Gina edwin rivera12/30/2023 ![]() She later made a cameo appearance in the 2002 film version. ![]() In addition to her ballet instructors, Rivera cites Leonard Bernstein and Verdon, with whom she starred in Chicago, as influential to her success. In 1975, Rivera was nominated for a Tony Award starring as Velma Kelly opposite Gwen Verdon in the original cast of the musical Chicago, directed by Bob Fosse. Rivera appeared three times on The Hollywood Palace, twice on The Carol Burnett Show (including an episode airing Febru ) and between 19, played Connie Richardson on The New Dick Van Dyke Show. Making a trip to Petty's studio in Clovis, NM in 1966, she was backed by The Fireballs for a full album of Buddy Holly cover songs, but the project went unreleased.Īmong 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). Her first single was released in 1965 on the Dot Records label, with a second single issued in 1966. Īfter seeing her perform in the musical, legendary music producer Norman Petty approached her in New York and inquired about recording with him. ![]() The Broadway-bound musical closed on the road but in 1964, Rivera returned to Broadway in Bajour and television in The Outer Limits. In 1963, Rivera was a guest on The Judy Garland Show and was cast opposite Alfred Drake in Zenda. She appeared three times on The Ed Sullivan Show 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 1960, Rivera was nominated for a Tony Award for creating the role of Rose in Bye Bye Birdie opposite Dick Van Dyke. In 1957, she was cast as Anita in West Side Story, the role which would make her a Broadway star. Wonderful starring Sammy Davis, Jr., and Seventh Heaven and dancing on The Maurice Chevalier Special in 1956. She followed this by landing roles in other Broadway productions such as Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Mr. 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. Rivera's audition was successful, and she was accepted into the school and given a scholarship. 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. In 1944, Rivera's mother enrolled her in the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet (now the Jones Haywood School of Dance). Rivera was seven years old when her mother was widowed and went to work at The Pentagon. Her father was Puerto Rican and her mother was of Scottish, Irish, and African-American descent. Rivera was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Katherine (Anderson), a government clerk, and Pedro Julio Figueroa del Rivero, a clarinetist and saxophonist for the United States Navy Band. Her autobiography, Chita: A Memoir, was published in 2023. ![]() She is the first Latina and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor and is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She is a ten-time Tony Award nominee and a three-time Tony Award recipient, including one for Lifetime Achievement. "Chita Rivera" performs America and All That Jazz from 1982 on YouTubeĭolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson (born January 23, 1933), professionally known as Chita Rivera, is an American actress, singer and dancer who originated roles in Broadway musicals including Anita in West Side Story, Velma Kelly in Chicago, and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman. John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
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