Chita Rivera

Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero the daughter of Katherine (née Anderson), a government clerk, and Pedro Julio Figueroa del Rivero, a clarinetist and saxophonist for the U.S. Navy Band. Her father was born in Puerto Rico. His family names are of Galician origin. Her mother was of Scottish, Irish, and African-American descent. Rivera was one of five children. Rivera was seven years old when her mother was widowed and went to work at The Pentagon. In 1944, Rivera's mother enrolled her in the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet (now the Jones Haywood School of Dance). Later, when she was 15, a teacher from George Balanchine's School of American Ballet visited their studio, and Rivera was one of two students picked to audition in New York City; she was accompanied to the audition by Doris Jones, one of the people who ran the Jones-Haywood School. Rivera's audition was successful, and she was accepted into the school and given a scholarship. ==Career==

1951–1993: Breakthrough and stardom In 1951, Rivera accompanied a friend to the audition for the touring company of Call Me Madam starring Elaine Stritch and ended up winning the role herself. She followed this by landing roles in other Broadway productions such as Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Mr. Wonderful starring Sammy Davis Jr., and Seventh Heaven and dancing on The Maurice Chevalier Special in 1956. In 1957, she was cast as Anita in West Side Story, the role which would make her a Broadway star. In 1960, Rivera was nominated for a Tony Award Among many national tours, Rivera starred most notably in Sweet Charity directed by Bob Fosse, playing the role of Nickie in the film adaptation of Sweet Charity with Shirley MacLaine (1969). She later made a cameo appearance in the 2002 film version. She appeared as Fastrada in a filmed-for-television version of the musical Pippin in 1981, and was nominated for Tony and Drama Desk awards for Bring Back Birdie (1981) and a Tony Award for Merlin (1983) on Broadway. In 2003, Rivera returned to Broadway in the 2003 revival of Nine as Liliane La Fleur and received her eighth career Tony Award nomination (Best Featured Actress in a Musical) and fourth Drama Desk Award nomination (Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical). She appeared with Antonio Banderas. She later appeared on the revival's cast album. Rivera guest-starred on Disney Channel's Johnny and the Sprites as Queen of All Magical Beings. The episode debuted on March 15, 2008. In August 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama presented Rivera the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2012, Rivera played "Princess Puffer" in the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood at Studio 54. She was the Grand Marshal of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City on June 9, 2013. Rivera returned to Broadway in The Visit, the final musical written by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Terrence McNally. The musical opened at the Lyceum Theatre on March 26, 2015, and closed on June 14, 2015. Co-starring Roger Rees, the production was directed by John Doyle and choreographed by Graciela Daniele. Rivera received praise for her performance, and was nominated for a Tony Award, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award. The Astaire Awards were rebranded The Chita Rivera Awards for Dance and Choreography in 2017. In 2018, she received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2019, Time Out New York named her "one of the best Broadway divas of all time." Rivera had been a frequent guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World, last appearing in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. ==Personal life==

On December 1, 1957, Rivera married fellow West Side Story dancer Tony Mordente. They were divorced in 1966. Death Rivera died in New York following a brief illness on January 30, 2024, one week after her 91st birthday. Her ex-husband, Tony Mordente, died in June 2024, less than five months after Rivera's death. == Acting credits ==

Film Television Theatre (selected) == Awards and honors ==

Rivera was nominated for the Tony Award ten times, twice for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and eight times for Best Actress in a Musical. Rivera's eight nominations in the latter category is the current record for nominations in that category. In 2009, she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Rivera was honored as The New Jewish Home's Eight Over Eighty Gala 2016 honoree. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Florida in 2018. ==See also==