Line #54 Creator/RitaMoreno


1	[[quoteright:295:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ritamoreno.jpeg]]
2
3	->''"It is through art that we will prevail and we will endure. It lives on after us and defines us as people."''
4
5	Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931 in Humacao, UsefulNotes/PuertoRico) is a Puerto Rican actress, singer and dancer.
6
7	A star of stage, film, and television for more than six decades, Moreno is the first -- and thus far the only -- Latin American to have won an [[MediaNotes/TheEGOTs Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, and Tony]], as well as one of only two people (along with Helen Hayes) to have completed both the EGOT and the Triple Crown of Acting.
8
9	Following what she has described as a "tumultuous" relationship with Creator/MarlonBrando in the 1950s and early '60s, she was married to cardiologist Leonard Gordon from 1965 until his death in 2010; they had one daughter together.
10
11	----
12	!!Selected works:
13	[[foldercontrol]]
14	[[folder:Theatre roles]]
15	* ''Theatre/TheRitz'' (1975) as Googie Gomez, a role she reprised in the film version.
16	* ''Theatre/TheOddCouple'' (1985) as Olive Madison
17	[[/folder]]
18
19	[[folder:Film roles]]
20	* ''Film/SoYoungSoBad'' (1950) as Dolores Guerrero
21	* ''Film/{{The Ring\|1952}}'' (1952) as Lucy Gomez
22	* ''Film/SinginInTheRain'' (1952) as Zelda Zanders
23	* ''Film/TheKingAndI'' (1956) as Tuptim
24	* ''Film/{{West Side Story\|1961}}'' (1961) as Anita Palacio
25	** ''Film/{{West Side Story\|2021}}'' (2021) as [[CastingGag Valentina]]
26	* ''Film/{{Marlowe}}'' (1969) as Dolores Gonzáles
27	* ''Film/CarnalKnowledge'' (1971) as Louise
28	* ''Film/TheFourSeasons'' (1981) as Claudia Zimmer
29	* ''Film/{{Angus}}'' (1995) as Madame Rulenska
30	* ''Film/SlumsOfBeverlyHills'' (1998) as Belle Abromowitz
31	* ''Film/EightyForBrady'' (2023): Maura
32	* ''Film/FastX'' (2023): Abuela Toretto
33	* ''Film/FamilySwitch'' (2023)
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Television roles]]
37	* ''Series/FatherKnowsBest'' (1958) as Chanthini (1 episode)
38	* ''Series/Playhouse90'' (1960) as Rita (1 episode)
39	* ''Series/{{Zorro\|1957}}'' (1960) as Chulita (2 episodes)
40	* ''Series/BurkesLaw'' (1963) as Margaret Cowls (1 episode)
41	* ''Series/{{The Electric Company\|1971}}'' (1971–77) as Carmela[=/=]Otto the Director[=/=]Pandora the Little Girl[=/=]Millie the Helper
42	* ''Series/HecRamsey'' (1973) as Lina Ramirez (1 episode)
43	* ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'' (1975) as Herself (1 episode)
44	* ''Series/TheCarolBurnettShow'' (1976) as Herself (1 episode)
45	* ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' (1976) as Herself (1 episode)
46	* ''Series/TheRockfordFiles'' (1978–79) as Rita Capkovic (3 episodes)
47	* ''Series/TrapperJohnMD'' (1981) as Liz Boyce (1 episode)
48	* ''Series/TheLoveBoat'' (1983) as Gladys Gordon (2 episodes)
49	* ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' (1987) as Mrs. Granger (1 episode)
50	* ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'' (1987) as Renee (1 episode)
51	* ''Series/MiamiVice'' (1989) as Congresswoman Madelyn Woods (1 episode)
52	* ''Series/HeartsAfire'' (1993) as Senator Rhonda Hall (1 episode)
53	* ''Series/TheNanny'' (1994) as Miss Wickervitch[=/=]Mrs. Stone (1 episode)
54	* ''Series/TheLarrySandersShow'' (1994) as Herself (1 episode)
55	* ''Series/TheCosbyMysteries'' (1994–95) as Angie Corea
56	* ''Series/MurphyBrown'' (1997) as Dr. Goldman (1 episode)
57	* ''Series/TouchedByAnAngel'' (1997) as Amanda Revere (1 episode)
58	* ''Series/{{Oz}}'' (1997–2003) as Sister Peter Marie Reimondo
59	* ''Series/StrongMedicine'' (2003) as Lydia (1 episode)
60	* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' (2005) as Mildred Quintana (1 episode)
61	** ''Series/LawAndOrderTrialByJury'' (2005) as Mildred Quintana (1 episode)
62	* ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' (2006–07) as Frances Goren (3 episodes)
63	* ''Series/TheGeorgeLopezShow'' (2007) as Luisa Diaz (1 episode)
64	* ''Series/{{Cane}}'' (2007) as Amalia Duque (13 episodes)
65	* ''Series/UglyBetty'' (2007) as Aunt Mirta (1 episode)
66	* ''Series/InPlainSight'' (2010) as Rita Ramirez (1 episode)
67	* ''Series/HappilyDivorced'' (2011–13) as Dori Newman
68	* ''Series/JaneTheVirgin'' (2015–19) as Liliana De La Vega (5 episodes)
69	* ''Series/GraceAndFrankie'' (2016) as Lucy (1 episode)
70	* ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' (2016) as Gayle [=McColl=] (1 episode)
71	* ''Series/{{One Day at a Time\|2017}}'' (2017–20) as Lydia Riera
72	* ''Series/BlessThisMess'' (2019–20) as Theresa (3 episodes)
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Voice roles]]
76	* ''WesternAnimation/WhereOnEarthIsCarmenSandiego'' (1994–98) as Franchise/CarmenSandiego
77	** ''VideoGame/CarmenSandiegoJuniorDetectiveEdition'' as Carmen Sandiego
78	** ''WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego'' (2019) as Cookie Booker (3 episodes)
79	* ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus'' (1995) as Dr. Carmina Skeledon (1 episode)
80	* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheMonsterOfMexico'' (2003) as Doña Dolores
81	* ''WesternAnimation/SpecialAgentOso'' (2011) as Abuela (1 episode)
82	* ''WesternAnimation/Rio2'' (2014) as Mimi
83	* ''WesternAnimation/NinasWorld'' (2015–18) as Abuelita
84	* ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' (2018) as Queen Camila (2 episodes)
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	!! Tropes associated with her roles
88	* AbilityOverAppearance: She praised Gene Kelly for casting her in ''Film/SingingInTheRain'' for this reason.
