Rita Moreno To Appear At Bentley

Bentley is both honored and proud to announce that actress, writer, and activist Rita Moreno will be our Distinguished Lecturer speaking on February 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the Bentley Commons. Ms. Moreno is well known and highly regarded for her work on stage, in movies (most notably West Side Story) and on television. She currently stars in the critically-acclaimed Latino remake of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom One Day at a Time on Netflix. Prior to that, Ms. Moreno appeared in guest-starring roles in primetime TV series such as Getting On, Jane the Virgin, Grey’s Anatomy, and Grace and Frankie. She currently lends her voice to the character, “Abuelita” in the children’s animated series Nina’s World, which airs on NBC-TV’s Sprout Network. Ms. Moreno was also the voice of “Aunt Mimi” in the animated film Rio 2.

 

Rita Moreno's first book, Rita Moreno: A Memoir, immediately became a New York Times best seller.  In 2011 she premiered her one-woman show Life Without Make-up, an original stage production about her life. Ms. Moreno belongs to an elite group of only 15 living performers who have won entertainment’s grand slam of the industry's most prestigious awards: the Oscar, the Emmy, the Tony, and the Grammy. Her Oscar came in 1962 when she starred as the Latina spitfire Anita in West Side Story for which she also won a Golden Globe. She won a Tony for her 1975 comedic triumph as Googie Gomez in Broadway's The Ritz. The Grammy was for her 1972 performance on The Electric Company Album, based on the long-running children's television series. She won not one, but two Emmys -- the first for a 1977 variety appearance on The Muppet Show and the following year for a dramatic turn on The Rockford Files.

 

Of all her many accomplishments, her family comes first. Bentley is honored to count Ms. Moreno as an involved grandparent.