How awesome for humanity that we’ve been allowed to enjoy the brilliant, bright light that is EGOT winner Rita Moreno for 90 years.
Happy birthday, Rita Moreno! The legendary actress, dancer and singer turns 90 today 🎉 https://t.co/ypfa9qzOXz pic.twitter.com/QtZNzSPrqR
— Variety (@Variety) December 11, 2021
From Variety:
Rita Moreno may be turning 90 in December, but the actor dreads the thought of being typecast as a woman over a certain age.
“Why should I have to play a grandmother simply because I’m old? Can I be a lawyer? A scientist? So far, the answer is … not so much,” she says wistfully. “Hollywood suffers in a profound way from ageism.”
Moreno has made a career — one that spans seven decades of memorable stage and screen roles in “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Electric Company,” “The Ritz” and “One Day at a Time” — out of defying expectations and breaking barriers.
In 1961, she became the first, and still only, Hispanic woman to win an acting Academy Award, for her turn as Anita in “West Side Story.”
Happy 90th birthday to Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner Rita Moreno. The legendary performer is the first, and still only, Latina to EGOT and she achieved them all by age 45. pic.twitter.com/FviXvjASyk
— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) December 12, 2021
And, of course, you know Moreno appears in (and executive produces) the new Steven Spielberg version of West Side Story which opened to rave reviews on Friday.
While many note that Moreno is one of the few to land Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards (EGOT), her illustrious career has also garnered the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Peabody Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“So far, everything but the Pulitzer and the Nobel,” she tell Variety. “But I’m working on it!”
Rita Moreno…that's history right there.
Rita Moreno in "The King and I," "West Side Story." "Singin' in the Rain," and "Carnal Knowledge." pic.twitter.com/wL8p2XTmN5
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) December 11, 2021
I met the luminous Rita Moreno here in Las Vegas a few years ago when she was honored by the Nevada Ballet Theater.
Speaking to her on the red carpet, Michael asked if we could have a “Tiger & Duff” moment referencing her backup boys in her Academy Award nominated film The Ritz.
La Rita hit the pose without a pause. #WhatAGreatStar
Michael and I with living legend Rita Moreno (photo: Denise Truscello)