Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno, January 2008
Born Rosita Dolores Alverío
December 11, 1931 (1931-12-11) (age 79)
Humacao, Puerto Rico
Occupation Actress, singer, dancer
Years active 1950–present
Spouse Leonard Gordon (1965-2010)

Rita Moreno (born December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican-American singer, dancer and actress. She is the first and only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony and at the time the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award.[1]

Contents

Early years

Moreno was born Rosa Dolores Alverío in Humacao, Puerto Rico, to Rosa María, a seamstress, and Paco Alverío, a farmer.[2] She moved with her mother to New York City at the age of five, and took the surname of her stepfather, Edward Moreno.[2] She began her first dancing lessons soon after arriving in the United States from a friend of her mother, a Spanish dancer called Paco Cansino who was the uncle of Rita Hayworth.[3] When she was eleven 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 time she was 13, which caught the attention of Hollywood talent scouts. She appeared in small roles in The Toast of New Orleans[4] and Singin' in the Rain, in which she played Zelda Zanners, a fictional silent screen vamp. In 1956, she had a supporting role in the film version of The King and I as Tuptim, but disliked most of her other work during this period.[5]

West Side Story

In 1961, Moreno landed the role of Anita in Robert Wise's and Jerome Robbins' film adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking Broadway musical, West Side Story, which was played by Chita Rivera on Broadway. Moreno won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for that role.[6] Moreno went on to be the first actress (and the first Hispanic) to win an Emmy (1977), a Grammy (1972), an Oscar (1962) and a Tony (1975). In 1985, she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago.[6]

Other roles

Besides appearing in Singin' in the Rain, The King and I, Summer and Smoke (1961), West Side Story, The Night of the Following Day (1968) and Carnal Knowledge in (1971), Moreno appeared on the PBS children's series The Electric Company in the 1970s, most notably as Millie the Helper. In fact, it was Moreno who screamed the show's opening line, "HEY, YOU GUYS!" She also had roles as the naughty little girl Pandora, and as "Otto", the very short-tempered director. Moreno appeared in the family variety series The Muppet Show, and she made other 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 film hit) during the early 1980s.[5]

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.[5] 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 animated Fox show Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?

In the late 1990s, she gained exposure to a new generation of viewers when she played Sister Pete, a nun trained as a psychologist in the popular HBO series, Oz. 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]

Performing in the 21st century

Moreno continues to be active on stage and screen. In 2006, she portrayed Amanda Wingfield in Berkeley Repertory Theatre's revival of The Glass Menagerie. She was seen on Law and Order: Criminal Intent as the dying mother of Detective Goren. She was a regular on the short-lived TV series Cane, which starred Jimmy Smits and Hector Elizondo.[8]

Family

On June 18, 1965, Moreno married Leonard Gordon who was her manager until he died on June 30, 2010.[9] They have one daughter, Fernanda Luisa Gordon-Fisher,[6] and two grandsons, Justin and Cameron Fisher.[10]

Awards

Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004

Among Moreno's awards and recognitions are the following:

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Other notes
1950 So Young So Bad Dolores Guererro as Rosita Moreno
The Toast of New Orleans Tina
Pagan Love Song Terru
1952 The Ring Lucy Gomez
Singin' in the Rain Zelda Zanders
The Fabulous Señorita Manuela Rodríguez
Cattle Town Queli
1953 Fort Vengeance Bridget Fitzgibbon
Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation Soubrette uncredited
Latin Lovers Christina
El Alaméin Jara
1954 Jivaro Maroa
The Yellow Tomahawk Honey Bear
Garden of Evil Cantina Singer
1955 Untamed Julia
Seven Cities of Gold Ula
1956 The Lieutenant Wore Skirts Sandra Roberts
The King and I Tuptim
The Vagabond King Huguette
1957 The Deerslayer Hetty Hutter
1960 This Rebel Breed Lola Montalvo
1961 West Side Story Anita Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Golden Globe
Summer and Smoke Rosa Zacharias
1963 Cry of Battle Sisa
1968 The Night of the Following Day Vi
1969 Popi Lupe
Marlowe Dolores Gonzáles
1971 Carnal Knowledge Louise
1976 The Ritz Googie Gomez Nominated - BAFTA Award
Nominated - Golden Globe
1977 Voodoo Passion
1978 The Boss' Son Esther Rose
1980 Happy Birthday, Gemini Lucille Pompi
1981 The Four Seasons Claudia Zimmer
1991 Age Isn't Everything Rita
1993 Italian Movie Isabella
1994 I Like It Like That Rosaria Linares
1995 Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business Herself documentary
Angus Madame Rulenska
1998 Slums of Beverly Hills Belle Abromowitz Nominated - ALMA Award
1999 Carlo's Wake Angela Torello
The Puerto Ricans: Our American Story Herself documentary
2000 Blue Moon Maggie
2001 Piñero Miguel's Mother
2003 Casa de los Babys Señora Muñoz
Beyond Borders: John Sayles in Mexico Herself documentary
2004 King of the Corner Inez
2006 Play It By Ear Ruth

