Chita Rivera, the legendary Broadway performer, has passed away at the age of 91.
The celebrated entertainer, winner of multiple Tony Awards, had a highly successful theater career that spanned almost seven decades.
Known for her iconic roles, such as Anita in West Side Story, Velma in Chicago, and Rose in Bye Bye Birdie, Rivera began her Broadway journey in the 1950s, securing roles in productions like Can-Can and Mr. Wonderful.
Joining the original cast of West Side Story in 1957 marked a pivotal moment in her career, propelling her to Broadway stardom. Shortly afterward, she earned a Tony Award nomination for the musical Bye Bye Birdie alongside Dick Van Dyke.
Rivera’s longtime publicist, Merle Frimark, confirmed her passing to CNN, stating that she died peacefully in New York on Tuesday after a brief illness.
With a remarkable 10 Tony Award nominations and wins for The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman,...
The celebrated entertainer, winner of multiple Tony Awards, had a highly successful theater career that spanned almost seven decades.
Known for her iconic roles, such as Anita in West Side Story, Velma in Chicago, and Rose in Bye Bye Birdie, Rivera began her Broadway journey in the 1950s, securing roles in productions like Can-Can and Mr. Wonderful.
Joining the original cast of West Side Story in 1957 marked a pivotal moment in her career, propelling her to Broadway stardom. Shortly afterward, she earned a Tony Award nomination for the musical Bye Bye Birdie alongside Dick Van Dyke.
Rivera’s longtime publicist, Merle Frimark, confirmed her passing to CNN, stating that she died peacefully in New York on Tuesday after a brief illness.
With a remarkable 10 Tony Award nominations and wins for The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman,...
- 1/31/2024
- by Frank Yemi
- Monsters and Critics
Chita Rivera, the beloved Broadway star of West Side Story, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman, died today in New York following a brief illness. She was 91.
Her death was announced by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, who said that Rivera died peacefully.
One of America’s foremost Latina artists, Rivera was a groundbreaker, riveting critics and audiences alike with seminal performances of such soon-to-be Broadway standards as “America” and “A Boy Like That” from West Side Story and “All That Jazz” from Chicago. She was among the most nominated performers in Tony Award history – she earned 10 nominations, winning twice (for The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman) and receiving the 2018 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
Rivera rocketed to fame in 1953 with Guys and Dolls, then cemented her stature as a Broadway leading lady in 1954 with Can-Can, Mr. Wonderful in 1956 and, in 1957, the role that...
Her death was announced by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, who said that Rivera died peacefully.
One of America’s foremost Latina artists, Rivera was a groundbreaker, riveting critics and audiences alike with seminal performances of such soon-to-be Broadway standards as “America” and “A Boy Like That” from West Side Story and “All That Jazz” from Chicago. She was among the most nominated performers in Tony Award history – she earned 10 nominations, winning twice (for The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman) and receiving the 2018 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
Rivera rocketed to fame in 1953 with Guys and Dolls, then cemented her stature as a Broadway leading lady in 1954 with Can-Can, Mr. Wonderful in 1956 and, in 1957, the role that...
- 1/30/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Apple TV +’s “Schmigadoon” is the musical equivalent to a warm, happy smile. The six-part limited series that premiered on the streaming service last July is a smart, clever and fun parody of the classic musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. It was a golden era of the Broadway musical dominated by such influential, eminent composers as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Alan Jay Lerner Lerner & Frederick Loewe, Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II, Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim, Meredith Willson, and Richard Adler & Jerry Ross.
Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key star as two doctors who have grown tired in their relationship and decide to get on a camping retreat. Before you can say “Brigadoon” they get lost in the woods only to cross a bridge into a Hallmark Card of a town where every day is a musical. But checking out of Schmigadoon is no easy task. They can’t leave...
Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key star as two doctors who have grown tired in their relationship and decide to get on a camping retreat. Before you can say “Brigadoon” they get lost in the woods only to cross a bridge into a Hallmark Card of a town where every day is a musical. But checking out of Schmigadoon is no easy task. They can’t leave...
- 6/27/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
What are two individualistic, highly motivated movie stars supposed to do when faced with an unimaginative studio system eager to misuse their talents? Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen collaborate with a great writer, director and producer for an urban romance with an eye on the sexual double standard. It’s a hybrid production: a gritty drama that’s also a calculated career move.
