Rita Moreno (6/20/2006)

Duration
1:06:07

Actress Rita Moreno speaks to The Club about her career and about race issues in modern day Hollywood film.

After toiling for a decade in film roles she found degrading, Moreno was swept into the spotlight with her Oscar winning portrayal of "Anita" in West Side Story. Since then she has challenged stereotypes in silver-and small-screen performances.
Throughout the '60's, Rita Moreno performed on stage in London and in plays by Tennessee Williams and Neil Simon in New York. In the late '60's she returned to film starring in the Mike Nichols comedy Carnal Knowledge with Jack Nicholson. In the '70's she appeared on Sesame Street and The Electric Company for which she won a Grammy in 1972. For the last 20 years Moreno has appeared in numerous independent films, including "Pinero".

A recent Puerto Rico Herald article quoted the quintessential role model for the Latino Community as saying, "I am Latin and know what it is to feel alone and ignored because you are different. My presence can tell a lot of children and some adults, 'Yes, we do exist, we have value'". She has racked up numerous awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

This program was recorded live on June 20, 2006.