Rita Moreno Photo

From: Photo Blast from the Past: Rita Moreno

Today, we're featuring Rita Moreno, circa 1980. Moreno earned her Oscar in 1962 for her iconic portrayal of saucy Anita in 'West Side Story,' a role which drew on memories of the racial taunts she endured as a young Puerto Rican immigrant living in a Bronx 'barrio.' Her 1972 Grammy honored her performance on 'The Electric Company Album,' based on the long-running PBS children's literacy television series on which Moreno played multiple roles in a memorable cast that included Bill Cosby and Morgan Freeman. The Tony came for her 1975 satiric turn as flamboyant, talentless Puerto Rican bathhouse singer Googie Gomez in Broadway's 'The Ritz.' A six-time Emmy nominee, she won her first of the Television Academy's honors in 1977 for one of her many guest appearances on 'The Muppet Show.' The following year, she earned a second Emmy for her dramatic guest performance on 'The Rockford Files.'