West Side Story (1961) Pages: ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 4 ) Background West Side Story (1961) is an energetic, widely-acclaimed, melodramatic musical - a modern-day, loose re-telling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet tragedy of feuding families, although the setting is the Upper West Side of New York City in the late 1950s with conflict between rival street gangs rather than families. West Side Story is still one of the best film adaptations of a musical ever created, and the finest musical film of the 60s. It arrived at a time when the silver screen was realizing tremendous competition from TV and other genres of cinematic entertainment. Like many other musicals of its time, Hollywood again looked to a successful Broadway stage play (first starring Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert) for its source material (e.g., in earlier years, South Pacific (1958), Oklahoma! (1955), and Carousel (1956) were chosen, among others) and it was no different for this film.

An almost completely new cast was assembled, except for actor George Chakiris (who played Riff, NOT Bernardo, in the London production). After her success in Spendor in the Grass (1961) , Natalie Wood was chosen for the lead female role after Barbara Luna was considered. And Richard Beymer, known for his performance as Peter Van Daan in George Stevens' The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), took the lead male role which was also considered for Marlon Brando and Elvis Presley. Chita Rivera, the Broadway actress who played the part of the tempestuous Anita, was replaced by Rita Moreno, known for her role as Tuptim in The King and I (1956) . Supporting actor Russ Tamblyn, known for many roles in films such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Peyton Place (1957), played the role of Riff. The same tale has been told numerous times in past cinematic history, including: Romeo and Juliet (1916) with vampish Theda Bara as Juliet Romeo and Juliet (1916) with Francis X.

Bushman as Romeo George Cukor's Romeo and Juliet (1936) with elderly 'teen' lovers Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer, John Barrymore as Mercutio, Edna May Oliver as the Nurse, and Basil Rathbone as Tybalt Renato Castellani's Romeo and Juliet (1954) with Laurence Harvey and Susan Shentall in the leads Paul Czinner's Romeo and Juliet (1966), with ballet dancers Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968) , with appropriately-aged star-crossed lovers Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey Baz Luhrmann's hip and updated William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes The ground-breaking, dynamic film of 1961 was based on the successful Broadway hit - a staged musical play (opening in 1957) by writer Arthur Laurents and directed/choreographed by Jerome Robbins.

The play reworked the traditional love story material (of lovers that crossed racial/ethnic barriers) and translated it, in a radical, novel and revolutionary style for a musical, to include racial strife between rival New York street gangs (newly-arrived Puerto Ricans and second-generation Americans from white European immigrant families), juvenile delinquency and inner-city problems of the mid-twentieth century - in exhilarating musical and dance form. To capture the realism of the social tragedy and its urban environment, some of the film was shot on location in Manhattan (in abandoned West Side tenements around 110th St., and other settings), but most of it was actually filmed on sound stages with stylized, artificial studio sets. [From Shakespearean Play to Screen: The Montagues became the Anglo Jets street gang, while the Capulets were transformed into rival Puerto Ricans. Puerto Rican Maria, played by Natalie Wood, and white Tony, played by Richard Beymer, were the two lovers. The killing of Riff by Maria's brother Bernardo paralleled the killing of Romeo's friend Mercutio by Juliet's cousin Tybalt, and the retaliatory murder of Bernardo by Tony was identified with Romeo's killing of Tybalt.

Secondary characters were also modified - the Nurse became Anita, Juliet's friend and confidante, and Friar Lawrence became Doc, the neighborhood drugstore owner. (However, there wasn't a climactic double-suicide in the musical.)] The stage book was rewritten and adapted for the screen by Ernest Lehman, and the film retained the beautiful and electrifying musical score, songs and lyrics of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. It was co-directed by two clashing individuals from the start - veteran director Robert Wise and exciting choreographer Jerome Robbins. Both shared credit for the film's direction although Robbins was removed after a few months due to schedule delays, the over-budget production, disagreements with Wise over the film's degree of faithfulness to the stage production, and Robbins' potentially-expensive demands for perfection. The four kinetic dance sequences that Robbins choreographed ("Prologue," "America," "Cool," and "Something's Comin'") and the jazzy, interpretative score of Bernstein rhythmically communicate the passionate intensity, frustration and tough violence of the streets.

The singing of both leads was dubbed: Jimmy Bryant for former child actor Richard Beymer, and Marni Nixon for Natalie Wood, and the vocals by Rita Moreno were enhanced by Betty Wand for "A Boy Like That". [Marni Nixon also dubbed Audrey Hepburn's singing voice in My Fair Lady (1964) .] (Visit the official West Side Story website at: .) The much-praised, box-office blockbuster for United Artists received eleven Academy Award nominations and won all but one - Best Adapted Screenplay. Its achievement as a ten Oscar winner has only been surpassed by three films (all with eleven Oscars): Ben-Hur (1959) , Titanic (1997), and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003). West Side Story's Oscar awards include: Best Picture, Best Director (Wise and Robbins - the first time that awards went to co-directors), Best Supporting Actor and Actress (George Chakiris in his first major film role and Rita Moreno), Best Color Cinematography, Best Color Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Sound, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, Best Film Editing, and Best Color Costume Design.

