Women in the arts have made great strides over the past century.

One of the most successful in the 50s was Rita Moreno.

Rita Moreno was born on December 11, 1931 in Humacao, Puerto Rico.

In her childhood, she was given the nickname “Rosita” when she was young.  Moreno’s birth name was Rosa Dolores Alverío.

She spent much of her childhood on a Puerto Rican farm until she was five years old. Her mother saved enough money for them to move to New York, but Moreno’s little brother Francisco had to be left behind in Puerto Rico.

Moreno’s legend made her more relatable to members of the Hispanic community than many of her fellow actresses.

She and her family came to New York during the Depression and to a very segregated part of the city at the time.

Rita Moreno always knew she wanted to be in movies. One of her first movies that took off in her career was “West Side Story” starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer. The Romeo and Juliet inspired love story of two star crossed lovers was reminiscent of the city Moreno grew up in.  

One of the main reasons why Rita Moreno is an important person is because she became the first Latina woman to have an “E.G.O.T.”, meaning she’s won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony award. 

Moreno’s impact on society is that she advocated for racial and gender equality, childhood education, and immigrant families.

Women around her time weren’t always respected in the acting field; they were often seen as one-dimensional characters, damsels in distress, virtuous mothers, or seductive temptresses. Women were cast as stereotypes depending on their race.  They were also often paid less than men.

In the 19th century, women finally started gaining respect for acting.

The acting field has changed now women are getting the lead roles and not getting cast as stereotypes anymore. Rita Moreno has influenced the entertainment industry for over 70 years as an actress, singer, and dancer.

Every year, Variety celebrates the accomplishments of women in Hollywood and there were plenty of those again this year, even during a rare double strike that upended the entertainment industry for months. Moreno is now 96 years old and has her own documentary on Netflix called Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.