Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno, January 2008
Born	Rosita Dolores Alverío December 11, 1931 (1931-12-11) (age 76) Humacao, Puerto Rico
Spouse(s)	Leonard Gordon (1965-present)
Awards won Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress 1961 West Side Story Emmy Awards Performance - Variety/Music Program 1977 The Muppet Show Outstanding Guest Actress - Drama Series 1978 The Rockford Files Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture 1962 West Side Story Tony Awards Best Featured Actress - Play 1975 The Ritz

Rita Moreno (born December 11, 1931) is a singer, dancer and actress of Puerto Rican descent. She is the first and only Hispanic female and one of nine performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.^[1]

Biography

Early years

Moreno was born Rosita Dolores Alverío [Rosita Chettah] in Humacao, Puerto Rico, the daughter of RosaMaria, a seamstress, and Paco Alverio, a farmer.^[2] She moved with her mother to New York City at the age of five, and took on the surname of her stepfather, Edward Moreno.^[2] When she was eleven years old, she lent her voice to Spanish-language versions of American films. She had her first Broadway role (Angelina in Skydrift) by the time she was 13, which caught the attention of Hollywood talent scouts. She played a small role in Singin' in the Rain as a silent screen vamp but disliked most of her other work during this period.^[3]

West Side Story

In 1961, Moreno landed the role of Anita in Robert Wise's film adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking Broadway musical, West Side Story. Moreno gained fame and an Academy Award as the Best Supporting Actress for that role.^[4]

Moreno went on to be the first actress, and the first Hispanic, to win an Emmy[1977], a Grammy[1972], an Oscar[1962](as mentioned), and a Tony[1975]. In 1985, she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre.^[5]

Other roles

Moreno appeared in Singin' in the Rain (1952), The King and I (1956), Summer and Smoke (1961), The Night of the Following Day (1968) and Carnal Knowledge in (1971). In the 1970s, she appeared on the PBS children's series The Electric Company notably as Millie the Helper (in fact it was Rita who screamed the show's opening line, "HEY, YOU GUYS!"); the often naughty little girl, Pandora; and as "Otto", the very short-tempered director. Moreno also appeared in the family variety series The Muppet Show. She made guest appearances on television series such as The Rockford Files, The Love Boat, The Cosby Show, George Lopez, The Golden Girls, and Miami Vice. She was also a regular on the short-lived sitcom version of Nine to Five (based on the hit film) during the early 1980s.^[3]

On June 18, 1965, Moreno married Leonard Gordon, who remains her husband and manager. They have one daughter, Fernanda Luisa(Gordon) Fisher.^[6]

Broadway and television

Moreno's Broadway credits include The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Gantry, The Ritz, for which she won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress, and the female version of The Odd Couple.^[3]

In 1993 she was invited to perform at President Bill Clinton's inauguration and later that month was asked to perform at the White House.^[1] During the mid 1990s, Moreno provided the voice of Carmen Sandiego on the hit animated FOX show Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? In the late 1990s, she gained exposure to a new generation of viewers, as she played Sister Pete, a nun trained as a psychologist in the popular HBO series, Oz. Moreno has participated in more than 50 productions, combining her television, movie, and theatrical works. She made a guest appearance on The Nanny as Coach Stone, Maggie's (Nicholle Tom) tyrannical gym teacher, whom Fran Fine (Fran Drescher) also remembered from her school as Ms. Wickavich.^[7]

Later years

Moreno continues to be active on stage and screen. In 2006, she portrayed Amanda Wingfield in the Berkeley Repertory Theater's revival of The Glass Menagerie. She was seen on Law and Order: Criminal Intent as the dying mother of Detective Goren. She is a regular on the TV series Cane.^[8]

Awards

Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004

Among Moreno's awards and recognitions are the following:

• Academy Award as the Best Supporting Actress "West Side Story" (1961).
• "The Joseph Jefferson Award" Best Chicago Theatre Actress (1968).
• Grammy Award The Electric Company Album (1972).
• Tony Award Best Featured Actress, "The Ritz" (1975).
• "The Golden Apple" Cue Magazine Award.
• "The Sarah Siddons Awards" for her portrayal of Olive Madison in the female version of the Odd Couple.
• "Special Recognition Award" from the International Latin Music Hall of Fame (2001).
• "Presidential Medal of Freedom" from President George W. Bush in June 2004.
• Rita Moreno has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7083 Hollywood Blvd.
• On December 5, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Moreno into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.^[9]

Filmography

Film

 "Chicago"
  uncredited

Television

See also

Puerto Rico portal

• List of famous 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

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Rita Moreno

• Rita Moreno at the Internet Broadway Database
• Rita Moreno at the Internet Movie Database
• Rita Moreno Downstage Center XM Radio interview by the American Theatre Wing, January 2007, March 2007.
• See Rita Moreno's interview for the Archive of American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
• TonyAwards.com Interview with Rita Moreno

Why are we here?
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
This page is cache of Wikipedia. History