Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno | |
---|---|
Humacao, Puerto Rico | |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1943–present |
Works | Full list |
Spouse |
Leonard Gordon
(m. 1965; died 2010) |
Children | 1 |
Awards | Full list |
Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano;
Moreno's early work included supporting roles in the classic musical films
In theater, she starred as Googie Gomez in the 1975 Terrence McNally musical The Ritz earning her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She reprised her role in the 1976 film directed by Richard Lester which earned her a BAFTA Award for Best Actress nomination. She also acted in Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window in 1964 and in Neil Simon's The Odd Couple in 1985.
She was a cast member on the children's television series
Early years
Moreno was born in a
Career
1945–1959: Theater debut and early films
Moreno began her first dancing lessons soon after arriving in New York with a Spanish dancer known as "Paco Cansino", who was a paternal uncle of film star Rita Hayworth.[11] When she was 11 years old, she lent her voice to Spanish-language versions of American films. She 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. Moreno said she was raped by her agent while she was a teen actor.[12][13]
Moreno's film career began in the later years of the
In March 1954, Moreno was featured on the cover of Life magazine with the caption "Rita Moreno: An Actress's Catalog of Sex and Innocence".
1960–1969: Breakout with West Side Story
In 1961, Moreno landed the role of Anita in
After winning the Oscar, Moreno thought she would be able to continue to perform less stereotypical film roles, but was disappointed:
Ha, ha. I showed them. I didn't make another movie for seven years after winning the Oscar.... Before West Side Story, I was always offered the stereotypical Latina roles. The Conchitas and Lolitas in westerns. I was always barefoot. It was humiliating, embarrassing stuff. But I did it because there was nothing else. After West Side Story, it was pretty much the same thing. A lot of gang stories.[23]
Moreno had a major role in
1970–1999: Established actress
From 1971 to 1977, Moreno was a main cast member on the
Moreno's appearance on
In the 1980s Moreno starred as Lucille in Richard Benner's comedy-drama film Happy Birthday, Gemini alongside Madeline Kahn. She was in Alan Alda's The Four Seasons (1981) which was a financial and critical hit and starred Alda, Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis, and Jack Weston. She was a regular on the three-season network run of 9 to 5, a sitcom based on the film hit, during the early 1980s.[26] Rita Moreno has made numerous guest appearances on television series in the 1980s, including The Love Boat, The Cosby Show, George Lopez, The Golden Girls, and Miami Vice.
In 1993, Moreno was invited to perform at President
2000s–2010s
She released an eponymous album of nightclub songs in 2000 on the Varèse Sarabande label, with liner notes by Michael Feinstein.[30]
In 2006, she portrayed Amanda Wingfield in Berkeley Repertory Theatre's revival of The Glass Menagerie.
She had a recurring role on
Since then, she has continued to work in film, including a small voice role in the 2014 film Rio 2, perhaps her most commercially successful film. In September 2011, Moreno began performing a solo autobiographical show at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup written by the theatre's artistic director Tony Taccone after hours of interviews with Moreno.[17] In 2014, Moreno appeared in the NBC television film Old Soul, alongside Natasha Lyonne, Fred Willard and Ellen Burstyn.[31] The film was intended as a pilot for a television series, but it was not picked up.
