Chita Rivera
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Template:External media
Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero (January 23, 1933 – January 30, 2024), known professionally as Chita Rivera, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Rivera received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Drama League Award. She was the first Latina and the first Latino American<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.<ref name="MF">"President Obama Names Medal of Freedom Recipients", White House Office of the Press Secretary, July 30, 2009</ref> She won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.
After making her Broadway debut as a dancer in Guys and Dolls (1950), she went on to originate roles in Broadway musicals such as Anita in West Side Story (1957), Velma Kelly in Chicago (1975), and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). She was a ten-time Tony Award nominee, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice for her roles in The Rink (1984) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993).<ref name="bw">Template:Cite web</ref> She was Tony-nominated for her roles in Bye Bye Birdie (1961), Chicago (1975), Bring Back Birdie (1981), Merlin (1983), Jerry's Girls (1986), Nine (2003), Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (2005), and The Visit (2015).
Rivera acted in the film Sweet Charity (1969) and appeared in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), and Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021). She played Connie Richardson in the CBS sitcom The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1973–1974). She also appeared on television in The Judy Garland Show (1963), The Carol Burnett Show (1971), and Will & Grace (2005). Her autobiography, Chita: A Memoir, was published in 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Early life and education
Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ChitaRivera.com"/> was born in Washington, D.C. on January 23, 1933,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the daughter of Katherine (née Anderson), a government clerk, and Pedro Julio Figueroa del Rivero,<ref name="ChitaRivera.com">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="AARP">Template:Cite web</ref> Rivera was one of five children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rivera was seven years old when her mother was widowed and went to work at The Pentagon.<ref name = McFadden>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1944, Rivera's mother enrolled her in the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet (now the Jones Haywood School of Dance).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="N">Template:Cite news</ref>
Career
1951–1993: Breakthrough and stardom
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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<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> and dancing on The Maurice Chevalier Special in 1956.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1957, she was cast as Anita in West Side Story, the role which would make her a Broadway star.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1960, Rivera was nominated for a Tony Award<ref name="bw"/> for creating the role of Rose in Bye Bye Birdie opposite Dick Van Dyke. She appeared three times on The Ed Sullivan Show<ref name=":1" /> and won raves for her performance on Broadway and in London opposite Peter Marshall, but was passed over for the film version where the role was played by Janet Leigh. In 1963, Rivera was a guest on The Judy Garland Show and was cast opposite Alfred Drake in Zenda. The Broadway-bound musical closed on the road but in 1964, Rivera returned to Broadway in Bajour<ref name=":0" /> and television in The Outer Limits<ref name=":1" />. After seeing her perform in the musical, music producer Norman Petty approached her in New York and inquired about recording with him. Her first single was released in 1965 on the Dot Records label, with a second single issued in 1966. Making a trip to Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico in 1966, she was backed by The Fireballs for a full album of Buddy Holly cover songs, but the project went unreleased.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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).<ref name="N" /> Rivera appeared three times on The Hollywood Palace, twice on The Carol Burnett Show (including an episode airing February 22, 1971<ref>The Carol Burnett Show Collector's Edition</ref><ref name=":1" />) and between 1973 and 1974, played Connie Richardson on The New Dick Van Dyke Show.<ref name=":1" /> In 1975, Rivera was nominated for a Tony Award<ref name="bw" /> starring as Velma Kelly opposite Gwen Verdon in the original cast of the musical Chicago,<ref name="N" /> directed by Bob Fosse. In addition to her ballet instructors, Rivera cited Leonard Bernstein and Verdon, with whom she starred in Chicago, as influential to her success.<ref name="JW">Template:Usurped joneshaywood.com</ref> 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)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a Tony Award for Merlin (1983) on Broadway.<ref name="bw" />
In 1984, Rivera starred in the Kander and Ebb musical The Rink with Liza Minnelli and won her first Tony and Drama Desk awards for her role as Anna. In 1986, while earning a Tony Award nomination<ref name="bw" /> for her performance in the Jerry Herman musical, Jerry's Girls, Rivera was in a severe accident when her car collided with a taxi on West 86th Street in Manhattan. Injuries sustained included the breaking of her left leg in twelve places, requiring eighteen screws and two braces to mend. After rehabilitation, Rivera continued to perform on stage. Recovered, in 1988, she toured the country in Can-Can and got involved in a restaurant venture in partnership with the novelist Daniel Simone. The eatery, located on 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenue, was named "Chita's" after her. It soon became a significant attraction for the after-theater crowds and operated until 1994.<ref name="N" />
