Rita Moreno was only 5 years old when she moved to the United States with her mother. She began her journey to Hollywood at age 11 taking dance lessons and appearing in theatrical productions shortly after she reached teens. Her work on Broadway shows eventually got noticed and she started getting small and supporting roles. However, she was never satisfied with the stereotypical roles she got. She eventually broke the stereotypical mold and showed off her acting skills in West Side Story , which helped her win an Oscar. She went on to author several critically acclaimed roles and win all the leading entertainment awards. She even excelled in the Broadway productions.

Born name

Rosa Dolores Alverio

nickname

Rita, Rosita

Sun sign

Protect

Place of birth

Humacao, Puerto Rico

nationality

training

The information on Rita Moreno’s formal education is not available.

occupation

Actress, singer, dancer

family

• Vater – Francisco Jose “Paco” Alverio (Bauer)
• Mutter – Rosa Maria Marcano (Näherin)
• Siblings – Francisco Alverio (Younger Brother)
• Others – Edward Moreno (Stepfather), Nemesio AlverioRivera (Paternal Grandfather), Dolores Carrión Carrion De Alverio (Paternal Grandmother), Justino Marcano Rivera (Maternal Grandfather), Trinidad López Morales (Maternal Grandmother), Cameron Fisher (Grandson), Justin Fisher ( Grandson)

Manager

Rita Moreno is represented by Judy Katz Public Relations.

Genre

Night club, pop

instruments

Life

labels

She has released her music through Varèse Sarabande, Photoplay Records, Varese Sarabande Records, Inc., Crescent Moon Records, Inc. and Lenny G Corporation.

To build

Slim

Height

158,5 cm (5 ft 2½ in)

weight

48 kg or 106 lbs

friend/spouse

Rita Moreno dated –

1. Dick Van Patten – American actor and businessman Dick VanPatten has claimed in an interview that he met Moreno in her early years as a struggling actress. He has claimed he supports her and is determined to make her a star.
2. Kenneth Tynan – In her biography, Rita has claimed that she was persecuted by British literary critic Kenneth Tynan. They dated for a while but she decided to end her tryst after he suggested that he spank her. In fact, he’d sat her on his lap and let her look through a photo album of men slapping women on the bottom. However, Tynan was not content with a simple breakup and decided to pursue her.
3. Jack Nicholson – During her appearance on The Talk, Moreno had revealed that she was having an affair with notorious playboy Jack Nicholson. In fact, she revealed on the show that Nicholson was a “dirty, dirty boy.”
4. Morgan Freeman – Morgan Freeman was another Hollywood legend she dealt with while appearing on the talk show. She complemented Freeman by calling him “monumental and so sexy.”
5. Dennis Hopper – In her interview, Moreno confirmed that she had dated actor and film director Dennis Hopper. However, she had only started dating him to make Marlon Brando jealous.
6. Howard Hughes – Moreno was only on business on two datesThe magnate and Hollywood legend Howard Hughes. On their first date, he invited her to a private film screening. During their date in the screening room, he wore headphones. The second time they met, they met for dinner at a Los Angeles airport restaurant. During the appointment, Hughes continued to talk about radar.
7. Anthony Quinn – In her bio, Moreno revealed that her first actor boyfriend was Anthony Quinn. As Spanish compatriots, they shared a mutual rejection of the film industry’s ethnic stereotypes. However, it didn’t take long for her to realize he was being rude and impolite.
8. Marlon Brando (1954-1962) – Moreno’s tempestuous and tormenting affair with legendary actor Marlon Brando has been recounted many times in the tabloids. She was 22 when Brando, 30, spotted her on the cover of Life magazine. They met shortly thereafter on the sets of the film, Désirée , in which Brando was cast as a Napoleonic French general. They felt attracted from the first meeting.
   Their affair was interspersed with Brando’s infidelity. He has even married twice, once to Mexican-American actress Movita Castaneda and then to Anglo-Indian actress Anna Kashfi while having an affair with Moreno. He would get her pregnant and then force her into a botched abortion. The agony of the abortion and Brando’s coldness during the procedure led Moreno to attempt suicide with sleeping pills. She was only saved by the arrival of Brando’s assistant, who took her to the hospital. They were eventually convinced to end their relationship when a therapist told them it was vital to Moreno’s well-being.
9. George Hormel II – Rita Moreno is said to have had a short-lived relationship with musician George Hormel II.
10. Richard Egan – Moreno had a brief relationship with actor Richard Egan in the ’50s.
11. Jeffrey Hunter – In the mid-’50s, Moreno dated film actor and producer Jeffrey Hunter.
12. Robert Wagner (1956) – In 1956, Moreno was reported to be dating actor Jeffrey Hunter. They have been spotted together in public on numerous occasions.
13. Hugh O’Brian (1957) – In the summer of 1957, the Puerto Rican actress reportedly dated actor and humanitarian Hugh O’Brian.
14. Elvis Presley (1961) – Moreno teamed up with Elvis Presley in a relationship with Brando. However, she was never sexually satisfied while dating Presley. In fact, Presley never moved further than foreplay. She decided to end their relationship after seeing him eat his favorite peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwich and realizing he was more interested in his sandwich than she was.
15. Leonard Gordon (1964-2010) – In 1964, Moreno began dating a cardiologist, Leonard Gordon. They married in June 1965 in a lavish wedding ceremony. Gordon also started working as her manager. During their marriage, she gave birth to their daughter, Fernanda Luisa Fisher. She was widowed in June 2010. But it turned out to be a blessing, as she would later reveal in her memoir. Their marriage had turned out to be a fraud as Gordon became possessive and tyrannical over time. She began to feel claustrophobic but did not find the courage to end her marriage. In addition, they had a daughter and she did not want to break up her family.