Television

Year Title Role Other notes
1958 Father Knows Best
 Chanthini, an exchange student
from India		 episode: Fair Exchange (24 November 1958)[13]
1971–1977 The Electric Company Carmela
Otto The Director
Pandora the Little Girl, Millie the Helper		 780 episodes
1974 Dominic's Dream Anita Bente
Out to Lunch Various Nominated - Emmy Award
1976 The Muppet Show Herself Episode #1.5 - Emmy Award
1978 The Rockford Files Rita Capkovic 3 episodes
Emmy Award - For episode "The Paper Palace"
Nominated - Emmy Award - For episode "Rosendahl and Gilda Stern are Dead".
1979 Anatomy of a Seduction Nina
The Muppets Go Hollywood Herself/Host Special[14]
1981 Evita Perón Renata Riguel
1982–1983 9 to 5 Violet Newstead Nominated - Emmy Award; Nominated - Golden Globe
1982 Working Waitress
Portrait of a Showgirl Rosella DeLeon Nominated - Emmy Award
1986 Golden Girls Renee Episode - Empty Nest
1989–1990 B.L. Stryker Kimberly Baskin 2 episodes
1994 The Nanny Miss Wickervich/Mrs. Stone Episode - The Gym Teacher
1994–1998 Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? Carmen Sandiego voice
1994–1995 The Cosby Mysteries Angie Corea 2 episodes
1995 The Wharf Rat Mom
1997–2003 Oz Sister Peter Marie Reimondo 44 episodes
ALMA Award - 1998, 1999, 2002
Nominated - ALMA Award - 2000, 2001
1998 The Spree Irma Kelly
1999 Resurrection Mimi
2004 Copshop Mary Alice
2005 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Mildred Quintana Episode - "Night"
Law & Order: Trial by Jury Mildred Quintana Episode - "Day"
2006–2007 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Frances Goren 3 episodes: "Endgame"
"The War at Home"
"Brother's Keeper"
2007 The George Lopez Show Luisa Diaz Episode - "George Testi-Lies for Benny"
Ugly Betty Aunt Mirta Episode - "A Tree Grows in Guadalajara"
Cane Amalia Duque 13 episodes

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Speakers on healthcare
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.filmreference.com/film/49/Rita-Moreno.html
  3. ↑ Rita Moreno Interview 2000.
  4. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (Mar 22, 1950). "TV Tempts Crawford' Betty Garrett Ending MGM Pact; "Mother" Set". The Los Angeles Times. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Rita Moreno at the Internet Movie Database
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Rita Moreno fan site
  7. ↑ All American Speakers
  8. ↑ Rita Moreno: 1931 — : Actress, Singer, Dancer - Demonstrated Versatile Talents
  9. ↑ "Gordon, Leonard". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. July 11, 2010. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/11/MNGORDONLE23.DTL. Retrieved July 13, 2010. 
  10. ↑ LA Times
  11. ↑ Moreno inducted into California Hall of Fame, California Museum, Accessed 2007
  12. ↑ White House Announces 2009 National Medal of Arts Recipients
  13. ↑ "Father Knows Best, episode "Fair Exchange" (24 November 1958) at Internet Movie Database". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1243434/. 
  14. ↑ "The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979) at Internet Movie Database". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329401/. 

External links