About Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno is an actress/dancer/singer from Puerto Rico. She is well-known for her supporting roles in the films “West Side Story,” “The King and I,” and “Singin’ in the Rain.” She is also known for her role in the 1971-1977 educational children’s television series “The Electric Company.” She has also made appearances in “SO Young, So Bad,” “The Toast of New Orleans,” “Latin Lovers,” “Jivaro,” “Untamed,” “Fathers Know Best,” “Burke’s Law,” “The Muppet Show,” “Working,” “Gantry,” “Wally’s Café” and several other films, television series and theatre productions.

Quick Info
Full NameRosa Dolores Alverío Marcano
Date of BirthDecember 11, 1931
Birth PlaceHumacao, Puerto Rico
Parent(s)Francisco José "Paco" Alverío and Rosa Maria
OccupationActress, Singer, dancer
Spouse(s)Leonard Gordon
​​(m. 1965; died 2010)
Net WorthUS $25 million

In over seventy years, the eighty-eight-year-old veteran actress has made over forty films, forty-five television series, and eight theatre productions appearances.

 

Early Life

She was born as Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano to Francisco José “Paco” Alverío and Rosa Maria on 11th December 1931 in Humacao. She has a younger brother. Her father was a farmer while her mother was a Seamstress. When she was five years old, she moved to New York City with her mother, Rosa, after her parents’ divorce; before that, She spent her childhood in the Juncos municipality.

She started learning dance at a very young age and made appearances in several local theater productions. She dropped out of school to focus herself on the performing business entirely.

Rita Moreno

Career

After moving with her mother to New York, Rita Moreno made her Broadway debut at the age of 13, after which she attracted the attention of Hollywood directors. Some of the first films where the actress played small roles were “New Orleans Darling” in 1950 and “Singing in the Rain “1952.

In 1961, Rita Moreno played Anita’s role in the Broadway musical “West Side Story” film version. It was after this film that world fame came to the actress, which was confirmed by winning “Best Supporting Actress” at the Oscar and Golden Globe awards. The film has a rating of 7.5 in IMDb based on over 95 thousand votes and has a box-office collection of $44.1 million against a $6.75 million budget.

Rita Moreno starred in Summer and Smoke of 1961 and Cry of Battle of 1963. A few years later, she starred in The Night of the Following Day in 1968, Popi, in 1969. From 1971 to 1977, she played many characters on the PBS children’s series The Electric Company, most notably “Millie.”

Rita Moreno also has had roles in shows such as The Rockford Detective Dossier, which won her an Emmy in 1978. She has played on many fronts, including The Boat of Love, Miami Police: Morality Division, and Golden Girls.

Among the Broadway productions with her participation, the most famous is “Gantry” and “Ritz,” for her involvement in which the actress won the Tony Theater Award. In 1985, Moreno won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in theaters in Chicago. She last acted in the theatre in the 1985-86 production of “The Odd Couple” as Olive Madison.

Currently, Rita Moreno is playing Theresa in the ongoing series “Bless This Mess.” She is also the voice of Dona Dolores and Woman No. 3 in “Scooby-Doo! And the Monster of Mexico” and Mimi in “Rio 2”. She will be featuring in the upcoming film “West Side Story,” based on the 1957 musical of the same name as Valentina. It will release in 2021.

Rita Moreno

Awards

From 1943 to present, she has nominated in over forty-five award functions, including one Academy Awards, one BAFTA, three Golden Globes, and two Grammy Awards. She has won seventeen of the nominations, including one Academy Awards, won Tony Awards, two Primetime Emmys, one Grammy Awards, and a Golden Globe Awards.

In June 2004, the President of the United States awarded Rita Moreno the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in February 2010, awarded the National Medal of the Arts. She was awarded the Screen Actors Guild Honorary Award (2014).

Personal Life

Rita Moreno had an eight-year relationship with actor Marlon Brando; however, he was unfaithful and married twice to other women. After that, she had an affair with Elvis Presley. In an interview with Good Day LA, Moreno claimed that Elvis Presley was not a good lover. They dated for a while, but Presley walked away whenever the opportunity presented itself to take the relationship to another level.

On 18th June of 1965, Moreno married Leonard Gordon, a cardiologist who was her manager but unfortunately died on 30th June of 2010 and left her a widow. They had only one daughter, Fernanda Luisa Fisher, and two grandchildren, Justin and Cameron Fisher.

Rita Moreno

Height and Weight

Rita Moreno is 1.59 meters or five feet and two inches in height and weighs forty-eight kilograms.

Social Media

Rita Moreno has over 89 thousand followers in her official Twitter handle @TheRitaMoreno.

Net Worth

According to celebritynetworth.com, Rita Moreno has an estimated net worth of $25 million.

Tags