According to Moreno, her former flame parted ways but stayed friendly until his death. She survived the attempt, but her therapist begged her to stay away from Brando. Whatever put the brakes on the famous pelvis, it ground to a halt at a certain point and that was it.įinally, after an eight-year on and off relationship, Moreno attempted suicide by taking a handful of pills. I could feel him thrust against my clothed body, and expecting the next move… but it never came… Maybe Elvis was inhibited by inbred religious prohibitions or an Oedipal complex, or maybe he simply preferred the thrill of a denied release. She writes of her dates with Elvis: My dates… nearly always concluded in a tender tussle on my living-room floor, with Elvis’ pelvis in that famous gyration straining against his taut trousers. Although, she admits that The King was hardly a hunk of burning love in the bedroom. To make Brando jealous Moreno went on dates with actors like Dennis Hopper and even Elvis Presley himself. Born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Rita Moreno made a name for herself beginning at a young age in America as a dancer, actress and singer. The two continued their volatile relationship throughout two of Brando’s marriages, with Moreno unable to cut ties with the man she loved. Every aspect of being with Marlon was thrilling, because he was more engaged in the world than anyone else I’d ever known. In her memoir, Rita Moreno, the actress writes of her time with the star: We were locked in the ultimate folie à deux, a crazy love that lasted for years, until one day I quite literally was forced out of a coma and had to choose life over him… To say that he was a great lover - sensual, generous, delightfully inventive - would be gravely understating what he did not only to my body, but for my soul. While filming The Night of the Following Day in 1968, Moreno met the man with whom she would have a tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship - Marlon Brando. Moreno’s story is far from over, and she can still be seen on television today. Somehow she also found time to work on children’s television. Not only is she one of the most acclaimed performers of the 20th century, but she spent nearly a decade locked in a torrid love affair with Marlon Brando that included a tryst of sorts with Elvis Presley. She’s best known as Anita in West Side Story, a role that netted her an Academy Award, although her life can’t be distilled down to a single performance. Moreno began performing on Broadway at 13 and had her first film role in the 1950 reform-school girl movie So Young, So Bad. She's among the most celebrated performers of all time. She's coming off a three-year stint on the Netflix remake of One Day At A Time. If you didn't catch her in West Side Story, you might recall her yelling "Hey you guys!" on The Electric Company or consoling inmates on the gritty prison drama Oz. from Puerto Rico, had endured the stereotypical ethnic roles and flourished - and she has continued to flourish while controlling her own destiny. Rita Moreno, who was five years old when she came to the U.S. It's just something- truly, that I think I inherited from my mom.Hollywood didn't know what to do with Rita Moreno when her West Side Story (1961) performance brought her an Oscar, but not better roles, she went on her way. Rita Moreno: I think that perseverance is my middle name. Novem/ 6:55 PM / CBS News Rita Moreno is best known as Anita in the movie 'West Side Story.' The 1961 musical broke box office records and won ten Oscars including best picture and. She's still rehearsing." She says, "That's what you have to do to become a star."īill Whitaker: But what is it about you to have achieved this? And one of the girls turned to her when we had ten minutes off, and she says, "Look at Rita Moreno. In fact, somebody told me recently that they were a dance extra on the mambo at the gym scene. What fueled that flawless swirl of Violet as Anita in "West Side Story" was sheer willpower. Bill Whitaker and Rita MorenoĪnd Rita Moreno will be the first to say none of it came easy. I'm up to my ass in some pretty spectacular acknowledgments. She is one of three entertainers, and the only Latinx performer, to have earned a Peabody, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. Don't let that sound like I'm being modest. Rita Moreno is an actor, singer, and dancer whose career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and theater. Rita Moreno: Every one of them surprise the living daylights out of me. Rita Moreno: There's really a lot of stuff here.īill Whitaker: Because you've done a lot of stuff.
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