Rosa Dolores Alverio was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, and grew up in nearby Juncos. At the age of 5, after her parents divorced, she moved with her mother to NYC. When her mother remarried, she adopted her stepfather’s surname – Moreno. The family settled in Valley Stream, New York, where she took dance classes and paved her way into the entertainment industry. At 11, she began dubbing Spanish-language versions of American films, and at 13, she had her Broadway debut, playing Angelina in Skydrift. Five years later, Moreno had her first big-screen appearance in the movie So Young, So Bad, and after it, she adapted her stage name – Rita Moreno. She acted throughout the 1950s, landing small roles in notable films such as Singin’ in the Rain and The King and I. In 1961, Moreno played Anita’s role in the film adaptation of West Side Story, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress – the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar. With such accolade in her resume, Moreno thought that she would be able to play less stereotypical characters for her next films, and with no such offer, she did not perform in another movie for the next seven years.
At 33, she returned to Broadway, performing in The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, and continued to play in one production after another, winning her Tony in 1975 for her depiction of Googie Gomez in The Ritz. In 1968 Moreno returned to film, starring alongside Marlon Brando in The Night of the Following Day. She continued to steadily appear on screen in different genres, from romantic comedies such as The Four Seasons to dramas such as King of the Corner. Moreno’s first serious role in TV was in 1971 in the children’s series The Electric Company, becoming recognized for shouting the show’s opening line, “Hey, you guys!” and winning a Grammy Award with her fellow cast members. In 1977, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for her appearance on The Muppet Show, becoming the first Hispanic woman and the third person to win an EGOT – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
Over the years, she made guest appearances on numerous TV shows, including The Love Boat, The Golden Girls, The Nanny, and Miami Vice, and steady roles in various acclaimed shows, such as Sister Pete on Oz and as the matriarch Lydia Riera on One Day at a Time.
West Side Story (4/10) Movie CLIP - America (1961) HD
West Side Story movie clips: http://j.mp/1LkjWFw
BUY THE MOVIE: http://j.mp/16TMZIG
Don't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6pr
CLIP DESCRIPTION:
Anita (Rita Moreno) sings about the great land of America.
FILM DESCRIPTION:
Romeo and Juliet is updated to the tenements of New York City in this Oscar-winning musical landmark. Adapted by Ernest Lehman from the Broadway production, the movie opens with an overhead shot of Manhattan, an effect that director Robert Wise would repeat over the Alps in The Sound of Music four years later. We are introduced to two rival street gangs: the Jets, second-generation American teens, and the Sharks, Puerto Rican immigrants. When the war between the Jets and Sharks reaches a fever pitch, Jets leader Riff (Russ Tamblyn) decides to challenge the Sharks to one last "winner take all" rumble. He decides to meet Sharks leader Bernardo (George Chakiris) for a war council at a gymnasium dance; to bolster his argument, Riff wants his old pal Tony (Richard Beymer), the cofounder of the Jets, to come along. But Tony has set his sights on vistas beyond the neighborhood and has fallen in love with Bernardo's sister, Maria (Natalie Wood), a love that, as in Romeo and Juliet, will eventually end in tragedy. In contrast to the usual slash-and-burn policy of Hollywood musical adaptations, all the songs written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim for the original Broadway production of West Side Story were retained for the film version, although some alterations were made to appease the Hollywood censors, and the original order of two songs was reversed for stronger dramatic impact. The movie more than retains the original choreography of Jerome Robbins, which is recreated in some of the most startling and balletic dance sequences ever recorded on film. West Side Story won an almost-record ten Oscars, including Best Picture, supporting awards to Chakiris and Rita Moreno as Bernardo's girlfriend, Anita, and Best Director to Robbins and Wise. Richard Beymer's singing was dubbed by Jimmy Bryant, Natalie Wood's by Marni Nixon (who also dubbed Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady), and Rita Moreno's by Betty Wand. The film's New York tenement locations were later razed to make room for Lincoln Center.
CREDITS:
TM & © MGM (1961)
Cast: Jose De Vega, Jay Norman, Jaime Rogers, Larry Roquemore, Robert E. Thompson, Gus Trikonis, Eddie Verso, Rita Moreno, Marni Nixon
Directors: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise
Producers: Saul Chaplin, Robert Wise, Walter Mirisch
Screenwriters: Ernest Lehman, Arthur Laurents, William Shakespeare, Jerome Robbins
WHO ARE WE?
The MOVIECLIPS channel is the largest collection of licensed movie clips on the web. Here you will find unforgettable moments, scenes and lines from all your favorite films. Made by movie fans, for movie fans.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MOVIE CHANNELS:
MOVIECLIPS: http://bit.ly/1u2yaWd
ComingSoon: http://bit.ly/1DVpgtR
Indie & Film Festivals: http://bit.ly/1wbkfYg
Hero Central: http://bit.ly/1AMUZwv
Extras: http://bit.ly/1u431fr
Classic Trailers: http://bit.ly/1u43jDe
Pop-Up Trailers: http://bit.ly/1z7EtZR
Movie News: http://bit.ly/1C3Ncd2
Movie Games: http://bit.ly/1ygDV13
Fandango: http://bit.ly/1Bl79ye
Fandango FrontRunners: http://bit.ly/1CggQfC
HIT US UP:
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1y8M8ax
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmt
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/14wL9De
Tumblr: http://bit.ly/1vUwhH7
This post is also available in:
Español
