGOT winners Entertainment Weekly July 27 2020 Archived from the original on July 27 2020 Retrieved July 28 2020 Nicole Lyn Pesce Joe Dziemianowicz Margaret Eby March 3 2014 Oscars 2014 Bobby Lopez becomes youngest person to get an EGOT with Best Original Song win for Let It Go Daily News New York Archived from the original on March 6 2014 Retrieved March 6 2014 Rita Moreno becomes the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar History Channel Retrieved January 20 2022 Rita Moreno A Memoir Celebra Penguin Group 2013 ISBN 978 0 451 41637 7 filmreference com blacklisted Rita Moreno A Memoir Celebra Penguin Group 2013 ISBN 978 0 451 41637 7 Archived from the original on October 25 2021 Retrieved February 2 2020 Rita Moreno Says It Was Spooky Working Alongside New Anita in West Side Story YouTube December 1 2021 Retrieved December 13 2021 Rita Moreno joining Steven Spielberg s West Side Story remake Newsday November 27 2018 Archived from the original on November 28 2018 Retrieved December 3 2018 Rita Moreno Interview 2000 on YouTube Article from 2022 in The Mercury News Interview in 60 minutes from 2021 on CBS Rita Moreno Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It American Masters Season 35 Episode 19 documentary Schallert Edwin March 22 1950 TV Tempts Crawford Betty Garrett Ending MGM Pact Mother Set Los Angeles Times Rita Moreno amp SINGIN IN THE RAIN Youtube Archived from the original on February 29 2020 Retrieved March 13 2021 a b Rita Moreno s life laid bare in Life without Makeup Berkeleyside September 8 2011 Archived from the original on September 10 2011 Retrieved September 10 2011 a b Rita Moreno at IMDb Lola Montez IMDb February 16 1959 Archived from the original on February 9 2017 Retrieved February 10 2020 a b Rita Moreno fan site Archived from the original on December 23 2013 Retrieved January 11 2008 Rita Moreno overcame Hispanic stereotypes to achieve stardom The Miami Herald September 14 2008 Archived from the original on August 23 2011 Retrieved September 10 2011 Champlin Charles October 6 1976 Gays and Gags in The Ritz Los Angeles Times Part IV 1 Archived from the original on October 25 2021 Retrieved March 13 2021 Green Elon August 7 2018 I Can t Stop Laughing Rita Moreno Remembers Singing with Animal The New Yorker Archived from the original on September 29 2020 Retrieved February 10 2020 Rita Moreno at IMDb Speakers on healthcare Archived from the original on October 4 2013 Mangan Jennifer May 4 1994 Educating Rita Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on September 15 2011 Retrieved October 2 2010 Rita Moreno All American Entertainment Speakers All American Speakers Bureau Archived from the original on April 10 2016 Retrieved February 10 2020 Rita Moreno Varese Sarabande 302 066 189 2 2000 Nellie Andreeva February 8 2014 Rita Moreno to Co Star in Amy Poehler s NBC Comedy Pilot Old Soul Deadline Hollywood Archived from the original on March 1 2014 Retrieved February 28 2014 One Day at a Time Season 1 Rotten Tomatoes January 2017 Archived from the original on January 7 2017 Retrieved January 8 2017 Villafane Veronica Lin Manuel Miranda Releases Star Studded Almost Like Praying Song For Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Forbes Archived from the original on October 11 2017 Retrieved October 10 2017 D Alessandro Anthony November 27 2018 Rita Moreno Returns to West Side Story EGOT Winner to Play the Role of Valentina in Steven Spielberg s Remake Deadline Archived from the original on February 20 2019 Retrieved February 10 2020 Steven Spielberg s West Side Story will make you believe in movies again NPR Retrieved May 31 2022 Rita Moreno to Perform in PBS Wicked in Concert Special August 9 2021 Retrieved October 24 2021 Photos See Idina Menzel Kristin Chenoweth Amber Riley Gavin Creel Ali Stroker Alex Newell More in Photos From WICKED IN CONCERT August 25 2021 Retrieved October 24 2021 Rita Moreno Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It review vampish and sharp as a stiletto The Guardian December 2021 Retrieved May 31 2022 After Trying Hollywood Brando and Suicide Rita Moreno Has Settled Down People April 21 1975 Archived from the original on January 23 2010 Cahalan Susannah February 17 2013 Rita Moreno tells all about her near fatal affair with Marlon