Rita Moreno

Bush. She contiued to accept occasional film roles until her death in Athens in 1973. In June 2004, she became the first Hispanic to be awarded the "Presidential Medal of Freedom" by President George W. She formed the Royal Theater of Athens with Alexis Minotis, her principal director and her husband since 1940. Rita Moreno became the first Puerto Rican to have been awarded the Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy's. Returning to Greece in 1950, Paxinou resumed her stage career. Rita Moreno's real contribution has been her ability to transcend the discriminatory practices of Hollywood and set a precedent for hispanic actors to be recognized by talent rather than ethnicity. She continued appearing in Hollywood films until 1949.

Rita Moreno has participated in more than 50 productions, combining her television, movie and theatrical works. She was selected to play Pilar in the 1943 film of For Whom the Bell Tolls, winning a Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe. During the late 1990s, she gained exposure to a new generation of viewers as she played a Catholic nun trained as a psychologist in the popular HBO series, Oz. When World War II broke out she was performing in London and unable to return to Greece she emigrated to the US. series. Paxinou distinguished herself on the stage. She also made appearances in the Rockford Files T.V. Trained as an opera singer but changed career and joined the Greek Royal Theater in 1929.

Moreno's popularity grew even more in the 1970s when she appeared on the PBS series The Electric Company and the Muppet Show. Born Katina Constantopoulos in Pireas. Moreno also appeared in "Singing in the Rain" (1952) and Tennessee Williams "Summer and Smoke". Katina Paxinou (December 17, 1900 - February 22, 1973) was a Greek film and theatre actress. Rita Moreno married Doctor Lenny Gordon on June 18, 1965, who still remains her husband and manager, and later had a daughter, Fernanda Gordon. Un Été Sauvage (1970). Moreno was the second person in history to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award, the first and only Hispanic entertainer to have done so. Tante Zita (1968),.

Moreno gained fame and an "Oscar" as the best supporting actress that year. Rocco e i Suoi Fratelli (1960),. Finally, in 1961 she landed the role of "Anita" in Robert Wises film "West Side Story", an epic film about the lives of the Puerto Ricans in New York during the 1950's. Arkadin (1955),. For the next ten years Rita played roles in movies which she felt degrading. Mr. She had her first Broadway role by the time she was thirteen, which caught the attention of Hollywood talent scouts. Prince of Foxes (1949),.