48 Facts About Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno was born on Rosa Dolores Alverio Marcano; December 11,1931 and is an American actress, dancer, and singer.

Rita Moreno 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.

Rita Moreno returned in the supporting role of Valentina in the 2021 Spielberg-directed remake of the same name.

Rita Moreno reprised her role in the 1976 film directed by Richard Lester which earned her a BAFTA Award for Best Actress nomination.

Rita Moreno acted in Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window in 1964 and in Neil Simon's The Odd Couple in 1985.

Rita Moreno was a cast member in The Electric Company, for which she earned an Emmy in 1972, and played Sister Peter Marie Reimondo on the HBO series Oz.

Rita Moreno received two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles on The Muppet Show in 1977 and The Rockford Files in 1978.

Rita Moreno's life was profiled in Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.

Rita Moreno was born Rosa Dolores Alverio Marcano, on December 11,1931, in a Humacao, Puerto Rico hospital to Rosa Maria, a seamstress who was born in 1912, and Francisco Jose "Paco" Alverio, a farmer who was born in 1908.

Rita Moreno was nicknamed "Rosita" and raised in nearby Juncos.

Rita Moreno adopted the surname of her first stepfather, Edward Rita Moreno, Rosa Maria's second husband.

Rita Moreno spent her teenage years living in the NYC suburb of Valley Stream on Long Island.

Rita Moreno had her first Broadway role, as "Angelina" in the 1945 production of Skydrift, by the age of 13, which caught the attention of Hollywood talent scouts.

Rita Moreno acted steadily in films throughout the 1950s, usually in small roles, including in The Toast of New Orleans In 1952, she appeared in Stanley Donen's musical comedy film Singin' in the Rain alongside Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor.

Rita Moreno described having gotten the role by Gene Kelly "wanting her in the movie" and that she "seemed to fit the role for him".

Rita Moreno called the experience working in the film as an "amazing experience" and a "privilege".

Rita Moreno disliked most of her film work during this period, as she felt the roles she was given were very stereotypical.

In 1959, Rita Moreno appeared as Lola Montez in Season 3, Episode 23, of the TV western Tales of Wells Fargo, episode title "Lola Montez".

In 1961, Rita Moreno landed the role of Anita in Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins' film adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking Broadway musical West Side Story, which had been played by Chita Rivera on Broadway.

Rita Moreno won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for that role.

Rita Moreno had a major role in Summer and Smoke, released soon after West Side Story.

Rita Moreno made her return to film in The Night of the Following Day with Marlon Brando, and followed that with Popi, and Marlowe with James Garner.

Rita Moreno appeared in the female version of The Odd Couple that ran in Chicago, for which she won the Sarah Siddons Award in 1985.

Rita Moreno's costar Struthers later stated in an interview on Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast that it was an unpleasant experience until Rita Moreno, who Struthers alleges was mean-spirited towards her, left the play and was replaced by Brenda Vaccaro.

From 1971 to 1977, Rita Moreno was a main cast member on the PBS children's series The Electric Company.

Rita Moreno starred in Mike Nichols' Carnal Knowledge alongside Jack Nicholson, Candice Bergen, Ann-Margret, and Art Garfunkel.

Rita Moreno won another Emmy award the following year, 1978, this time a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, for her portrayal of former call girl Rita Kapcovic on a three-episode arc on The Rockford Files.

Rita Moreno was in Alan Alda's The Four Seasons which was a financial and critical hit and starred Alda, Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis, and Jack Weston.

Rita Moreno was a regular on the three-season network run of 9 to 5, a sitcom based on the film hit, during the early 1980s.

Rita Moreno has made numerous guest appearances on television series in the 1980s, including The Love Boat, The Cosby Show, The Golden Girls, and Miami Vice.

In 1993, Rita Moreno was invited to perform at President Bill Clinton's inauguration and later that month was asked to perform at the White House.

Rita Moreno made a guest appearance on The Nanny as Coach Stone, Maggie's tyrannical gym teacher, whom Fran Fine remembered from her school as Ms.

Rita Moreno released an eponymous album of nightclub songs in 2000 on the Varese Sarabande label, with liner notes by Michael Feinstein.

Rita Moreno played the family matriarch on the 2007 TV series Cane, which starred Jimmy Smits and Hector Elizondo.

In 2014, Rita Moreno appeared in the NBC television film Old Soul, alongside Natasha Lyonne, Fred Willard and Ellen Burstyn.

Rita Moreno plays a newly created character, Valentina; she famously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Anita in the 1961 original movie.

Rita Moreno gives a poignant performance in the new role of Valentina, the widow of Doc, the drugstore owner.

In 2023, Rita Moreno starred in the sports comedy 80 for Brady about four elderly women who travel to see Tom Brady and the New England Patriots play at the Super Bowl LI.

From 1954 to 1962, Rita Moreno was in an on-and-off relationship with Marlon Brando.

Rita Moreno revealed in her memoir that she became pregnant by Brando and he arranged for an abortion.

In 1965, Rita Moreno married cardiologist and internist Leonard Gordon, who became her manager after he retired from medicine.

Rita Moreno said she once considered leaving her husband, but did not to avoid breaking up the family.

Rita Moreno has achieved what is called the Triple Crown of Acting, with individual competitive Academy, Emmy and Tony awards for acting; as well as the EGOT.

Rita Moreno won her Primetime Emmy Awards in 1977 and 1978 for her performances in The Muppet Show and The Rockford Files, respectively.

Rita Moreno has received a Golden Globe Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she was Inducted into the California Hall of Fame, 2007 In 2013, she received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award which was presented to her by Morgan Freeman.

Rita Moreno has won numerous other honors, including various lifetime achievement awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor.

Rita Moreno was awarded the Peabody Career Achievement Award in 2019.

Rita Moreno received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013, and was awarded the Peabody Award in 2019.