How could any celebration of arts and media be complete without a tribute to one of the most celebrated Latinas on stage, screen and television? Little Rosita Dolores Alverio, who would as Rita Moreno skyrocketed to fame on Broadway and in Hollywood playing  Anita in “West Side Story,” was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, and moved to New York at the age of 5. In preparation for an extraordinary career, she started taking dance lessons at 6 and by the age of 13 was making her Broadway debut in “Skydrift.”

This year, she was selected by the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors to receive their Career Achievement Award. Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, this award is given to “individuals whose work and commitment to electronic media has left an indelible mark on the field.”

For Moreno it’s another well-deserved accolade. She was already affectionately known as an EGOT (having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony). She won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of Anita in “West Side Story.” She is a two-time Emmy Award winner (for “The Muppet Show” in 1977 and “The Rockford Files” in 1978). She received a Grammy Award in 1972 for her performance on “The Electric Company” album for children, and received a Tony Award in 1975 for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in “The Ritz.” This impressive resume demonstrates her groundbreaking achievements, in defiance of stereotyping of Hispanics that continues to this day.

Fighting Stereotyping

“When I was breaking into the business, the movies were filled with little Indian maidens and Latin spitfires. That’s what it was,” she told us. “Nowadays when young people ask me, ‘Well, why did you put up with it?’ I say, ‘Oh, you have no idea, do you?’ I was determined that if I just kept trying to make films and was in films one day, something wonderful would happen, which of course, it did. But it was very, very hard. I got the Oscar [for ‘West Side Story’], and I was invited to do more gang movies in lesser projects, which I turned down. That was very sad for a while; I didn’t do a movie for about six years after I won the Oscar. I was offered some things, but they were all the terrible gang-type movies; and I didn’t want to do that again. But I never gave up thinking things were going to change. I think that’s what’s called perseverance.”

This persistence continues to pay off. With the Peabody Award she has joined an exclusive club as one of only three PEGOT performers—the other two being Barbra Streisand and late director Mike Nichols—who have also been awarded a Peabody.  Moreno recently starred in the fan favorite Peabody Award nominated Hispanic reprisal of Norman Lear’s “One Day at a Time” on Netflix. The cancellation of the series has caused a major online meltdown by the show’s loyal fanbase. And coming full circle she is taking a victory lap as executive producer and star of Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” film. In this revival she’ll be playing the owner of the soda shop, taking the role of Doc, played in the original film by Ned Glass, in a whole new direction.

And The Hits Just Keep On Coming

Fortunately for all of us, she has chronicled her life and career in her book, “Rita Moreno: A Memoir” published by Celebra Books, which added New York Times Bestselling List author to her list of accomplishments. An American treasure, Moreno was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush and the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.

Oh, and did we mention that in her “spare time” she goes on the road and performs in concerts with her band? At the age of 87 she shows no signs of slowing down. She’s the gift to the arts that keeps giving.  •