What’s that? It’s someone who has won an Emmy (television), Grammy (music), Oscar (film), and Tony (theater). She is one of only a handful of performers in American entertainment who has achieved EGOT status. The excitement is overwhelming!īut stepping away from the wondrous world that is the two 19 West Side Story films, Rita Moreno remains an iconic actress. Musical theater lovers and classic movie buffs everywhere are going pleasantly crazy this December. In addition to her producer role, Rita Moreno plays a newly-conceived character called Valentina, who is the widow of Doc, the candy store owner from the original 1961 film. Wait, really? Is this a serendipitous “perfect storm” all Hollywood-style? She’s in the new West Side Story remake? Happy Birthday! Better still, this legendary actress has a new movie that just hit theaters yesterday – none other than the highly anticipated Steven Spielberg West Side Story remake. Eternal congrats to Rita Moreno for her superb, ground-breaking performance that opened the doors to diversity in Hollywood, and whose excellent win is still positively impacting Hollywood and the world today.īorn on December 11, 1931, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, and moving to New York City in 1936, Rita Moreno turns an impressive 90 years young today. She embodied every inch of her Puerto Rican character Anita, allowing this character to shed light on important social issues permeating mid-century USA. Yes, Rita Moreno, the feisty, exuberant scene-stealer in 1961’s iconic musical film West Side Story, became the first Latin actress to win an Oscar.Īnd with good reason. With one throw of her lavender dress, the bottom flaring out in a beautiful hypnotizing cascade, and with one lyric of “Skyscrapers bloom in America,” we fell helpless under her spell. These Puerto Ricans called the Sharks were living through the grease and the promise. It told of the New York City immigrant experience, all of its exciting, dizzying positives, and all of its low, doldrum negatives. Lit by the moon, and the living room lamps in the nearby buildings, a fire was burning inside the gang. The black lava rooftop pulsated that night - the rhythm of the shoe taps glorious and passionate on its surface, reverberating in ripples. In today’s Toast series, we celebrate the 90 th birthday of Rita Moreno, the first Latin actress to win an Oscar for her brilliant, spellbinding performance in 1961’s iconic musical film West Side Story, and who graces the screen in Steven Spielberg’s dazzling 2021 rendition, currently showing in theaters.
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