Rita Moreno is an American actress, singer and dancer

Rita Moreno is a Hollywood actress of Puerto Rican origin. Her career in show business lasts over 70 years. Among the most notable actor's works, Moreno is considered a supporting actor in the cinematic versions of the musicals "King and I" 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 Oz."

Rita Moreno is the owner of numerous prestigious awards of show business. She is the only woman in history who has received all the major musical, theatrical, television and cinematographic awards. For the contribution to the cultural life of the country, 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. Her parents split up when she was five. The son stayed with his father, and Rita went with her mother to New York.

Carier start

The future screen star at a young age began taking dance lessons from the famous choreographer Paco Kansino. 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. Soon after, the Hollywood producers drew attention to the young actress. However, the path to real glory was long and difficult.

Cinema

Rita Moreno in the films of the 50's received only minor secondary roles. But the directors regularly received proposals to withdraw, 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, as they were very stereotyped. Producers and directors invited actresses of Hispanic origin exclusively for the embodiment on the screen of images that fit into the usual representations of the public about Hispanic women. However, for an upcoming movie star from Puerto Rico, not all films proved to be banal. Rita Moreno with actor Yul Brynner played in the film "The King and I", which evoked enthusiastic responses from viewers and critics.

Academy Award"

In 1961, the screen version of the movie version of the Broadway musical "West Side Story". Moreno performed in the film a supporting role and won the Academy of Film Award for her. She became the first actress from Puerto Rico, awarded the "Oscar". Rita hoped that fame and recognition would give 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 an 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 the "West Side Story" in the rental went two more films with Rita Moreno. The complete filmography of the actress includes the drama "Summer and Smoke," in which she performed her lead role for the first time in her life. The plot of this tape is based on the same name by Tennessee Williams. After receiving the Academy Award, Rita managed to take part in shooting a military painting called "Battle cry". It was her last actor's work before the beginning of a long period of deliberate rejection of director's proposals.

Return to the Hollywood film industry was held in 1968. The audience saw the actress in the crime drama "The Night of the Next Day," where she played alongside the legendary Marlon Brando. Then came the films Popi, Marlowe, Cognition of the Flesh, Ritz and Four Seasons.

TV

Moreno starred in three episodes of the series "Detective Rockford's Dossier." For this work, she was awarded the Emmy Award, which is considered the television equivalent of the Oscar. The actress played several characters in an educational program for children called "Electric Company." In the popular TV series "Prison Oz", her heroine was a nun who provides psychological support to prisoners.

Personal life

Rita Moreno in 1965 married Leonard Gordon, a cardiologist by profession. Subsequently, he began to act as the manager of the actress. A couple has one daughter and two grandchildren. In 2010, the movie star's husband passed away.