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Over a 70+ year career, Rita Moreno defied both her humble upbringing and relentless racism to become a celebrated and beloved actor, one of the rare EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) Award Winners of our time. Born into poverty on a Puerto Rican farm, Moreno and her seamstress mother immigrated to New York City when Moreno was five years old. After studying dance and performing on Broadway, Moreno was cast as any ethnic minority the Hollywood studios needed filled, be it Polynesian, Native American or Egyptian. Despite becoming the first Latina actress to win an Academy Award for her role as Anita in “West Side Story” (1961), the studios continued to offer Moreno lesser roles as stereotypical ethnic minorities, ignoring her proven talent.
RITA MORENO: JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT illuminates the humor and the grace of Moreno, as well as lesser-known struggles faced on her path to stardom, including pernicious Hollywood sexism and abuse, a toxic relationship with Marlon Brando, and serious depression a year before she emerged an Oscar winner. Moreno’s talent and resilience triumphed over adversity, as she broke barriers, fought for representation and forged the path for new generations of artists.
Original Release
01/29/2021
US Release
01/29/2021
Links
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Rita Moreno | Self |
Justina Machado | Self |
Frances Negron-Muntaner | Self |
Julia Foulkes | Self |
Hector Elizondo | Self |
Tony Taccone | Self |
Mitzi Gaynor | Self |
Karen Olivo | Self |
Eva Longoria | Self |
Morgan Freeman | Self |
Directors
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Rita Moreno | Self |
Justina Machado | Self |
Frances Negron-Muntaner | Self |
Julia Foulkes | Self |
Hector Elizondo | Self |
Tony Taccone | Self |
Mitzi Gaynor | Self |
Karen Olivo | Self |
Eva Longoria | Self |
Morgan Freeman | Self |
George Chakiris | Self |
Annette Insdorf | Self |
America Ferrera | Self (archive footage) / Self |
Fernanda Gordon | Self / Self (as Fernanda Gordon Fisher) |
Gloria Estefan | Self |
Jackie Speier | Self |
Whoopi Goldberg | Self |
John Ferguson | Self |
Leonard Gordon | Self |
Terrence McNally | Self |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Lin-Manuel Miranda | Executive Producer |
Michael Kantor | Executive Producer |
Lyn Davis Lear | Executive Producer |
Regina K. Scully | Executive Producer |
Danny Martinez | Executive Producer |
Ila J. Velez Davila | Producer |
Rebecca Kent | Producer |
Brent Miller | Producer |
Mariem Pérez Riera | Producer |
Laura Reich | Producer |
Ilia Velez | Producer |
Kevin Klauber | Producer |