Chita Rivera is a ten-time Tony Award nominee and a three-time Tony Award recipient, including one for Lifetime Achievement.
34 Facts About Chita Rivera
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Chita Rivera is the first Latina and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor and is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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Chita Rivera's father was Puerto Rican and her mother was of Scottish, Irish, and African-American descent.
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Chita Rivera was seven years old when her mother was widowed and went to work at The Pentagon.
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In 1944, Chita Rivera's mother enrolled her in the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet.
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Later, when she was 15, a teacher from George Balanchine's School of American Ballet visited their studio, and Chita Rivera was one of two students picked to audition in New York City; she was accompanied to the audition by Doris Jones, one of the people who ran the Jones-Haywood School.
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Chita Rivera's audition was successful, and she was accepted into the school and given a scholarship.
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In 1951, Chita Rivera accompanied a friend to the audition for the touring company of Call Me Madam starring Elaine Stritch and ended up winning the role herself.
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Chita Rivera followed this by landing roles in other Broadway productions such as Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Mr Wonderful starring Sammy Davis, Jr.
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Chita Rivera appeared three times on The Ed Sullivan Show and won raves for her performance on Broadway and in London opposite Peter Marshall, but was passed over for the film version where the role was played by Janet Leigh.
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In 1963, Chita Rivera was a guest on The Judy Garland Show and was cast opposite Alfred Drake in Zenda.
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The Broadway-bound musical closed on the road but in 1964, Chita Rivera returned to Broadway in Bajour and television in The Outer Limits.
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In 1975, Chita Rivera was nominated for a Tony Award starring as Velma Kelly opposite Gwen Verdon in the original cast of the musical Chicago, directed by Bob Fosse.
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Chita Rivera later made a cameo appearance in the 2002 film version.
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Chita Rivera appeared as Fastrada in a filmed-for-television version of the musical Pippin in 1981, and was nominated for Tony and Drama Desk awards for Bring Back Birdie and a Tony Award for Merlin on Broadway.
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In 1984, Chita Rivera starred in the Kander and Ebb musical The Rink with Liza Minnelli and won her first Tony and Drama Desk awards for her role as Anna.
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In 1986, while earning a Tony Award nomination for her performance in the Jerry Herman musical, Jerry's Girls, Chita Rivera was in a severe accident when her car collided with a taxi on West 86th Street in Manhattan.
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In 1993, Chita Rivera received Tony and Drama Desk awards for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her dual portrayal of Aurora and Spider Woman in the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, written by Kander and Ebb.
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Chita Rivera later participated in the London edition of Kander and Ebb's long-running revival of Chicago, this time in the role of Roxie Hart.
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Chita Rivera starred in the Goodman Theatre production of the musical The Visit as Claire Zachanassian in 2001.
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In 2003, Chita Rivera returned to Broadway in the 2003 revival of Nine as Liliane La Fleur and received her eighth career Tony Award nomination and fourth Drama Desk Award nomination.
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Chita Rivera guest-starred on Disney Channel's Johnny and the Sprites as Queen of All Magical Beings.
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In November 2008, Chita Rivera released her third solo album, And Now I Swing.
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Chita Rivera performed in a staged concert of The Visit as a benefit at the Ambassador Theatre on November 30,2011.
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In 2012, Chita Rivera played "Princess Puffer" in the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood at Studio 54.
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Chita Rivera was the Grand Marshal of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City on June 9,2013.
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Chita Rivera returned to Broadway in The Visit, the final musical written by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Terrence McNally.
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Chita Rivera received praise for her performance, and was nominated for a Tony Award, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award.
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Chita Rivera has been a frequent guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World, most recently appearing in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
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On December 1,1957, Chita Rivera married fellow West Side Story dancer Tony Mordente.
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Chita Rivera's performance was so important for the success of the show that the London production of West Side Story was postponed until she gave birth to the couple's daughter Lisa in 1958.
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Chita Rivera has been nominated for the Tony Award ten times, as either Best Featured Actress in a Musical or Best Actress in a Musical.
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Chita Rivera was honored as The New Jewish Home's Eight Over Eighty Gala 2016 honoree.
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Chita Rivera was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Florida in 2018.