“A friend of my mother's, Irene Lopez, was a Spanish dancer. She saw me bopping around the room and said to my mother, 'Rosita might have talent. Can I take her to my dance teacher?' There was no thought of a career at that time, but I knew I loved the attention, and that's so much a part of being a performer.”

Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer

Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer whose career has spanned eight decades. She is known for her work on stage and screen, and is among the last surviving stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age. She is one of the few performers to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, known as an EGOT, and she has also earned the Triple Crown of Acting. Her honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Arts, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, and a Peabody Award.