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Happy Birthday, Rita Moreno, Award-Winning
Actress
December 11, 2008
Latina actress Rita Moreno burst onto the scene
with her roles on Broadway and her portrayal of Anita in the film “West Side
Story”; she went on to win all four major entertainment awards.
with her roles on Broadway and her portrayal of Anita in the film “West Side
Story”; she went on to win all four major entertainment awards.
Early Days
Born Rosa Dolores Alverío on Dec. 11, 1931, in Humacao,
Puerto Rico, Rita Moreno came from humble beginnings. She and her mother moved
to Spanish Harlem when Moreno was 5 years old, and they lived in a tenement
apartment “with an aunt and too many other relatives.” She shared a bed with
her mother, and discovered hundreds of cockroaches whenever she turned a light
on in her kitchen.
But her circumstances didn’t hinder her. Moreno’s
“tunnel vision” about an acting career began to manifest by the time she was in
her teens. She appeared on
Broadway, quit school, and at 17, was asked by MGM to change her name to
Rita Moreno in order to increase her appeal.
Puerto Rico, Rita Moreno came from humble beginnings. She and her mother moved
to Spanish Harlem when Moreno was 5 years old, and they lived in a tenement
apartment “with an aunt and too many other relatives.” She shared a bed with
her mother, and discovered hundreds of cockroaches whenever she turned a light
on in her kitchen.
But her circumstances didn’t hinder her. Moreno’s
“tunnel vision” about an acting career began to manifest by the time she was in
her teens. She appeared on
Broadway, quit school, and at 17, was asked by MGM to change her name to
Rita Moreno in order to increase her appeal.
Notable Accomplishments
One of Moreno’s most distinguished achievements is that
she is one of a small group of performers who have won all four major
show business awards: an Oscar, a Tony, a Grammy and an Emmy. She won an
Oscar, as well as a Golden Globe award, for her role in “West Side Story,” one
of the projects for which she’s most recognized.
The 1960s film “West
Side Story” is considered the most popular modern take on Shakespeare’s
“Romeo and Juliet.” Instead of Capulets and Montagues, “West Side Story” offered
viewers feuding white and Hispanic gangs over issues of prejudice and racial
intolerance. ArtsEdge (the National Arts and Education Network) comments that
the circumstances of the film “were still applicable to American audiences in
the late 1950s and 1960s—just as they are for audiences today all over the
world.” Moreno earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her part
in the production.
During the early 1970s, Moreno was a cast member of
the popular public TV children's show, "The Electric Company." She also made
appearances on “The Muppet Show,” one of which earned her an Emmy Award; her
performance of “Fever” alongside Animal is particularly memorable.
In 2004, Moreno, along with 12 other individuals, received a Presidential
Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honor granted to civilians in the
United States.
she is one of a small group of performers who have won all four major
show business awards: an Oscar, a Tony, a Grammy and an Emmy. She won an
Oscar, as well as a Golden Globe award, for her role in “West Side Story,” one
of the projects for which she’s most recognized.
The 1960s film “West
Side Story” is considered the most popular modern take on Shakespeare’s
“Romeo and Juliet.” Instead of Capulets and Montagues, “West Side Story” offered
viewers feuding white and Hispanic gangs over issues of prejudice and racial
intolerance. ArtsEdge (the National Arts and Education Network) comments that
the circumstances of the film “were still applicable to American audiences in
the late 1950s and 1960s—just as they are for audiences today all over the
world.” Moreno earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her part
in the production.
During the early 1970s, Moreno was a cast member of
the popular public TV children's show, "The Electric Company." She also made
appearances on “The Muppet Show,” one of which earned her an Emmy Award; her
performance of “Fever” alongside Animal is particularly memorable.
In 2004, Moreno, along with 12 other individuals, received a Presidential
Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honor granted to civilians in the
United States.
The Rest of the Story
One of Moreno’s more recent standout roles was her part
in the HBO series “Oz.” Throughout the 1950s, she was typecast “as sexy
one-dimensional Hispanas,” wrote Segunda Juventud magazine. She also played
the harem girl Tuptim in 1956 film “The King and I.” But in “Oz,” Moreno played
a nun, and the show explored the sensual desires of religious people. She
enjoyed the role, in part because it garnered her new fans that were unfamiliar
with “West Side Story.” Moreno continues to appear on both the big and small screen.
Rita
Moreno’s daughter is jewelry designer Fernanda
Fisher. Growing up as the child of an actress, Fernanda frequently traveled
with her mother, and even worked with her as a dancer and backup singer. “It was
thrilling,” Fernanda told The Examiner. “She was a supportive mother with a
fabulous career and we traveled all over the world. It was an amazing double
education.”
Even after Fernanda launched her own career and started a
family, she still lived just a few blocks away from her mother. “She’s such an
amazing mother,” Fernanda explained. “She gave me a gift: that I can do
anything.”
in the HBO series “Oz.” Throughout the 1950s, she was typecast “as sexy
one-dimensional Hispanas,” wrote Segunda Juventud magazine. She also played
the harem girl Tuptim in 1956 film “The King and I.” But in “Oz,” Moreno played
a nun, and the show explored the sensual desires of religious people. She
enjoyed the role, in part because it garnered her new fans that were unfamiliar
with “West Side Story.” Moreno continues to appear on both the big and small screen.
Rita
Moreno’s daughter is jewelry designer Fernanda
Fisher. Growing up as the child of an actress, Fernanda frequently traveled
with her mother, and even worked with her as a dancer and backup singer. “It was
thrilling,” Fernanda told The Examiner. “She was a supportive mother with a
fabulous career and we traveled all over the world. It was an amazing double
education.”
Even after Fernanda launched her own career and started a
family, she still lived just a few blocks away from her mother. “She’s such an
amazing mother,” Fernanda explained. “She gave me a gift: that I can do
anything.”
A smashing success in West Side Story