Robbins was also awarded a special statuette for "his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film." Robbins was the only Best Director Oscar winner to win for the only film he ever directed. Robert Wise won his second directorial Oscar for The Sound of Music (1965) . Natalie Wood was un-nominated for West Side Story, but she was competing for a Best Actress Oscar (that she lost to Sophia Loren for Two Women) for her role in Spendor in the Grass (1961) . [The Oscar-winning short film West Bank Story (2006) parodied the film, with Israeli and Palestinian gangs replacing the second generation Americans and Puerto Rican gangs - fighting over falafel stands.] The Story During the opening prologue, a breathtaking aerial shot of Manhattan from a bird's eye view captures the city with its bridge traffic and highway ramps, its waterfront docks, parks and skyscrapers. The camera passes over recognizable landmarks as it moves steadily to the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and then speedily zooms down and plunges into a concrete playground.

A gang of 'cool' white youths are posed together in one corner of a basketball court, clicking their fingers to the syncopated rhythm of the musical score. The aggressive gang members leave the fenced-in playground and cross the tenement street. In the famous, dazzling opening sequence, they gradually break into a highly-stylized dance and then burst into a daring, high-stepping sequence - an exhilarating, inventive, visual ballet of pirouettes, vigorous athletic moves, and running jumps that symbolizes their dominance and energy - they are readying themselves for a gang brawl. They are members of the Jets composed of white teens, led by brown-haired, All-American type Riff (Russ Tamblyn). [They represent one side of the racial rivalry, similar to Shakespeare's tense and feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulets.] Two of the gang members face off against one member of a rival gang, Sharks leader Bernardo (George Chakiris), a darker-skinned, black-haired Puerto Rican immigrant. He is joined by his gang members, and they pick up the beat by clicking their fingers. The gangs both are vying for control of the streets, alternating between dominance and submission.

Two of the members provoke each other, and after an extended confrontation, a full-scale brawl breaks out when the Jets come to rescue Baby John (Eliot Feld), the youngest member of their gang, from an assault by the Sharks. The conflict is broken up by the arrival of a precinct patrol car, carrying uniformed Officer Krupke (William Bramley) and bigoted, plainclothes policeman Lieutenant Schrank (Simon Oakland) who have stopped similar fights between the "punks" many times before: Schrank: You hoodlums don't own these streets. And I've had all the rough-house I can put up with around here. You want to kill each other? Kill each other, but you ain't gonna do it on my beat. Are there any questions? Bernardo: Yes, sir. Would you mind translating that into Spanish? Schrank: Get your friends out of here, Bernardo - and stay out - please. Bernardo: (to his gang) OK Sharks, vaminos. Schrank: Boy, as if this neighborhood wasn't crummy enough. (to the Jets) Now look, fellas. Fellas? Look, let's be reasonable, huh?

If I don't get a little law and order around here, I get busted down to a traffic corner. And your friend don't like traffic corners. So that means you're gonna start makin' nice with the PRs [Puerto Ricans] from now on. I said nice - GET IT! 'Cause if you don't, and I catch any of ya doing any more brawlin' in my territory, I'm gonna personally beat the living crud out of each and every one of yas and see that you go to the can and rot there. Say goodbye to the nice boys, Krupke. Krupke: Goodbye boys. Riff speaks to his gang members and arouses their immature gang mentality. He directs his hatred toward the Puerto Ricans and their turf-encroachment. Convinced of the Jets' own strength and invincibility, he is adamant about checking the Sharks' expansion and influence in the neighborhood while still avoiding a life-threatening rumble with blades or zip guns. However, Riff would consider battling the rivals with weapons if challenged: Riff: Now we fought hard for this turf and we ain't just gonna give it up...The Emeralds claimed it. We shut 'em out.

The Hawks, remember, they tried to take it away, and we knocked 'em down to the cellar. Members: Yeah, but these PRs are different. They multiply. They keep comin'. Like cockroaches. Close the windows. Shut the doors. They're eatin' our food. They're breathin' all the air. The end to free enterprise... Riff: Hey, you heard what that Lieutenant Schrank said, eh? We gotta make nice with 'em Puerto Ricans or else. We gotta let 'em move in right under our noses and take it all away from us, or else. Gang: No! Riff: You're damned right NO. So what are we gonna do buddy-boys? I'll tell ya what we're gonna do. We're gonna speed fast. We're gonna move like lightnin'. And we're gonna clean them Sharks up once and for all so they ain't never gonna set foot on our turf again. And we're gonna do it in one, all-out fight...The Sharks want a piece of this world too. And they're real down boys.

