Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson was born on January 23, 1933, and is professionally known as Chita Rivera.
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 father was Puerto Rican and her mother was of Scottish and Italian descent. Rivera is one of five children. Rivera was seven years old when her mother was widowed and went to work at The Pentagon.
Chita Rivera is an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for originating roles in Broadway musicals including Anita in West Side Story, Velma Kelly in Chicago, and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman.
She is a ten-time Tony Award nominee and a three-time Tony Award recipient, including one for Lifetime Achievement.
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.
Her autobiography, Chita: A Memoir, was published in 2023.
Was Chita Rivera in the original West Side Story?
Rivera was in her mid-20s when she got her first big break. She created the role of Anita — the Puerto Rican lover of the head of the Shark gang — in the original 1957 Broadway version of West Side Story.2
How many times has Chita Rivera been nominated for a Tony?
Rivera has been nominated for the Tony Award ten times, as either Best Featured Actress in a Musical or Best Actress in a Musical. This is the current record for the most individual Tony Award nominations, which she shares with Julie Harris and Audra McDonald.