Rita moreno biography accomplishments

Rita Moreno has influenced the entertainment industry for over 70 years as an actress, singer, and dancer. After earning the four major entertainment awards: an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, Moreno became the first Latina woman to have an “E.G.O.T.” In 2004, she was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her many contributions to the arts.

Rita Moreno was born on December 11, 1931 in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Given the nickname “Rosita,” when she was young, Moreno’s birth name was Rosa Dolores Alverío. She spent much of her childhood on a Puerto Rican farm until she was five years old. Her mother saved enough money for them to move to New York, but Moreno’s little brother Francisco had to be left behind. When she arrived in New York City, Moreno began taking dance classes and quickly started working in the film industry. She was first hired at age 11 to record Spanish language versions of American films. Shortly after this, Moreno made her Broadway debut at age 13 as “Angelina” in Skydrift. This role caught the attention of Hollywood filmmakers and she started receiving offers from Hollywood agents. Her first film was called So Young, So Bad, and was released in 1950. After this role, she signed a seven-year contract with Louis B. Mayer’s MGM Studios where she adopted the stage name Rita Moreno.

For the next few years, Moreno was offered smaller roles in feature films. Her first role for MGM Studios was in the musical The Toast of New Orleans. Two years later, she landed a small role as the actress Zelda Zanders in Singin’ in the Rain. Moreno was often typecast and remembers frequently being offered stereotypical “ethnic” or sexualized roles. Casting directors asked her to depict various ethnicities including; Hawaiian, Native American, Egyptian, Filipino, and a young Burmese woman named Tuptim in The King and I. In 1961, Moreno was cast as Anita in the film adaptation of the musical West Side Story. For her portrayal, Moreno won an Academ

Puerto Rican singer, dancer, and actress (born 1931)

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

Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is an American actress, dancer, and singer. With a career spanning eight decades she is known for her roles on stage and screen, and is one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Among her numerous accolades, she is one of the few actors to have been awarded an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony (EGOT) and the Triple Crown of Acting. She has been honored with 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.

Moreno's early work included 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 West Side Story (1961), which earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first Latin American woman to win an Academy Award. Moreno returned in the supporting role of Valentina in the 2021 Spielberg-directed remake of the same name. Her other films include Popi (1969), Carnal Knowledge (1971), The Four Seasons (1981), I Like It Like That (1994), Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), and Fast X (2023).

In theater, she starred as Googie Gomez in the 1975 Terrence McNally musical The Ritz earning her t

(1931-)

Who Is Rita Moreno?

Rita Moreno is best known as Anita in West Side Story in 1961, a role that earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first Latina actress to win the honor. Moreno also appeared on the children's shows Sesame Street and The Electric Company and is one of only 11 people to have received the four major entertainment honors — Emmy, Oscar, Tony and Grammy awards (EGOT). In 2019, she added another letter to her list of accolades when she became the first Latino honored with a Peabody Award, making her a PEGOT.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Rosa Dolores Alverio
BORN: December 11, 1931
BIRTHPLACE: Humacao, Puerto Rico
SPOUSE: Leonard Gordon (m. 1965-2010)

Early Life

Born Rosa Dolores Alverio on December 11, 1931, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Moreno has broken new ground for Latinos in the field of entertainment throughout her career. Moreno began her career in show business at early age. She appeared on Broadway and in her first film role in her early teens, and left school around the same time.

'West Side Story' Success

Moreno is perhaps best known for her work in West Side Story (1961), a modern musical inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. A versatile performer, she had to sing, dance and handle very dramatic scenes during the course of the film. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Anita, the tough but vulnerable girlfriend to the Sharks's gang leader — becoming the first Hispanic actress to win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Other Achievements and EGOT Status

After her success with West Side Story, Moreno took on a range of interesting roles on stage and in films. She performed with the likes of Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson and James Garner. Her career took another interesting turn in the 1970s, when joined the cast of The Electric Company, a children's television program. She stayed with the program for six seasons and became known for her t

This article is a List of awards and nominations received by Rita Moreno.

Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, and dancer. With a career spanning nearly 80 years in the entertainment industry, Moreno is one of a few individuals to have won the four major annual American entertainment awards: an EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony). She also received a Golden Globe Award, and Peabody Award as well as nominations for a British Academy Film Award.

Moreno won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her iconic performance as Anita in the musical film West Side Story (1961). She also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture. For work on television, she won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her guest roles on The Muppets (1977), and The Rockford Files (1978). For playing Googie Gomez in the Broadway play The Ritz she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She reprised the role in the 1976 film adaptation for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She won the Grammy Award for Best Children's Music Album for The Electric Company (1973).

She is also one of the few performers who have achieved the "Triple Crown of Acting", with individual competitive Academy, Emmy, and Tony awards for acting; she, Helen Hayes, and Viola Davis are the only three who have achieved both distinctions in their lifetimes. She has won numer