They might ask for blades, zip guns...I say this turf is small, but it's all we got, huh? Now I want to hold it like we always held it, with skin. But if they say blades, I say blades. If they say guns, I say guns. I say I want that just to be the number one - to sail, to hold the sky...OK cats, we rumble. Now, protocality calls for a war council between us and the Sharks, to set the whole thing up. So I would personally give the bad news to Bernardo. Riff proposes getting help from Tony, a young Polish boy and ex-leader of the Jets who has grown away from them and taken a respectable job: "We need Tony. He's got a rep that's bigger than the whole West Side...He always came through for us and he always will." Tony could serve as the Jets' lieutenant for the impending showdown.

The Jet Song: 1961 Academy Awards® Winners and History Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) Actor: MAXIMILIAN SCHELL in "Judgment at Nuremberg", Charles Boyer in "Fanny", Paul Newman in "The Hustler" , Spencer Tracy in "Judgment at Nuremberg", Stuart Whitman in "The Mark" Actress: SOPHIA LOREN in "Two Women", Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's", Piper Laurie in "The Hustler" , Geraldine Page in "Summer and Smoke", Natalie Wood in "Splendor in the Grass" Supporting Actor: GEORGE CHAKIRIS in "West Side Story" , Montgomery Clift in "Judgment at Nuremberg", Peter Falk in "Pocketful of Miracles", Jackie Gleason in "The Hustler" , George C. Scott in "The Hustler" Supporting Actress: RITA MORENO in "West Side Story" , Fay Bainter in "The Children's Hour", Judy Garland in "Judgment at Nuremberg", Lotte Lenya in "The Roman Spring of Mrs.

Stone", Una Merkel in "Summer and Smoke" Director: JEROME ROBBINS and ROBERT WISE for "West Side Story" , Federico Fellini for "La Dolce Vita", Stanley Kramer for "Judgment at Nuremberg", J. Lee Thompson for "The Guns of Navarone", Robert Rossen for "The Hustler" The Best Picture winner was a well-honored musical with Leonard Bernstein's score, fiery dance numbers and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics in a contemporary updating of Shakespeare's story of Romeo and Juliet (with rival NY street gangs - Puerto-Rican Sharks headed by George Chakiris and Jets led by Richard Beymer) titled West Side Story . The film had eleven nominations and ten Oscar wins (losing only its Screenplay nomination) - close to matching the record established by Ben-Hur (1959) with its twelve nominations and eleven Oscars. The Best Picture winner's awards included: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director (Robert Wise and co-credited choreographer Jerome Robbins), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Musical Score, Best Film Editing, and Best Costume Design.

Only two of its ten Oscars went to actors (in supporting roles). Robbins was also awarded a special statuette for "his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film." Robbins was the only Best Director Oscar winner to win for the only film he ever directed. [ West Side Story was the first instance in which a co-directing team - Robbins and Wise - won the Best Director Oscar. Joel and Ethan Coen also won the Best Director Oscar for No Country For Old Men (2007). Other examples of a directorial team being nominated were Heaven Can Wait (1978) with co-directors Warren Beatty and Buck Henry, and the Coen brothers nominated for True Grit (2010).] The other nominees for Best Picture included the following: director Joshua Logan's non-musical Fanny (with five nominations and no wins) with Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier (co-stars in the successful Gigi (1958)) cast in the title roles as a young girl who finds herself pregnant and her husband - a different older man director J.

Lee Thompson's suspenseful action/adventure war film, The Guns of Navarone (with seven nominations and only one win - Best Special Effects) about a sabotage team of American-British-Greek intelligence agents sent in 1943 to the fictionalized Aegean island of Navarone to destroy giant German guns director Robert Rossen's character drama about professional pool-room sharks and a naive, self-destructive pool hustler, The Hustler (with nine nominations and two wins - Best B/W Cinematography and Best B/W Art Direction/Set Decoration) director Stanley Kramer's three-hour long, star-studded Judgment At Nuremberg (with eight nominations and two wins - Best Actor and Best Screenplay) - a film about the 1948 war crimes trials following World War II The Hustler accumulated four acting nominations, but none of the deserving individuals won. Paul Newman (with his second nomination) probably gave the greatest performance of his career and was nominated as Best Actor for his role as professional pool shark Fast Eddie Felson.

[Newman would have to wait 25 years to win an Oscar for playing the same character - only older - in the sequel The Color of Money (1986).] co-star Piper Laurie (with her first of three career nominations) was nominated for Best Actress as Sarah Packard, Paul Newman's crippled, alcoholic girlfriend/lover Two Best Supporting Actor nominees in The Hustler were: Jackie Gleason (with his sole nomination) as real-life hustler Minnesota Fats George C. Scott (with his second of four career nominations) in a superb performance as Bert Gordon - Felson's fast-talking, conniving, manipulative promoter/manager [Note: Actor George C. Scott in his third screen appearance became the first actor to decline an Oscar nomination (to be awarded in 1962).