Moreno plays the matriarch of a Cuban-American family in the Netflix sitcom One Day at a Time, a remake produced by Norman Lear of Lear's 1975–84 sitcom. The first season premiered in January 2017. Critics overall praised the show, and especially the performances of Moreno and the series' star, Justina Machado.[32] Also that year, Moreno and others contributed to Lin-Manuel Miranda's single "Almost Like Praying" where proceeds from the song went to the Hispanic Federation's UNIDOS Disaster Relief program to benefit those affected by Hurricane Maria that devastated the island of Puerto Rico.[33]
2020s–present
In 2020–21, Moreno starred in and executive-produced the Steven Spielberg–directed adaptation of West Side Story.[34] 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. The film was released on December 10, 2021. Justin Chang of NPR wrote, "Sixty years later, Moreno is an executive producer on Spielberg's West Side Story. She also gives a poignant performance in the new role of Valentina, the widow of Doc, the drugstore owner. By her presence, Moreno teaches us how to approach this movie, as both an affectionate tribute and a gentle corrective."[35]
On August 29, 2021, Moreno took part in the "Wicked in Concert" special on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video App, performing "The Wizard and I".[36][37]
Moreno's life was profiled in the feature documentary entitled Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It which was produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received positive reviews. The Guardian declared, "Overall, she emerges just as vampish, feisty and fun as you’d expect, and as a gracious giver of speeches at ceremonies where she collects endless lifetime achievement awards".[38]
In 2023, Moreno starred in the
Personal life
From 1954 to 1962, Moreno was in an on-and-off relationship with Marlon Brando.[39] She revealed in her memoir that she became pregnant by Brando and he arranged for an abortion. The abortion was botched, she went home and bled as the fetus died inside her and she had to be rushed to the hospital to have it surgically removed. Soon after, Brando fell in love with his co-star on Mutiny on the Bounty, yet returned to her; Moreno attempted suicide by overdosing on Brando's sleeping pills.[40]
In 1965, Moreno married cardiologist and internist Leonard Gordon,[41] who became her manager after he retired from medicine.[42][43] In 1995, they relocated to Berkeley, California.[44] They remained together until his death in 2010.[45] Moreno and Gordon have one daughter, Fernanda Gordon Fisher, and two grandsons.[46] Moreno said she once considered leaving her husband, but did not to avoid breaking up the family.[47]
Acting credits and accolades
Moreno has achieved what is called the
She has also received a
She has won numerous other honors, including various lifetime achievement awards and the
See also
- List of 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
- List of Puerto Rican Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
- History of women in Puerto Rico
References
- ^ Gettell, Oliver (January 18, 2014). "SAG Awards 2014: Rita Moreno receives lifetime achievement award". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "Rita Moreno | Biography, West Side Story, Movies, Oscar, & Facts". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ "16 stars who are EGOT winners". Entertainment Weekly. July 27, 2020. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ Nicole Lyn Pesce; Joe Dziemianowicz; Margaret Eby (March 3, 2014). "Oscars 2014: Bobby Lopez becomes youngest person to get an EGOT with Best Original Song win for 'Let It Go'". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
- ^ "Rita Moreno becomes the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar". History Channel. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-451-41637-7.
- ^ filmreference.com blacklisted
- ISBN 978-0-451-41637-7. Archivedfrom the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ "Rita Moreno Says It Was "Spooky" Working Alongside New Anita in "West Side Story"". YouTube. December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "Rita Moreno joining Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' remake". Newsday. November 27, 2018. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
- YouTube.
- ^ Article from 2022 in The Mercury News
- ^ Interview in 60 minutes from 2021 on CBS
- ^ Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It—American Masters Season 35, Episode 19 (documentary)
- ^ Schallert, Edwin (March 22, 1950). "TV Tempts Crawford' Betty Garrett Ending MGM Pact; "Mother" Set". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Rita Moreno & SINGIN IN THE RAIN". Youtube. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "Rita Moreno's life laid bare in 'Life without Makeup'". Berkeleyside. September 8, 2011. Archived from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- ^ IMDb
- ^ "Lola Montez". IMDb. February 16, 1959. Archived from the original on February 9, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ "REVIEW - WEST SIDE STORY". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "West Side Story". Variety. September 27, 1961. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ a b "Rita Moreno fan site". Archived from the original on December 23, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
- The Miami Herald. September 14, 2008. Archivedfrom the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- ^ Champlin, Charles (October 6, 1976). "Gays and Gags in 'The Ritz'". Los Angeles Times. Part IV: 1. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ Green, Elon (August 7, 2018). "'I Can't Stop Laughing': Rita Moreno Remembers Singing with Animal". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- IMDb
- ^ "Speakers on healthcare". Archived from the original on October 4, 2013.
