She and her mother later took the train to Los Angeles, where they rented a modest home in Culver City so Rita could walk to the MGM lot.
Moreno, 89, addresses Riera’s camera directly to tell her story.
She would later play therapist/nun Sister Pete in HBO’s groundbreaking prison series “Oz.” She also took jobs on Broadway in such plays as Neil Simon’s “Last of the Red Hot Lovers.” Moreno would win a Tony Award for her performance as Googie Gomez in “The Ritz.” Beginning with the anti-nuke movement, Moreno has been a political activist her entire life, including protesting with Martin Luther King.
In the late 1970s, Moreno became the third person after Richard Rodgers and Helen Hayes to win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy, making her an EGOT.
For the Latinos in this film and other fans as well, Moreno represents those who strive to free themselves of the chains of prejudice and achieve greatness.