Though he wished to turn down the nomination, his name remained on the ballot, and he lost to George Chakiris for West Side Story (1961) .] Three of the four performers who won acting Oscars were virtually unknown - Maximilian Schell, George Chakiris, and Rita Moreno, and the fourth, Sophia Loren, was known mostly as an Italian sexpot rather than as a serious, deglamourized actress. The winning group basically beat out lots of better known heavyweights. The Best Actor winner was 31 year-old Austrian-born Maximilian Schell (with the first of three career nominations - and his sole Oscar win) as Hans Rolfe - a disturbing Nazi-German defense lawyer who defended the Nazi generals for war crimes in Judgment at Nuremberg. [Schell's role was basically a supportive one, and he was listed fourth in the cast. He became the first performer to win an Academy Award for recreating on screen a role he had originally performed for television.] He was the only performer to take home the film's sole acting Oscar win.

Other Best Actor nominees included: Schell's co-star Spencer Tracy (with his eighth and next-to-last career nomination) as Judge Dan Haywood - the presiding American/Allied judge in the Nuremberg trials in Judgment at Nuremberg Charles Boyer (with his fourth and last unsuccessful career nomination) as waterfront proprietor Cesar (Horst Buchholz's father), in Fanny Stuart Whitman (with his sole nomination) as Jim Fuller - a paroled child molester in the dramatic British film by director Guy Green, The Mark (the film's sole nomination) Paul Newman (see above) The Best Actress award also went to a non-American, to help acknowledge non-English language performers and boost Hollywood's desire to favor non-American markets for films: Sophia Loren (with her first of two career nominations) won her only Oscar in director Vittorio De Sica's sub-titled Italian film Two Women (1960) (aka La Ciociara) (the film's sole nomination) in the role of Cesira - the widowed and tormented young mother of a 13-year-old daughter (Eleanora Brown) who she vainly tried to protect in war-torn Italy during World War II.

In the Italian countryside during the taking of Rome, both of them were traumatized and forced to survive an aerial strafing attack, deprivation, and rape during the dark war year of 1943 [Loren was the first to be nominated for (and win) an acting Oscar for a foreign-language film role - in a film that was not in English. This feat, a non-English acting award, was also awarded to Roberto Benigni for his performance in Life is Beautiful (1998). Also, Loren remains the only actress to win an Oscar in a foreign-language film. However, it has been noted that Robert De Niro also won an Oscar for his foreign-language performance, speaking only Italian/Sicilian in The Godfather, Part II (1974) , and the same is true of Meryl Streep's Best Actress foreign-language performance in Sophie's Choice (1981), and Haing S.

Ngor's Best Supporting Actor role in The Killing Fields (1985) .] Sophia Loren's other competitors in the Best Actress race included: Audrey Hepburn (with her fourth of five career nominations) in one of her best-loved roles as charming, eccentric, melancholy New York City playgirl Holly Golightly in director Blake Edwards' offbeat romance, Breakfast at Tiffany's (with five nominations and two wins - Best Comedy Score, and Best Song for Hepburn's rendition of Henry Mancini's "Moon River") Geraldine Page (with her second of eight career nominations) as Alma Winemiller - a repressed Mississippi minister's daughter/spinster in another adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play by director Peter Glenville, Summer and Smoke (with four nominations and no wins) Natalie Wood was nominated (with her second of three unsuccessful career nominations) for her role as teen sweetheart and sexually-frustrated, troubled teenager Wilma Dean ("Deanie") Loomis opposite boyfriend Warren Beatty (in his film debut) in director Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass (with two nominations and one win - Best Story and Screenplay) Piper Laurie (see above) West Side Story co-stars: Puerto-Rican-born Rita Moreno (

with her sole nomination and Oscar win in her entire career) as the fiery, headstrong, tempestuous, skirt-tossing dancer, a Puerto Rican 'Sharks' member, and Maria's (Natalie Wood) friend Anita.

She was the first Hispanic actress to win an acting Academy Award. She was also the second performer (after Helen Hayes) to win these four different awards - Oscar (1961), Tony (1975), Emmy (1977, 1978), and Grammy (1972) - by 1977, one year after Hayes. George Chakiris (with his sole nomination - and sole Oscar win - in his first leading film role) as the 'Sharks' tragic, knife-fighting gang leader Bernardo, the heroic brother of the film's Juliet - Maria (Natalie Wood) At the time, front-runner favorites were two Supporting Actor/Actress nominees for their roles in Judgment at Nuremberg - Montgomery Clift and Judy Garland - and both of them had never won Oscars.