89	--> "He never said 'Oh she's too Latina', he just thought I'd be fine for it."
90	* CareerResurrection: She ended up taking a six year hiatus from Hollywood after her Oscar win for ''West Side Story'', because she was getting offered nothing but stereotypical parts. ''Film/CarnalKnowledge'' and ''Series/TheElectricCompany1971'' proved to be the proper comeback for her.
91	* TheCastShowOff: She has sung in many of her roles, in fact singing in her very first film ''Film/SoYoungSoBad''. She even won a Grammy for her contribution to ''Series/TheElectricCompany1971''.
92	* CreatorBacklash: She disliked the fact that she had to wear {{Brownface}} in ''Film/WestSideStory1961'' to match the other Sharks, even though she was the only Puerto Rican in the main cast. She also persuaded some of the lyrics to "America" to be changed so they were less demeaning to Puerto Ricans.
93	* CreatorBreakdown: She broke down when filming the scene of Anita nearly being raped by the Jets, as it brought back traumatic memories of an experience from her childhood. The actors playing the Jets quickly broke character and tried to comfort her, all while pointing out to her that the moviegoers were going to hate them for what they were doing. HistoryRepeats in the 2021 version, where Rita's character symbolically saving Anita from being raped was an especially surreal experience for her.
94	* DawsonCasting: ''Film/SoYoungSoBad'' is set in a correctional school for teenage girls. Rita was twenty playing Dolores.
95	* FakeNationality:
96	** In ''Film/TheKingAndI'', she plays Tuptim, who is Thai.
97	** In a guest spot in ''Series/FatherKnowsBest'', she played an Indian exchange student.
98	** In ''Series/OneDayAtATime2017'', she plays a Cuban matriarch.
99	** Many other films had her playing "the ethnic girl", Indian, Polynesian, Native American, Russian, etcetera.
100	* IAmNotSpock: Despite her extremely lengthy and varied career, which continued well into her ''eighties'', she is best known as Anita from ''West Side Story''.
101	* NonSingingVoice:
102	** She was dubbed by Leona Gordon for ''Film/TheKingAndI''. But she did her own singing for "Small House of Uncle Thomas".
103	** Marni Nixon (who already dubbed Creator/NatalieWood) dubbed her for some high notes in ''Film/WestSideStory1961'', and Betty Ward dubbed her for "A Boy Like That". Rita sings "America" and "Quintet" herself though.
104	* OldShame: She hated many of the stereotypical SpicyLatina roles she played in westerns, and only did them because she needed the work.
105	--> "Before ''West Side Story'', I was always offered the stereotypical Latina roles. The Conchitas and Lolitas in westerns. I was always barefoot. It was humiliating, embarrassing stuff. But I did it because there was nothing else."
106	* PlayingAgainstType: Around the time she was starring in the children's series ''Series/TheElectricCompany1971'', she showed up playing a prostitute in ''Film/CarnalKnowledge''.
107	* RemakeCameo: In ''Film/WestSideStory2021'' (on which she was an executive producer), she plays Valentina, who fills the Doc role from the original. Of course it's hardly a cameo, and actually a significant supporting role; she even gets to sing "Somewhere".
108	* UnbuiltCastingType: Typecast as a SpicyLatina early in her career, it's surprising that her debut film ''Film/SoYoungSoBad'' serves to deconstruct it. Her character Dolores has suffered bullying and discrimination because of her immigrant parents, and she has severe mental health problems.
109	* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Legend has it that Creator/DorothyDandridge was the first choice for Tuptim in ''Film/TheKingAndI'', but was advised to turn it down because the character was a slave.

Context Creator / RitaMoreno