Brando in memoir New York Post Archived from the original on January 28 2018 Retrieved December 13 2021 Leonard Isadore Gordon Obituary Los Angeles Times July 11 2010 Retrieved October 26 2021 Brunati Bryan December 11 2019 Who Is Rita Moreno s Husband Get to Know the West Side Story Star s Late Spouse Leonard Gordon Closer Weekly Archived from the original on October 8 2021 Retrieved October 13 2021 Johnson G Allen June 15 2021 Review Rita Moreno Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It a feisty documentary that matches its fascinating subject Datebook sf chronicle Retrieved October 26 2021 Guthrie Julian September 18 2011 Rita Moreno reflects on her remarkable career SFGATE Retrieved October 26 2021 I would call my story an American story Moreno said sitting in her Berkeley hills home where she has lived for the past 16 years Gordon Leonard San Francisco Chronicle July 11 2010 Retrieved July 13 2010 Leonard Isadore Gordon Los Angeles Times July 11 2010 Archived from the original on March 6 2019 Retrieved February 10 2020 via Legacy com McElwaine Sandra January 15 2014 Rita Moreno SAG Life Achievement Award Winner Talks Brando Elvis And West Side Story The Daily Beast Archived from the original on June 7 2015 Retrieved June 1 2015 Rita Moreno Television Academy Retrieved December 10 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Moreno inducted into California Hall of Fame Archived January 10 2008 at the Wayback Machine California Museum Retrieved 2007 Rita Moreno Honored With SAG Life Achievement Award during the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Archived September 30 2015 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved January 19 2014 White House Announces 2009 National Medal of Arts Recipients Archived May 5 2010 at the Wayback Machine Viagas Robert Carole King Cicely Tyson Rita Moreno and More Named 2015 Kennedy Center Honorees Archived December 27 2020 at the Wayback Machine Playbill July 15 2015 Rita Moreno to Receive Peabody Award for Career Achievement TheWrap March 28 2019 Archived from the original on May 10 2021 Retrieved May 8 2021 Gil de Rubio Dave October 6 2021 The Many Lives of Rita Moreno Veteran performer reflects in latest documentary East Bay Express Retrieved December 10 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Luz Casal Leo Dan Rita Moreno Milton Nascimento Daniela Romo Poncho Sanchez and Toquinho to Be Honored with the Lation Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award Press release LARAS September 13 2012 Archived from the original on October 29 2020 Retrieved February 10 2020 Rita Moreno honored at commencement Archived June 4 2016 at the Wayback Machine Berklee College of Music official site May 2016 Congratulations to our 2018 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Recipients Archived from the original on September 9 2018 Retrieved September 9 2018 Actresses gymnast named grand marshals of 2020 Rose Parade Archived October 20 2019 at the Wayback Machine AP October 15 2019 BBC 100 Women 2022 Who is on the list this year BBC News Retrieved December 10 2022 External links Wikiquote has quotations related to Rita Moreno Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rita Moreno Rita Moreno at IMDb Rita Moreno at the Internet Broadway Database Rita Moreno at the Internet Off Broadway Database Rita Moreno at Playbill Vault Rita Moreno at The Interviews An Oral History of Television Rita Moreno interview Downstage Center XM Radio interview by the American Theatre Wing January 2007 March 2007 Rita Moreno interview on PBS NewsHour October 1 2013 0 48 28 at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting TonyAwards com Interview with Rita Moreno Rita Moreno video produced by Makers Women Who Make America Image of the United Civil Rights Committee with actress Rita Moreno at a march against de facto school segregation in Los Angeles California 1963 Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive Collection 1429 UCLA Library Special Collections Charles E Young Research Library University of California Los Angeles Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rita Moreno amp oldid 1144200083, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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