The Best Supporting Actor nominees who lost were: Montgomery Clift (with his fourth and last unsuccessful career nomination) was nominated as Rudolf Petersen - a Nazi-victimized witness who testifies for the prosecution, in Judgment at Nuremberg Peter Falk (with his second consecutive and last career nomination) as Joy Boy in Frank Capra's remake of his own Lady for a Day (1933) (and Capra's last film), Pocketful of Miracles (with three nominations and no wins) - the film co-starred Bette Davis as down-and-out street vendor Apple Annie Jackie Gleason (see above) George C. Scott (see above) Other losing Best Supporting Actress nominees included: Judy Garland (with her second and last unsuccessful career nomination) as Irene Hoffman - a German housewife who defends her marriage to a Jew, in Judgment at Nuremberg Fay Bainter (with her third and last career nomination in her last film) in the role of Mrs.

Amelia Tilford - the grandmother of a lying teenage girl in director William Wyler's film version of Lillian Hellman's play about slander directed toward two teachers in a re-make of Wyler's own These Three (1936) titled The Children's Hour (with five nominations and no wins) Lotte Lenya (with her sole nomination) as unappealing, Italian procuress Contessa Magda Terribili-Gonzales in director Jose Quintero's film of an adaptation of a Tennessee Williams novella, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (the film's sole nomination) - a film starring Vivien Leigh as a fading, widowed actress in Rome and Warren Beatty as a handsome Italian gigolo Una Merkel (with her sole nomination), a veteran character actress for many decades, was also nominated as Geraldine Page's mentally-disturbed mother Mrs. Winemiller. (Merkel lost her sole Oscar bid to another Summer and Smoke co-star, Rita Moreno who won for her role in a different film) Oscar Snubs and Omissions: Although Breakfast at Tiffany's was nominated five times, and won two Oscars (Best Score and Best Song for Henry Mancini), it was not nominated for Best Picture.

Producer/director Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass , nominated for only two Oscars (an unsuccessful Best Actress nomination for Natalie Wood and a Best Original Story and Screenplay nomination with Oscar awarded to William Inge), failed to achieve a Best Picture or Best Director nomination. In the same year, Natalie Wood starred in West Side Story as Puerto Rican Maria, one of the star-crossed romantic lovers (with singing dubbed by Marni Nixon), but was un-nominated for that role. Oscar-worthy nominees for acting roles in many overlooked films included James Cagney in his second-to-last film as European Coca-Cola executive C.R. MacNamara, and Hanns Lothar with his comedic, heel-clicking performance as Schlemmer - in Billy Wilder's satirical farce One, Two, Three (with one unsuccessful nomination for B/W Cinematography).

Also overlooked was the young and promising Albert Finney for his role as hedonistic working-class Arthur Seaton in the British film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (un-nominated for any awards), Vincent Price as the villainous Nicholas Medina in the second of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe series - The Pit and the Pendulum, Sidney Poitier for his performance as Walter Lee Younger - part of a financially struggling Chicago black family in A Raisin in the Sun (also un-nominated for any awards), and Rosalind Russell for her performance as widowed Brooklynite Mrs. Jacoby, a stereotypical Jewish mother in A Majority of One. Vivien Leigh was un-nominated for her performance as a wealthy, widowed actress living in Rome - attractive to gigolo Warren Beatty in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, and young Hayley Mills' role as an innocent Kathy Bostock in director Bryan Forbes' allegorical Whistle Down the Wind (un-nominated for any awards) was also un-nominated. And the last film of legends Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable, director John Huston's The Misfits, received no nominations.

Through a Glass Darkly (Sw.) brought Ingmar Bergman his second Best Foreign Film Oscar win, but was missing from the Best Picture nominees. Although Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita had a total of four nominations (including two for Fellini himself for his direction and screenplay, another nomination for Best Art Direction, and an Oscar win for its Best Costume Design), Marcello Mastroianni was not nominated for his famed role as handsome, world-weary, desperate gossip columnist Marcello Rubini. [Later in his career, Mastroianni was nominated three teams for leading roles in Divorce - Italian Style (1962), A Special Day (1977), and Dark Eyes (1987).] His co-star Anita Ekberg was also not nominated for her role as buxom movie star Sylvia, who cavorted and danced in Trevi's water fountain in a black evening gown. Her entire career was unrecognized by the Academy. Rita Moreno - Actress - Biography.com Rita Moreno Rita Moreno is a Puetro Rican actress, of West Side Story (1961) fame, who throughout her career has broken new ground for Latinos in entertainment.

