Rita Moreno

A Broadway singer and actress, Rita Moreno was frequently cast in the Latin girl roles, striving to become an important actress like her actress-idol, Lana Turner. Although she had a number of obstacles to overcome being from Puerto Rico, she became a star in Hollywood, on Broadway, in films and television. Born Rosa Dolores Alverio in Puerto Rico, Rita Moreno was born into a poor family. Her mother fled to the United States looking for work after the United States declared war on Cuba and took over Puerto Rico. Rita Moreno joined her mother in New York and never saw her father or younger brother again. Her time in New York as a young child was rough on Rita Moreno. At first she was unable to speak English and found it very difficult to get along with the other children. She became shy and reserved. Despite her shyness, Rita Moreno was ready to perform the Mexican hat dance at every assembly or talent show. Rita Moreno's mother enrolled her in dance classes where she met her mentor Paco Cansino. She was seven when she performed her first dance recital. Rita Moreno made her professional debut on Broadway at the age of 13. She played Angelina in Skydrift. She performed in nightclubs during her teen years dubbing herself as the "Latin Spitfire." At the age of 19 she made her first Hollywood film, So Young So Bad. After being cast in many ethnic Latin roles, including an Indian maiden in Jivaro, Rita Moreno's hopes of being a Hollywood star were deflated. In 1955 Rita Moreno decided to leave MGM and singed a contract with Fox in hopes that the roles would be different. Her first film, Untamed, saw her playing a hot-blooded, hot-tempered Latin sex kitten. The next role in Seven Cities of Gold, she was cast as a poor barefoot Native American woman. Things began to change...