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Quick Facts
- NAME: Rita Moreno
- OCCUPATION: Actress
- BIRTH DATE: December 11, 1931 (Age: 81)
- Did You Know?: Moreno is the first Hispanic actress to win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar (for West Side Story, 1961).
- Did You Know?: Moreno is one of only 11 people to have received the four major entertainment honors—Emmy, Oscar, Tony and Grammy awards.
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Humacao, Puerto Rico
- Full Name: Rosa Dolores Alverio
- AKA: Rosa Alverio
- AKA: Rita Moreno
- ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius
Best Known For
Rita Moreno is a Puetro Rican actress, of West Side Story (1961) fame, who throughout her career has broken new ground for Latinos in entertainment.
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Play NowRita Moreno. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 03:42, Jun 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/rita-moreno-189133.
Rita Moreno. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/rita-moreno-189133 [Accessed 20 Jun 2013].
"Rita Moreno." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 20 2013, 03:42 http://www.biography.com/people/rita-moreno-189133.
"Rita Moreno," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/rita-moreno-189133 [accessed Jun 20, 2013].
"Rita Moreno," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/rita-moreno-189133 (accessed Jun 20, 2013).
Rita Moreno [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/rita-moreno-189133.
Rita Moreno, http://www.biography.com/people/rita-moreno-189133 (last visited Jun 20, 2013).
Rita Moreno. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/rita-moreno-189133. Accessed Jun 20, 2013.
Synopsis
Born Rosa Dolores Alverio on December 11, 1931, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, 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.
Contents
Early Life
Born Rosa Dolores Alverio on December 11, 1931, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Rita 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.
Career Highlights
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.
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 trademark catchphrase: "Hey, you guys." She and the rest of the cast won a Grammy Award in 1972 for the show's soundtrack.
Only a few years later, Moreno won a Tony Award (best featured actress in a play) for her work in Broadway's The Ritz (1975). Accolades didn't stop there for Moreno. She went on to win two Emmy awards for guest appearances on The Muppet Show (1977) and The Rockford Files (1978). She is one of only 11 people to have received the four major entertainment honors—Emmy, Tony, Oscar and Grammy awards (also known as the EGOT).
Moreno again impressed critics with her turn as a no-nonsense nun on the cable television series Oz from 1997 to 2003. Today, she continues to act in feature films, make guest appearances on television, and sing and perform in theatrical productions.
Personal Life
Once romantically linked to Marlon Brando, Moreno has been married to Leonard Gordon since 1965. The couple has a daughter and lives in Berkeley, California.
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