IN THESE GROUPS Famous People Born in Humacao, Puerto Rico Synopsis Born Rosa Dolores Alverio on December 11, 1931, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Rita Moreno is best known as Anita in West Side Story in 1961, a role that earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first Latina actress to win the honor. Moreno also appeared on the children's shows Sesame Street and The Electric Company, and is one of only 11 people to have received the four major entertainment honors—Emmy, Oscar, Tony and Grammy awards. Early Life Born Rosa Dolores Alverio on December 11, 1931, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Rita Moreno has broken new ground for Latinos in the field of entertainment throughout her career. Moreno began her career in show business at early age. She appeared on Broadway and in her first film role in her early teens, and left school around the same time. Career Highlights Moreno is perhaps best known for her work in West Side Story (1961), a modern musical inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

A versatile performer, she had to sing, dance and handle very dramatic scenes during the course of the film. She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her portrayal of Anita, the tough but vulnerable girlfriend to the Sharks's gang leader—becoming the first Hispanic actress to win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. After her success with West Side Story, Moreno took on a range of interesting roles on stage and in films. She performed with the likes of Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson and James Garner. Her career took another interesting turn in the 1970s, when joined the cast of The Electric Company, a children's television program. She stayed with the program for six seasons and became known for her trademark catchphrase: "Hey, you guys." She and the rest of the cast won a Grammy Award in 1972 for the show's soundtrack. Only a few years later, Moreno won a Tony Award (best featured actress in a play) for her work in Broadway's The Ritz (1975). Accolades didn't stop there for Moreno. She went on to win two Emmy awards for guest appearances on The Muppet Show (1977) and The Rockford Files (1978).

She is one of only 11 people to have received the four major entertainment honors—Emmy, Tony, Oscar and Grammy awards (also known as the EGOT). Moreno again impressed critics with her turn as a no-nonsense nun on the cable television series Oz from 1997 to 2003. Today, she continues to act in feature films, make guest appearances on television, and sing and perform in theatrical productions. Personal Life Once romantically linked to Marlon Brando, Moreno married Dr. Leonard Gordon in 1965. The couple has a daughter, Fernanda, and two grandchildren. Her husband died in 2010 at the age of 90. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us ! Citation Information Rita Moreno - Awards - IMDb Rita Moreno Showing all 20 wins and 22 nominations Academy Awards, USA For episode "Orphans, Waifs and Wards". Grammy Awards For the album "West Side Story (The Original Soundtrack Recording)". Image Awards For significantly enhancing media images of older women through her celebrated career.

Satellite Awards Star on the Walk of Fame Motion Picture Awarded on July 20, 1995 at 7080 Hollywood Blvd. Wine Country Film Festival a list of 23 people created 10 Jan 2011 a list of 21 people created 03 Dec 2013 a list of 28 people created 07 Feb 2014 a list of 31 people created 27 Apr 2015 a list of 36 people created 11 months ago IMDb Everywhere Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet! Rita Moreno (Actress) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Rita Moreno Female Born Dec 11, 1931 Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award.

related links The Trailer For Netflix's âOne Day At A Timeâ Reboot Is Finally Here Huffington Post - Dec 08, 2016 ' \n \n \n Itâs been nearly a year since Netflix orderedÂ a 13-episode straight-to-seriesÂ for the Latino family reboot ofÂ âOne Day At A Time.â The wait is almost over. \n The streaming company gave fans a first look at the series, set to premiere Jan. 6, in a 2-minute trailer released Wednesday.Â The remake of Norman Learâs 1970s sitcom stars <mark>Rita Moreno</mark>, Justina Machado and was written by Gloria Calderon Kellett, who\'s written and produced forÂ \"How I Met Your Mother... Hud Secretary Castro, Rita Moreno Stump For Clinton In Cleveland NPR - Oct 09, 2016 'HUD Secretary Julian Castro was part of the get-out-the-vote effort among Hispanic voters on Clevelandâs west side this weekend.

The Convencion Hispana draws thousands of northern Ohio Latinos every three years to talk about health, education, entrepreneurship, and, especially this year, immigration and politics. Julian Castro, who was among those considered for Hillary Clintonâs running mate, says Ohio remains important to Clintonâs White House hopes â and Latinos are important to Ohio. âIt... Music Center To Honor Rita Moreno At Summer SoirÃ©e LATimes - Jun 28, 2016 ' <mark>Rita Moreno</mark>, whose career has spanned an Academy Award-winning turn as the hotheaded Anita in 1961âs âWest Side StoryâÂ to her role as Liliana De La Vega on the CWâs âJane the Virgin,â will be honored at the Music Center of Los Angelesâ inaugural Summer SoirÃ©e next week. The veteran actress-dancer-singer,...

' Music Center To Honor Rita Moreno At Summer SoirÃ©e LATimes - Jun 28, 2016 ' <mark>Rita Moreno</mark>, whose career has spanned an Academy Award-winning turn as the hotheaded Anita in 1961âs âWest Side StoryâÂ to her role as Liliana De La Vega on the CWâs âJane the Virgin,â will be honored at the Music Center of Los Angelesâ inaugural Summer SoirÃ©e next week. The veteran actress-dancer-singer,... ' Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Rita Moreno. CHILDHOOD 1931 Birth Born on December 11, 1931. 1936 4 Years Old Rita's mother moved to New York City in 1936, taking her daughter, but not her son, Rita's younger brother, Francisco.

