Rita Moreno

Infobox actor
name = Rita Moreno


imagesize =
caption = Rita Moreno, January 2008
birthname = Rosita Dolores Alverío
birthdate = birth date and age|1931|12|11
birthplace = Humacao, Puerto Rico
spouse = Leonard Gordon (1965-present)
academyawards = Best Supporting Actress 1961 "West Side Story"
emmyawards = Performance - Variety/Music Program 1977 "The Muppet Show" Outstanding Guest Actress - Drama Series 1978 "The Rockford Files"
tonyawards = Best Featured Actress - Play 1975 "The Ritz"
goldenglobeawards = Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture 1962 "West Side Story"

Rita Moreno (born December 11, 1931) is a singer, dancer and multiple award-winning actress. She is the first female and only Puerto Rican performer to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. [http://www.speakersonhealthcare.com/speakers/Rita_Moreno.php Speakers on healthcare] ]

Biography

Early years

Moreno was born Rosita Dolores Alverío in Humacao, Puerto Rico, the daughter of RosaMaria, a seamstress, and Paco Alverio, a farmer.http://www.filmreference.com/film/49/Rita-Moreno.html] She moved with her mother to New York City at the age of five, and took on the surname of her stepfather, Edward Moreno. When she was eleven years old, she lent her voice to Spanish-language versions of American films. She had her first Broadway role (Angelina in "Skydrift") by the time she was 13, which caught the attention of Hollywood talent scouts. She played a small role in "Singin' in the Rain" as a silent screen vamp but disliked most of her other work during this period.imdb|0001549]

"West Side Story"

In 1961, Moreno landed the role of Anita in Robert Wise's film adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking Broadway musical, "West Side Story". Moreno gained fame and an Academy Award as the Best Supporting Actress for that role.Tony. In 1985, she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre.Singin' in the Rain" (1952), "The King and I" (1956), and "Carnal Knowledge" in (1971). In the 1970s, she appeared on the PBS children's series "The Electric Company" notably as Millie the Helper (in fact it was Rita who screamed the show's opening line, "HEY, YOU GUYS!"); the often naughty little girl, Pandora; and as "Otto", the "very" short-tempered director. Moreno also appeared in the family variety series "The Muppet Show". She made 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 hit film) during the early 1980s.

On June 18, 1965, Moreno married Leonard Gordon, who remains her husband and manager. They have one daughter, Fernanda (Gordon) Fisher.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".

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. [http://www.speakersonhealthcare.com/speakers/Rita_Moreno.php Speakers on healthcare] ] During the mid 1990s, Moreno provided the voice of Carmen Sandiego on the hit animated FOX show "Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?" In the late 1990s, she gained exposure to a new generation of viewers, as she played Sister Pete, a nun trained as a psychologist in the popular HBO series, "Oz". Moreno has participated in more than 50 productions, combining her television, movie, and theatrical works. 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. [ [http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/Rita-Moreno/1381 All American Speakers] ]

Later years

Moreno continues to be active on stage and screen. In 2006, she portrayed Amanda Wingfield in the Berkeley Repertory Theater's revival of The Glass Menagerie. She was seen on as the dying mother of Detective Goren. She is a regular on the TV series Cane. [ [http://biography.jrank.org/pages/3154/Moreno-Rita-1931-Actress-Singer-Dancer-Demonstrated-Versatile-Talents.html Rita Moreno: 1931 — : Actress, Singer, Dancer - Demonstrated Versatile Talents] ]

Awards

Among Moreno's awards and recognitions are the following:
* Academy Award as the Best Supporting Actress "West Side Story" (1961).
* "The Joseph Jefferson Award" Best Chicago Theatre Actress (1968).
* Grammy Award The Electric Company Album (1972).
* Tony Award Best Featured Actress, "The Ritz" (1975).
* "The Golden Apple" Cue Magazine Award.
* "The Sarah Siddons Awards" for her portrayal of Olive Madison in the female version of the Odd Couple.
* "Special Recognition Award" from the International Latin Music Hall of Fame (2001).
* "Presidential Medal of Freedom" from President George W. Bush in June 2004.
* Rita Moreno has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7083 Hollywood Blvd.
* On December 5, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Moreno into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts. [ [http://www.californiamuseum.org/Exhibits/Hall-of-Fame/inductees.html Moreno inducted into California Hall of Fame] , California Museum, Accessed 2007]

Filmography

Film

Television

ee also

* List of famous Puerto Ricans
* List of Puerto Ricans in the Academy Awards
* List of people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award

References

External links

*
*
* [http://www.americantheatrewing.org/downstagecenter/detail/rita_moreno Rita Moreno] Downstage Center XM Radio interview by the American Theatre Wing, January 2007, March 2007.
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3676758055188646654&q=rita+moreno&hl=en See Rita Moreno's interview for the Archive of American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.]
* [http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/interactive/video/index.html#m TonyAwards.com Interview with Rita Moreno]

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
years=1962
for "West Side Story"
before=Janet Leigh
for "Psycho"
after=Angela Lansbury
for "The Manchurian Candidate"

Persondata
NAME= Moreno, Rita
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Alverío, Rosita Dolores
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actress, singer
DATE OF BIRTH= December 11, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH= Humacao, Puerto Rico
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=