Rita Moreno, full name Rosita Dolores Alverio, was born Dec. 11, 1931 in Humaco, Puerto Rico. In 1935, she moved to New York City with her mother after her parents divorce. She soon began using her stepfather’s surname, Moreno.
As a child, she participated in dance lessons, and soon after she started dubbing childrens’ voices from American movies in Spanish. At the age of 13, she made her Brodway debut in Skydrift. However, her first big-screen appearance was in 1950, in a movie called So Young, So Bad.
Following that, she was featured in musicals such as 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain, and 1956’s The King and I. Despite her success, the start of her career was set back by studios wanting to cast her in stereotypical roles.
In 1961 she won a best supporting actress academy award for her energetic dancing in West Side Story. Unfortunately, she still struggled for good roles, and her work was limited.
In 1964 she returned to Brodway and played in The Sign in Signey Brustein’s Window, as well as occasionally performing on the stage. Finally, in 1975 she won a Tony for her portrayal of Goggie Gomez in The Ritz, and she later reprised the role for a 1976 film adaptation.
In 2011 she starred in the popular and heavily praised biography movie staged in California Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup. She frequently appeared on television, and guest starred on The Golden Girls, Miami Vice, Murphy Brown, and Ugly Betty.
She made an appearance on The Muppet Show, which earned her an Emmy in 1977. This made her the second woman and third overall person to win an EGOT. Moreno collected her second Emmy in 1978 from The Rockford Files.
Her other awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, and named a recipient of Kennedy Center Honor. In 2021, a documentary about her life and career was published, titled Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.