… Read More Rita later adopted the surname of her first stepfather, Edward Moreno, Rosa Maria's second husband.<br /><br /> Rita began her first dancing lessons soon after arriving in New York with a Spanish dancer known as "Paco Cansino", who was a paternal uncle of film star Rita Hayworth. When she was 11 years old, she lent her voice to Spanish language versions of American films. She had her first Broadway roleâas "Angelina" in Skydriftâby the time she was 13, which caught the attention of Hollywood talent scouts.<br /><br /> Moreno acted steadily in films throughout the 1950s, usually in small roles, including in The Toast of New Orleans (1950) and Singin' in the Rain (1952), in which she played the starlet "Zelda Zanders". Read Less TWENTIES 1954 22 Years Old In March 1954, Moreno was featured on the cover of Life Magazine with the caption "Rita Moreno: An Actress's Catalog of Sex and Innocence".

… Read More Moreno disliked most of her film work during this period, as she felt the roles she was given were very stereotypical. One exception was her supporting role in the film version of The King and I as Tuptim. Read Less 1961 29 Years Old In 1961, Moreno landed the role of Anita in Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins' film adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking Broadway musical West Side Story, which had been played by Chita Rivera on Broadway. … Read More Moreno won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for that role.<br /><br /> After winning the Oscar, Moreno thought she would be able to continue to perform less stereotypical film roles, but was disappointed: <br /><br /> Ha, ha. I showed them. I didn't make another movie for seven years after winning the Oscar. 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. After West Side Story, it was pretty much the same thing.

A lot of gang stories.<br /><br /> Moreno had a major role in Summer and Smoke (1961), released soon after West Side Story. She did appear in one film during her self-imposed exile from Hollywood â Cry of Battle (1963) â although it had been filmed directly before and after she won the Academy Award. Read Less THIRTIES 1965 33 Years Old On June 18, 1965, Moreno married Leonard Gordon, a cardiologist who was also her manager. … Read More He died on June 30, 2010. They have one daughter, Fernanda Luisa Fisher, and two grandsons, Justin and Cameron Fisher. Moreno once considered leaving her husband but could not because she did not want to break up the family.<br /><br /> Among Moreno's awards and recognition are the following: Read Less 1971 39 Years Old From 1971 to 1977, Moreno was a main cast member on the PBS children's series The Electric Company.

… Read More She screamed the show's opening line, "HEY, YOU GUYS!" Her roles on the show included Millie the Helper, the naughty little girl Pandora, and Otto, a very short-tempered director.<br /><br /> Rita Moreno appeared in the variety series The Muppet Show, and she has made numerous guest appearances on television series since the 1970s, including The Love Boat, The Cosby Show, George Lopez, The Golden Girls, and Miami Vice.<br /><br /> One notable guest appearance was a three-episode arc on The Rockford Files in 1977 as former call girl Rita Kapcovic. For her portrayal, Moreno won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Drama Series. As a result, she became the third person (after Richard Rodgers and Helen Hayes) to have won an Oscar (1962), a Grammy (1972), a Tony (1975), and an Emmy (1977).

Read Less FORTIES 1975 43 Years Old Moreno's Broadway credits include Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1969), the very short-lived musical Gantry (1970) and The Ritz, for which she won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress. FIFTIES 1985 53 Years Old She appeared in Chicago in the female version of The Odd Couple, for which she won the Sarah Siddons Award in 1985. LATE ADULTHOOD 1993 61 Years Old In 1993 she was invited to perform at President Bill Clinton's inauguration and later that month was asked to perform at the White House. 2000 68 Years Old She released an eponymous album of nightclub songs in 2000 on the VarÃ¨se Sarabande label, with liner notes by Michael Feinstein. … Read More Moreno had an eight-year-long affair with actor Marlon Brando. In an interview with Good Day LA, Moreno stated that Elvis Presley was not a good lover.

They dated for quite some time, but whenever the opportunity presented itself to take the relationship to another level, Presley backed off. Moreno would later confirm that she only dated Presley to make Brando jealous.<br /><br /> Moreno has also had relationships with actors Anthony Quinn and Dennis Hopper, and theater critic Kenneth Tynan. She claims that Tynan stalked her. Read Less 2006 74 Years Old In 2006, she portrayed Amanda Wingfield in Berkeley Repertory Theatre's revival of The Glass Menagerie. 2007 75 Years Old She had a recurring role on Law & Order: Criminal Intent as the dying mother of Detective Robert Goren. She played the family matriarch on the short-lived 2007 TV series Cane, which starred Jimmy Smits and Hector Elizondo. Rita Moreno, Actress | MAKERS Video Rita Moreno on immigrating to the US, breaking into Hollywood, and defying stereotypes.

