Rita Moreno facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rita Moreno
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Moreno in 2019
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| Born |
Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano
December 11, 1931 Humacao, Puerto Rico
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1943–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Leonard Gordon
(m. 1965; died 2010) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Full list |
Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano on December 11, 1931) is a famous actress, dancer, and singer from Puerto Rico. Her amazing career has lasted for over eight decades, making her one of the last stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Moreno is known for winning many awards. She is one of the few performers to have won the four biggest awards in American entertainment: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. This special achievement is called an EGOT. She has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Arts, and a Kennedy Center Honor for her contributions to the arts.
Her first famous roles were in classic musicals like Singin' in the Rain (1952) and The King and I (1956). Her breakout role was playing Anita in the movie West Side Story (1961). For this role, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This made her the first Hispanic woman to win an Academy Award for acting. She later appeared in the 2021 remake of West Side Story in a new role.
On television, she was a star on the popular kids' show The Electric Company from 1971 to 1977. She also had important roles in shows like the HBO series Oz and the Netflix comedy One Day at a Time.
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Early Life
Rita Moreno was born in a hospital in Humacao, Puerto Rico, on December 11, 1931. Her mother, Rosa María, was a seamstress, and her father, Francisco José Alverío, was a farmer. She was nicknamed "Rosita."
In 1936, her mother moved to New York City and took Rita with her. Rita later took the last name of her stepfather, Edward Moreno. As a teenager, she lived in Valley Stream, a town on Long Island.
A Star is Born: Her Career
Theater Debut and Early Films
Soon after arriving in New York, Moreno began taking dance lessons. When she was 11, she started working by recording her voice for the Spanish-language versions of American movies.
At age 13, she got her first role on Broadway in a play called Skydrift. This performance got the attention of movie scouts from Hollywood.
Moreno's movie career began during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She and her mother moved to Culver City, California, near the famous MGM movie studio. Throughout the 1950s, she appeared in many films, often in small parts.
In 1952, she played the silent film star Zelda Zanders in the famous musical Singin' in the Rain. She got the part because the star of the movie, Gene Kelly, wanted her in it. Moreno was happy that Kelly cast her in a role that was not a stereotype.
Another important role for her was in the 1956 movie The King and I. She played Tuptim, a young woman given as a gift to the King of Siam. The movie was a huge success and won five Academy Awards.
The Big Break: West Side Story
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In 1961, Moreno got the role of Anita in the movie version of the musical West Side Story. Her performance was praised by critics, who called it "fiery" and exciting. The movie was a big hit and won ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
For her role as Anita, Moreno won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. It was a historic moment. After winning the Oscar, Moreno hoped she would be offered better roles, but she was often disappointed. She once said:
Before West Side Story, I was always offered the stereotypical Latina roles... After West Side Story, it was pretty much the same thing.
Because of this, she did not appear in many movies for the next seven years. She returned to film in 1968 in The Night of the Following Day with Marlon Brando.
A TV Star and an EGOT Winner
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From 1971 to 1977, Moreno was a main cast member on the PBS kids' show The Electric Company. She was famous for shouting the show's opening line, "Hey, you guys!" She played several fun characters, including Millie the Helper and a short-tempered director named Otto.
In 1975, she won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway comedy The Ritz. She later starred in the movie version of the play in 1976.
Moreno's appearance on The Muppet Show in 1977 earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. With this win, she became the third person in history to achieve the "EGOT"—winning an Oscar, a Grammy (which she won in 1972 for The Electric Company album), a Tony, and an Emmy. She won a second Emmy Award in 1978 for her role on the TV show The Rockford Files.
Later Work on TV and in Movies
In the 1980s and 1990s, Moreno continued to act on television. She appeared in the sitcom 9 to 5 and made guest appearances on shows like The Golden Girls and The Cosby Show. From 1994 to 1999, she was the voice of the title character in the animated series Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?
From 1997 to 2003, she played Sister Pete, a nun and psychologist, in the HBO drama series Oz.
Still Shining Today
Rita Moreno has never stopped working. From 2017 to 2020, she starred as Lydia, the funny and loving grandmother in the Netflix series One Day at a Time. Critics and audiences loved her performance.
In 2021, she returned to the movie that made her a star. She co-produced and acted in Steven Spielberg's new version of West Side Story. She played a new character named Valentina. Her life was also the subject of a documentary called Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.
More recently, she starred with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Sally Field in the 2023 comedy 80 for Brady. She also joined the Fast & Furious movie series, playing the grandmother of Dom Toretto in Fast X.
Personal Life
In 1965, Rita Moreno married Leonard Gordon, a doctor who later became her manager. They were married for 45 years until he passed away in 2010. They have one daughter, Fernanda Gordon Fisher, and two grandsons.
Awards and Honors
Rita Moreno is one of a small group of performers to have won an EGOT. She has also earned the "Triple Crown of Acting" by winning an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony for her acting roles.
- Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story (1962).
- Grammy Award for Best Album for Children for The Electric Company (1972).
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Ritz (1975).
- Primetime Emmy Award for her performances on The Muppet Show (1977) and The Rockford Files (1978).
She has also received many of America's highest honors. In 2004, President George W. Bush gave her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest honor for a civilian. In 2009, President Barack Obama presented her with the National Medal of Arts. In 2015, she received the Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime of achievement in the arts.
See also
In Spanish: Rita Moreno para niños
- List 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 Rico
