Object Details
- Artist
- ADÁL, 1 Nov 1948 - 9 Dec 2020
- Sitter
- Rita Moreno, born 11 Dec 1931
- Exhibition Label
- 2017 Portrait of a Nation Prize Recipient
- Born Humacao, Puerto Rico
- In 1961, after a decade of being typecast and fulfilling submissive ethnic roles, Rita Moreno (born Rosita Dolores Alverio) landed the part of Anita in the film adaptation of West Side Story. Having been transplanted as a child from her native Puerto Rico to New York City, Moreno said of her character, “I knew this girl. . . . I’ve been Anita.” The actress earned the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for the performance, making her the first Latina to receive an Oscar.
- Still a very active voice today, Moreno has broken the mold for Latina performers. She has played an Irish teacher, an Italian widow, and an evangelist, among many other diverse parts. In addition to garnering the entertainment industry’s major awards, including a Tony, two Emmys, and a Grammy, she has received a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
- The absence of positive portrayals of Puerto Ricans in the American media led photographer ADÁL to systematically document trailblazers in the arts, science, and community activism.
- Nacida en Humacao, Puerto Rico
- En 1961, después de una década de estar encasillada en papeles étnicos sumisos, Rita Moreno (nacida Rosita Dolores Alverio) obtuvo el rol de Anita en la adaptación cinematográfica de West Side Story. Habiendo sido trasplantada de niña desde su Puerto Rico natal a la ciudad de Nueva York, Moreno comentó sobre su personaje: “Yo conocía a esa muchacha… yo he sido Anita”. Por ese papel obtuvo el Oscar a la mejor actriz secundaria, con lo cual se convirtió en la primera actriz latina que recibiera dicho galardón.
- Todavía muy activa, Moreno ha roto estereotipos para las artistas latinas. Ha hecho papeles de maestra irlandesa, viuda italiana y evangelista, entre muchos otros. Además de alcanzar los premios más importantes de la industria, incluidos un Tony, dos Emmy y un Grammy, ha recibido la Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad y el premio del Sindicato de Actores de Cine por su trayecto artístico.
- La falta de imágenes positivas de los puertorriqueños en los medios masivos estadounidenses ha motivado al fotógrafo ADÁL a documentar sistemáticamente a aquellos que han sido pioneros en las artes, la ciencia y el activismo comunitario.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquisition made possible through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center; 2017 Portrait of a Nation Prize Recipient
- 1984
- Object number
- NPG.2014.58
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- ©1984 Adál
- Type
- Photograph
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image: 18.9 × 19.1cm (7 7/16 × 7 1/2")
- Sheet: 25.2 × 20.3cm (9 15/16 × 8")
- Mat: 45.7 × 35.6cm (18 × 14")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Interior
- Rita Moreno: Female
- Rita Moreno: Performing arts awards\Grammy
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2014.58
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm49a1a981b-3284-4ab1-bd18-ce07def52e28