Rita's Biography Proudest Accomplishment: “Still being here… and working.” First Paying job: Performing at bar mitzvahs and weddings at seven or eight years old as a miniature version of Carmen Miranda, with a fruit salad hat that her mother made her. Advice to Young Women: “To value themselves… you have to learn to appreciate yourself and your talent before you can go anywhere in your life.” Three Words to Describe Herself: “Saucy, genuine and rowdy.” Rita Moreno is a singer, dancer, and actress, and among the few artists to have won an Oscar, a Grammy, a Tony, and an Emmy. Moreno was the first Latina to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her show-stopping performance as Anita in the film version of the musical West Side Story. Born in Puerto Rico, Moreno moved to New York City with her mother at the age of six. She made her Broadway debut in Skydrift at the age of 13, and was subsequently discovered by an MGM talent scout and signed to a multi-year movie contract by Louis B. Mayer.

In 1952, she appeared in her first major motion picture, Singin’ In the Rain, starring Gene Kelly, and in 1954, played a central supporting role in the classic film version of The King and I. When she won the role of Anita in West Side Story in 1961, Moreno was thrilled to play a strong, Puerto Rican heroine. But having struggled throughout her career with narrow ethnic typecasting, she was frustrated when the Oscar didn’t open the door to more diverse film roles. She took a seven-year break from Hollywood until she could return to find less stereotypical parts. In 1971, Moreno began one of her most memorable runs on the small screen on the innovative PBS children’s television program, “The Electric Company,” for which she earned a Grammy for her work on show’s self-titled album. For the next two decades, Moreno received acclaim for her stage and television performances, including a Tony for her work in The Ritz, and two Emmy awards for guest appearances on The Muppet Show and The Rockford Files.

Her other television guest appearances took her from The Love Boat, to The Cosby Show, to Miami Vice, and The Larry Sanders Show and she spent six years on the popular HBO drama, Oz. Still busy performing at 80 years old, Moreno’s latest roles include the sitcom Happily Divorced and her autobiographical one-women-show, Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup which she debuted on stage in 2011. Her wide-ranging body of work and success has earned her two of America’s highest honors – the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bush in 2004, and the National Medal of the Arts from President Obama in 2009. Rita Moreno Biography | Fandango Rita Moreno Biography Dec 11, 1931 Birth Place: Humacao, Puerto Rico Biography Energetic dancer, singer, and actress Rita Moreno was born Rosa Dolores Alverio in Puerto Rico to a family of independent farmers. She moved to New York City with her mother at age five and went on to become one of the few people to win an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy, and a Grammy throughout her long career.

At age 13, she took her vibrant stage presence and star quality to Broadway, and by the next year she had made it to Hollywood, where MGM studio executives suggested she change her name to Rita. Mostly appearing in musicals, her most notable roles of the '50s include Zelda Zanders the Zip Girl in Singin' in the Rain and Tuptim in The King and I . During this close-minded time period in American cinema, she was showcased for her "exotic" qualities in films like Pagan Love Song, Latin Lovers, and The Fabulous Señorita. She also starred in the costume drama The Vagabond King as well as various adventures and Westerns, usually providing the musical entertainment. Her big breakthrough came in 1961 with her role as the spitfire Anita in West Side Story , winning her an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. During the '60s, she took her talents back to the stage and got married, but she did appear in the films Carnal Knowledge with Jack Nicholson and Popi with Alan Arkin .

As a mother during the '70s, she turned to television and got involved with the PBS children's series The Electric Company, which led to a Grammy award for her recording contribution to the soundtrack album. She also won Emmy awards for her work on The Rockford Files and The Muppet Show. Meanwhile, she reprised her Tony-winning Broadway role of entertainer Googie Gomez for the 1976 film version of The Ritz . In the '80s, she appeared in the TV sitcom 9 to 5, the detective series B.L. Stryker, and several made-for-TV movies. In the '90s, she provided the voice for the title character in the PBS educational program Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? She started making features again, taking supporting roles in independent comedy dramas, including Slums of Beverly Hills . In 1997, she turned to confrontational drama as Sister Peter Marie Reimondo on the HBO prison drama Oz. Since 2000, she has been a leading advocate of osteoporosis awareness and has appeared in the John Sayles ensemble feature Casa de los Babys in 2003.

In 2007, Moreno appeared in a cameo role on the hit series Ugly Betty, playing the title character's aunt. Later that same year, she joined the cast of the drama series Cane, a show about a Latin family and their trials and tribulations running a family owned business. In 2011 she was cast as one of the leads on the sitcom Happily Divorced alongside Fran Drescher. — Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Question: Who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in the 1961 film, "West Side Story"?
Answer: RITA MORENO