Love with the Proper Stranger
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1963 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 100 min. / Street Date September 19, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Natalie Wood, Steve McQueen, Edie Adams, Tom Bosley, Herschel Bernardi, Harvey Lembeck, Agusta Ciolli, Nina Varela, Marilyn Chris, Richard Dysart, Arlene Golonka, Tony Mordente, Nobu McCarthy, Richard Mulligan, Vic Tayback, Dyanne Thorne, Val Avery.
Cinematography: Milton Krasner
Film Editor: Aaron Stell
Original Music: Elmer Bernstein
Written by Arnold Schulman
Produced by Alan J. Pakula
Directed by Robert Mulligan
1963’s Love with the Proper Stranger is...
Love with the Proper Stranger
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1963 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 100 min. / Street Date September 19, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Natalie Wood, Steve McQueen, Edie Adams, Tom Bosley, Herschel Bernardi, Harvey Lembeck, Agusta Ciolli, Nina Varela, Marilyn Chris, Richard Dysart, Arlene Golonka, Tony Mordente, Nobu McCarthy, Richard Mulligan, Vic Tayback, Dyanne Thorne, Val Avery.
Cinematography: Milton Krasner
Film Editor: Aaron Stell
Original Music: Elmer Bernstein
Written by Arnold Schulman
Produced by Alan J. Pakula
Directed by Robert Mulligan
1963’s Love with the Proper Stranger is...
- 9/9/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Natalie Wood: Hot Hollywood star in the ’60s - TCM schedule on August 18, 2013 See previous post: “Natalie Wood Movies: From loving Warren Beatty to stripping like Gypsy Rose Lee.” 3:00 Am The Star (1952). Director: Stuart Heisler. Cast: Bette Davis, Sterling Hayden, Natalie Wood, Warner Anderson, Minor Watson, June Travis, Paul Frees, Robert Warrick, Barbara Lawrence, Fay Baker, Herb Vigran, Marie Blake, Sam Harris, Marcia Mae Jones. Bw-90 mins. 4:30 Am A Cry In The Night (1956). Director: Frank Tuttle. Cast: Edmond O’Brien, Brian Donlevy, Natalie Wood. Bw-75 mins. 6:00 Am West Side Story (1961). Director: Robert Wise. Cast: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Simon Oakland, Ned Glass, William Bramley, Tucker Smith, Tony Mordente, David Winters, Eliot Feld, John Bert Michaels, David Bean, Robert Banas, Anthony ‘Scooter’ Teague, Harvey Evans aka Harvey Hohnecker, Tommy Abbott, Susan Oakes, Gina Trikonis, Carole D’Andrea, Jose De Vega, Jay Norman,...
- 8/18/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Chicago – The legend of the 1961 film version of the Broadway sensation “West Side Story” grows as the years go by. Who better to remember that legend 50 years later than three of the stars of that Academy Award winning Best Picture – Rita Moreno (Anita), George Chakiris (Bernardo) and Russ Tamblyn (Riff).
The film version of “West Side Story” had it all. There was controversy – star Natalie Wood (Maria) was neither Puerto Rican nor sang her own songs. There was art – the classic, unforgettable songs of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, plus the athletic and graceful choreography of Jerome Robbins. And finally, there were the awards. Ten Oscars including Best Supporting nods for both Moreno and Chakiris, in addition to the first shared Best Director award for Robbins and co-director Robert Wise.
’West Side Story’ 50th Anniversary Reunion with George Chakiris, Rita Moreno and Russ Tamblyn, April 9th, 2010
Photo Credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.
The film version of “West Side Story” had it all. There was controversy – star Natalie Wood (Maria) was neither Puerto Rican nor sang her own songs. There was art – the classic, unforgettable songs of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, plus the athletic and graceful choreography of Jerome Robbins. And finally, there were the awards. Ten Oscars including Best Supporting nods for both Moreno and Chakiris, in addition to the first shared Best Director award for Robbins and co-director Robert Wise.
’West Side Story’ 50th Anniversary Reunion with George Chakiris, Rita Moreno and Russ Tamblyn, April 9th, 2010
Photo Credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.
- 11/24/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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