race/ethnicity

Hispanic

hair colour

dark brown

eye color

dark brown

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

Short cut hairstyle

brand promotion

Rita Moreno can be seen in the following TV spots:

• Super focus glasses
• Time-Life’s Best of The Carol Burnett Show DVD Collection (Informercial)
• American Association of Blood Banks (PSA)
• target storage

Known for

• After supporting roles in popular musical films such as The King and I and West Side History
• As a regular cast member of the foster children television series The Electric Company
• After playing the supporting role in the drama TV series, Oz

As a singer

In 2000 she released her solo music album, Rita Moreno , which was a collection of nightclub songs. The liner notes for the album were provided by Michael Feinstein.

In 2017, she collaborated with other actors to provide vocals for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s single Almost Like Praying. Proceeds from sales of the singles went to the Hispanic Federation’s UNIDOS Disaster Relief program, created to help Puerto Ricans affected by Hurricane Maria.

first movie

In 1950, she made her big screen debut in the American drama film So Young, So Bad .

First TV show

In 1952, Rita Moreno made her first TV show appearance in an episode of the drama series, Kamin Theater .

Personal trainer

In her interview with the New York Post , Rita Moreno revealed that she works out three to four times a week. She used the treadmill for her cardio training and regularly practiced Thai boxing to reach her strength and endurance goals.

She has also revealed that she has been working hard all week to eat healthy. She allowed herself to indulge in her guilty pleasures over the weekend.

Rita Moreno favorite things

• Dresses – Classic stuff – black, white and beige
• Food – French and California nouvelle anything
• Stil-Ikonen – Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn

Rita Moreno Facts

1. In 1936, Rita and her mother moved to New York from Puerto Rico. Her mother had just divorced Rita’s father.
2. She started speaking English while studying in an elementary school in New York.
3. When she won an Oscar for her supporting role in the romantic musical film, West Side Story , she became the first Latina to win the prestigious award.
4. In 1949, she signed a 7-year contract with MGM studio executive Louis B. Mayer. Mayer was struck by her resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor.
5. Her deal with MGM led to Moreno appearing in numerous small roles in which she was cast according to the Latina stereotype. She would later describe such roles as embarrassing and humiliating.
6. While living at her boyfriend Marlon Brando’s house, she tried to commit suicide by taking too many sleeping pills.
7. In July 1995, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honored her with her star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7080 Hollywood Blvd.
8. In recognition of her contributions to cinema and, in June 2004, US President George W. Bush presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was awarded the National Arts Medal by President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony in February 2010.
9. Shortly after arriving in New York, she took dance lessons from Spanish dancer Paco Cansino, uncle of actress Rita Hayworth.
10. At the age of 11, she began voicing the Spanish versions of Hollywood films.
11. By the time she was 13, she had landed her first Broadway role as Angelina in Skydrift . Her work on the show helped her catch the attention of talent scouts.
12. She is one of the few actresses to have won the 4 best entertainment awards – an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.
13. Visit their official website @ ritamoreno.com.
14. Follow Rita Moreno on Facebook and Twitter.