“I played a Siamese girl from Thailand. I played an Arabian girl. I did a lot of American Indians. I never, ever was able to do a part without assuming some kind of accent.”

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.