Rita Moreno is a Hollywood actress of Puerto Rican descent. Her career in show business has been going on for over 70 years. Among the most notable acting works of Moreno are the supporting roles in the cinematic versions of the musicals "King and Me" and "West Side Story". On television, she played in the children's educational series Electric Company and most of the seasons of the drama Prison of Oz.
Rita Moreno is the owner of numerous prestigious awards of show business. She is the only woman in history to receive all the major music, theater, television and film awards. For her contribution to the country's cultural life, the actress was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US award for civilians.
Childhood
Rita Moreno was born in Puerto Rico in 1931. Her father was a farmer, and her mother worked as a seamstress. Rita grew up with her younger brother. Parents broke up when she was five years old. The son stayed with his father, and Rita left with her mother in New York.
Carier start
The future star of the screen at a young age began to take dance lessons from the famous choreographer Paco Kanzino. 11-year-old Rita Moreno as an actress took part in the duplication of American films in Spanish. As a teenager, she got her first role on Broadway. Shortly afterwards, Hollywood producers drew attention to the young actress. However, the path to true fame was a long and difficult one.
Cinema
Rita Moreno in the films of the 50s received only small minor roles. But the directors regularly received offers to act in film, and she did not have to complain about the lack of work. Rita gives a low rating to most of her roles in the paintings of that period, since they were very stereotypical. Producers and directors invited actresses of Hispanic origin solely for the purpose of embodying on-screen images that fit into the usual public view of Hispanic women. However, for the rising movie star from Puerto Rico, not all films turned out to be commonplace. Rita Moreno with actor Yul Brynner played in the film "The King and Me", which caused an enthusiastic response from the audience and critics.
Academy Award"
In 1961, a movie version of the Broadway musical West Side Story was released. Moreno played a supporting role in the film and received the Academy Award for it. She became the first actress from Puerto Rico to receive an Academy Award. Rita hoped that fame and recognition would open her access to a wider choice of roles, but the reality disappointed her. Latin American actresses in most cases could be shot only in westerns and gangster films. Even the presence of the Oscar did not change this situation. Moreno went into voluntary exile from Hollywood and for seven years did not play a single role in the movie.
Return
Shortly after Westside Story, two more films with Rita Moreno were released. The complete filmography of the actress includes the drama "Summer and Smoke", in which she played the main role for the first time in her life. The plot of this tape is based on the play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. After receiving the Academy Award, Rita also managed to take part in the filming of a military film called "Battle Cry." These were her last acting work before the start of a long period of deliberate rejection of the directors' proposals.
Return to the Hollywood film industry took place in 1968. The audience saw the actress in the crime drama "The Next Day's Night", where she played with the legendary Marlon Brando. Then came the films Popi, Marlowe, The Knowledge of the Flesh, Ritz, and Four Seasons.
A television
Moreno starred in three episodes of the series Detective Rockford Dossier. For this work, she was awarded the Emmy Award, which is considered the television equivalent of an Oscar. The actress played several characters in an educational program for children called The Electric Company. In the popular TV series Prison of Oz, a nun who provides psychological assistance to prisoners became her heroine.
Personal life
Rita Moreno in 1965 married Leonard Gordon, a cardiologist by profession. Subsequently, he began to act as manager of the actress. The couple has one daughter and two grandchildren. In 2010, the movie star husband passed away.