Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno (born December 11, 1931 in Humacao, Puerto Rico) is an actress who has achieved fame both in Hollywood and Broadway.

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Moreno (born Rosita Dolores Alver?o) moved with her mother to New York City at the age of five. When she was eleven years old she lent her voice to Spanish-language versions of American films. She had her first Broadway role by the time she was thirteen, which caught the attention of Hollywood talent scouts. For the next ten years Moreno played roles in movies which she considered degrading.

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Finally, in 1961 she landed the role of "Anita" in Robert Wise's film adaptation of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's Broadway hit West Side Story, which was about the lives of two star-crossed lovers in gang-ridden New York during the late 1950's. Moreno gained fame and an Academy Award as the Best Supporting Actress that year. She was the second person in history to have won an Emmy, Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award and the first and only Hispanic entertainer to have done so.

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Moreno appeared in Singin' in the Rain (1952), The King and I (1956), and Carnal Knowledge in (1971). Her popularity grew even more in the 1970s and 1980s when she appeared on the PBS children's series The Electric Company and the popular family variety series The Muppet Show. She has made guest appearances on series such as The Rockford Files, The Love Boat, The Cosby Show, The Golden Girls, and Miami Vice.

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During the late 1990s, she gained exposure to a new generation of viewers as she played a Catholic 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.

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Moreno's real contribution has been her ability to transcend the discriminatory practices of Hollywood and set a precedent for Hispanic actors to be recognized by talent rather than ethnicity. She became the first Puerto Rican to have been awarded an Oscar, Emmy, Tony and a Grammy. In 2001, Rita received a "Special Recognition Award" from the International Latin Music Hall of Fame. In June 2004, she was awarded the "Presidential Medal of Freedom" by President George W. Bush.

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On June 18, 1965 Moreno married Lenny Gordon, who remains her husband and manager. They have one daughter, Fernanda (Gordon) Fisher. Moreno publicly revealed some years ago that she had once had an abortion.

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December 11: December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 20 days remaining....

1931: 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday....

Humacao: REDIRECT Humacao,_Puerto_Rico...

Rita Moreno related Images and Photos (experimental)

Rita Moreno	Actress Rita Moreno Imitating the "Sexy Wild" Type	Rita Moreno and George Chakiris Winners of Best Supporting Actor Oscars for "West Side Story"	Rio Rita (1929) (DVD)
Rita Wilson	Rita Hayworth	Rio Rita (Remastered)	Rio Rita (1929)
Rita Tushingham	Jaime Moreno	Jaime Moreno	Rita a Las 3:30