1993–2023: Later career and roles
In 1993, Rivera received Tony and Drama Desk awards for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her dual portrayal of Aurora and Spider Woman in the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, written by Kander and Ebb.<ref name="N"/> Rivera later participated in the London edition of Kander and Ebb's long-running revival of Chicago, this time in the role of Roxie Hart. Rivera starred in the Goodman Theatre production of the musical The Visit (also by Kander and Ebb) as Claire Zachanassian in 2001. In 2002, she became a Kennedy Center Honoree.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="N" />
She guest-starred along with Michele Lee in a February 2005 episode of Will & Grace, and in December of that year, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, a retrospective of her career, opened on Broadway. She received another Tony nomination for her self-portrayal. Though she was expected to reprise her role in a Signature Theatre staging of The Visit in autumn of 2007, that was later postponed to the following season. Instead, she performed at New York's Feinstein's at the Regency supper club in New York for two weeks and, in 2008, appeared in a revised production of The Visit at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, co-starring George Hearn.<ref name="N" /><ref>Jones, Kenneth. "Chita and Company: Cast Is Complete for Signature's 'The Visit'" Template:Webarchive, playbill.com, April 8, 2008</ref> Rivera guest-starred on Disney Channel's Johnny and the Sprites as Queen of All Magical Beings. The episode debuted on March 15, 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In August 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama presented Rivera the Presidential Medal of Freedom.<ref name="MF" /> In the 1960s, Rivera had recorded two albums, Chita Rivera: Get Me To The Church On Time and And Now I Sing. These early 1960s albums were reissued on CD by Stage Door Records in February 2013.<ref name="N" /> In November 2008, Rivera released her third solo album, And Now I Swing. Rivera performed in a staged concert of The Visit as a benefit at the Ambassador Theatre on November 30, 2011.<ref>Haun, Harry. "A New Kind of Spider Woman: Chita Rivera Wows Broadway Crowd in Concert of Kander & Ebb's 'The Visit'" Template:Webarchive, playbill.com, December 1, 2011.</ref> In 2012, Rivera played "Princess Puffer" in the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood at Studio 54.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She was the Grand Marshal of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City on June 9, 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Hetrick, Adam. "A Musical Nearly 20 Years in the Making: 'The Visit', Starring Chita Rivera, Arrives On Broadway at Long Last" Playbill/, March 26, 2015</ref> Rivera received praise for her performance, and was nominated for a Tony Award, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical<ref>Gans, Andrew. "69th Annual Tony Awards Nominations Announced!" Playbill, April 28, 2015</ref> and a Drama Desk Award.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Astaire Awards were rebranded The Chita Rivera Awards for Dance and Choreography in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, she received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, Time Out New York named her "one of the best Broadway divas of all time."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rivera had been a frequent guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World, most recently appearing in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.<ref>[1] Template:Dead link</ref>
Personal life
On December 1, 1957, Rivera married fellow West Side Story dancer Tony Mordente. They were divorced in 1966.<ref name = McFadden/> Rivera's performance was so important for the success of the show that the London production of West Side Story was postponed until she gave birth to the couple's daughter Lisa in 1958. Despite the divorce, Rivera and Mordente remained on good terms.<ref name=mordentefivemonths />
Rivera was a Catholic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Death
Rivera died in New York following a brief illness on January 30, 2024, one week after her 91st birthday.<ref name="McFadden" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her ex-husband, Tony Mordente, died in June 2024, less than five months after Rivera's death.<ref name=mordentefivemonths>Template:Cite news</ref>
Acting credits
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Sweet Charity | Nickie | <ref name="Rotten Tomatoes">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=AFI>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1978 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Guest at Heartland | <ref name=AFI/><ref name=TCM>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1983 | He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' | Herself | Documentary<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2002 | Chicago | Nickie | Cameo<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=AFI/> |
| 2003 | Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There | Herself | Documentary<ref name=TCM/><ref name="TVG Filmography">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2006 | Kalamazoo? | Giannina | <ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |
| 2010 | The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! | Singer | Voice<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2012 | Carol Channing: Larger Than Life | Herself | Documentary<ref name=TCM/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |
| Show Stopper: The Theatrical Life of Garth Drabinsky | Herself | Documentary<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=TCM/> | |
| 2018 | Still Waiting in the Wings | Broadway Diva | Documentary<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |
| 2021 | Tick, Tick... Boom! | "Sunday" Legend | <ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |
| 2023 | Studio One Forever | Herself | Documentary |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | The Maurice Chevalier Show | Herself | 1 episode<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| 1960 | The Gary Moore Show | Herself | 1 episode<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| 1960 | The Ed Sullivan Show | Herself | S14.E6, performing "Spanish Rose" from musical Bye Bye Birdie |
| 1963 | The Judy Garland Show | Herself | Episode 17<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/> |
| 1964 | The Outer Limits | Mrs. Dane | Episode: "The Bellero Shield"<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |
| 1965 | The Hollywood Palace | Herself | 1 episode<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1971 | The Carol Burnett Show | Various characters | Episode: "4.22"<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/> |
| 1973 | The Marcus-Nelson Murders | Josie Hopper | Television film<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=TCM/> |
| 1973–1974 | The New Dick Van Dyke Show | Connie Richardson | Main role; 7 episodes<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |
| 1977 | Once Upon a Brothers Grimm | Gingerbread Lady | Episode: "Hansel and Gretel"<ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |
| 1981 | Pippin: His Life and Times | Fastrada | Television film<ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |
| 1982 | Strawberry Ice | Performer | Television film<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1985-2004 | Great Performances | Herself | 4 episodes |
| 1987 | Mayflower Madam | Risa Dickstein | Television film<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name=TCM/> |
| 1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Grasshopper | Voice, episode: "Thumbelina"<ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |
| 2004, 2019 | Dora The Explorer | The Witch | Voice, 2 episodes<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> |
| 2005 | Will & Grace | Lenore Portillo | Episode: "Dance Cards and Greeting Cards"<ref name="Rotten Tomatoes"/><ref name="TVG Filmography"/> |
| 2008 | Johnny and the Sprites | The Queen | Episode: "Johnny Not Invited"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2011 | Submissions Only | Gladys Franklin | Episode: "Yore So Bad"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
Theatre (selected)
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Guys and Dolls | Dancer (replacement) | 46th Street Theatre | <ref name="Playbill bio">Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1953 | Can-Can | Dancer | Shubert Theatre | |
| 1955 | Seventh Heaven | Fifi | ANTA Playhouse | |
| 1956 | Mr. Wonderful | Rita Romano | Broadway Theatre | |
| 1957 | Shinbone Alley | Mehitabel | ||
| West Side Story | Anita | Winter Garden Theatre | ||
| 1960 | Bye Bye Birdie | Rose Alvarez | Martin Beck Theatre | |
| 1964 | Bajour | Anyanka | Shubert Theatre | |
| 1975 | Chicago | Velma Kelly | 46th Street Theatre | |
| 1981 | Bring Back Birdie | Rose Alvarez | Martin Beck Theatre | |
| 1983 | Merlin | The Queen | Mark Hellinger Theatre | |
| 1984 | The Rink | Anna | Martin Beck Theatre | |
| 1985 | Jerry's Girls | Performer | St. James Theatre | |
| 1993 | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Spider Woman/Aurora | Broadhurst Theatre | |
| 2003 | Nine | Liliane La Fleur | Eugene O'Neill Theatre | |
| 2005 | Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life | Herself | Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre | |
| 2012 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | The Princess Puffer / Miss Angela Prysock | Studio 54 | |
| 2015 | The Visit | Claire Zachannassian | Lyceum Theatre |
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.<ref name="Playbill">Gans, Andrew. Chita Rivera Will Receive Honorary Doctorate From University of Florida Playbill, April 9, 2018</ref>
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Rican Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
- List of people from Washington, D.C.
References
Further reading
External links
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- Pages using center with unknown parameters
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- 1933 births
- 2024 deaths
- American actresses of Puerto Rican descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- American female dancers
- American film actresses
- American musical theatre actresses
- American television actresses
- Drama Desk Award winners
- Hispanic and Latino American actresses
- Kennedy Center honorees
- Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
- Special Tony Award recipients
- Tony Award winners
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from Washington, D.C.
- Dancers from Washington, D.C.
- Dancers from New York (state)
- Catholics from Washington, D.C.
- 21st-century American memoirists
- American women memoirists
- 21st-century American women writers
- American people of Irish descent