Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Noted for her work across different areas of the entertainment industry, she has appeared in numerous film, television, and theater projects throughout her extensive career spanning over seven decades.

Her work includes supporting roles in the classic musical films '' Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), ''The King and I'' (1956), and the 1961 and 2021 film adaptations of ''West Side Story''. 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). She is also known for her work on television including the children's television series ''The Electric Company'' (1971–1977), and as Sister Peter Marie Reimondo on the HBO series '' Oz'' (1997–2003). She voiced the titular role of in ''Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?'' from 1994 to 1999. She also gained acclaim for her roles in ''Jane the Virgin'' (2015–2019) and the revival of Norman Lear's '' One Day at a Time'' (2017–2020). In theater, she is best known for her role as Googie Gomez in the 1975 musical '' The Ritz''.

Among her numerous accolades, Moreno is one of a few performers to have been awarded an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony (EGOT). She is also one of 24 people who have achieved what is called the Triple Crown of Acting, with individual competitive Academy, Emmy and Tony awards for acting. In 2004, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor bestowed upon her by George W. Bush. In 2009, President Barack Obama presented her with the National Medal of Arts. In 2013, she received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2015, she was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor for her contribution to American culture through performing arts. She was awarded the Peabody Award in 2019. Her life was profiled in the 2021 documentary '' Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It''.

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.filmreference.com blacklisted Her maternal grandparents were Justino Marcano (b. Puerto Rico) and Trinidad from Spain. 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. 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.

Career

Early career

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. 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.

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. She acted steadily in films throughout the 1950s, usually in small roles, including in ''The Toast of New Orleans'' (1950) 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".

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".

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. 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".

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.

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

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'' that ran in Chicago, for which she won the Sarah Siddons Award in 1985.

1970s

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.

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. 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. 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, she was invited to perform at President Bill Clinton's inauguration and later that month was asked to perform at the White House.

During the mid-1990s, Moreno provided the voice of Carmen Sandiego on Fox's animated series ''Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?'' 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.

2000s–2010s

She released an eponymous album of nightclub songs in 2000 on the Varèse Sarabande label, with liner notes by Michael Feinstein.
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''.

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. In 2014, Moreno appeared in the NBC television film ''Old Soul'', alongside Natasha Lyonne, Fred Willard and Ellen Burstyn. 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. 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.

2020s–present

In 2020–21, Moreno starred in and executive-produced the Steven Spielberg–directed adaptation of ''West Side Story''. 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."

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".

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".

Personal life

From 1954 to 1962, Moreno was in an on-and-off relationship with Marlon Brando. 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.

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

Awards and honors

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.

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 In 2013, she received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award which was presented to her by Morgan Freeman.

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. In 2015, she was awarded a Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award for her contribution to American culture, through performing arts. She was awarded the Peabody Career Achievement Award in 2019.

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.

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
* Honorary doctorate of music, awarded by the Berklee College of Music, May 7, 2016
*Ellis Island Medal of Honor, May 11, 2018
* Grand Marshal of the 2020 Rose Parade
* BBC 100 Women, 2022

Acting credits

See also

* 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

Notes

References

External links

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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.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreno, Rita
1931 births
Living people
20th-century Puerto Rican women singers
American film actresses
American child actresses
American musical theatre actresses
American sketch comedians
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners
Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
Emmy Award winners
Grammy Award winners
Kennedy Center honorees
People from Humacao, Puerto Rico
Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
20th-century Puerto Rican actresses
Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
Tony Award winners
United States National Medal of Arts recipients
Hispanic and Latino American actresses
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
American voice actresses
Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners
California Democrats
New York (state) Democrats
Women in Latin music
BBC 100 Women