- ^ Mangan, Jennifer (May 4, 1994). "'Educating Rita". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 15, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ "Rita Moreno". All American Entertainment Speakers. All American Speakers Bureau. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ Rita Moreno, Varèse Sarabande 302 066 189 2 (2000)
- ^ Nellie Andreeva (February 8, 2014). "Rita Moreno to Co-Star in Amy Poehler's NBC Comedy Pilot 'Old Soul'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ "One Day at a Time: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. January 2017. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
- ^ Villafañe, Veronica. "Lin-Manuel Miranda Releases Star-Studded 'Almost Like Praying' Song For Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 27, 2018). "Rita Moreno Returns to 'West Side Story': EGOT Winner to Play the Role of Valentina in Steven Spielberg's Remake". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ "Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' will make you believe in movies again". NPR. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ "Rita Moreno to Perform in PBS' "Wicked in Concert" Special". August 9, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ "Photos-See-Idina-Menzel-Kristin-Chenoweth-Amber-Riley-Gavin-Creel-Ali-Stroker-Alex-Newell-More-in-Photos-From-WICKED-IN-CONCERT". August 25, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ "Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It review – vampish and sharp as a stiletto". The Guardian. December 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ "After Trying Hollywood, Brando and Suicide, Rita Moreno Has Settled Down". People. April 21, 1975. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010.
- ^ Cahalan, Susannah (February 17, 2013). "Rita Moreno tells all about her 'near-fatal' affair with Marlon Brando in memoir". New York Post. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "Leonard Isadore Gordon Obituary". Los Angeles Times. July 11, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ Brunati, Bryan (December 11, 2019). "Who Is Rita Moreno's Husband? Get to Know the 'West Side Story' Star's Late Spouse Leonard Gordon". Closer Weekly. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Johnson, G. Allen (June 15, 2021). "Review: 'Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It' a feisty documentary that matches its fascinating subject". Datebook. sf chronicle. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- SFGATE. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
"I would call my story an American story," Moreno said, sitting in her Berkeley hills home, where she has lived for the past 16 years.
- ^ "Gordon, Leonard". San Francisco Chronicle. July 11, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
- ^ "Leonard Isadore Gordon". Los Angeles Times. July 11, 2010. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2020 – via Legacy.com.
- ^ McElwaine, Sandra (January 15, 2014). "Rita Moreno, SAG Life Achievement Award Winner, Talks Brando, Elvis And West Side Story". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on June 7, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ "Rita Moreno". Television Academy. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ Moreno inducted into California Hall of Fame Archived January 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, California Museum. Retrieved 2007
- ^ Rita Moreno Honored With SAG Life Achievement Award during the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Archived September 30, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 19, 2014
- ^ White House Announces 2009 National Medal of Arts Recipients Archived May 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Viagas, Robert. "Carole King, Cicely Tyson, Rita Moreno and More Named 2015 Kennedy Center Honorees" Archived December 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine Playbill, July 15, 2015
- ^ "Rita Moreno to Receive Peabody Award for Career Achievement". TheWrap. March 28, 2019. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
External links
- Rita Moreno at IMDb
- Rita Moreno at the Internet Broadway Database
- Rita Moreno at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Rita Moreno at Playbill Vault
- Rita Moreno at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
- Rita Moreno interview, Downstage Center XM Radio interview by the American Theatre Wing, January 2007; March 2007
- Rita Moreno interview on PBS NewsHour, October 1, 2013 (0:48:28), at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting
- TonyAwards.com Interview with Rita Moreno
- Rita Moreno; video produced by Makers: Women Who Make America
- Image of the United Civil Rights Committee with actress Rita Moreno at a march against de facto school segregation in Los Angeles, California, 1963. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.