Chita Rivera (born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero on January 23, 1933 in Washington, D.C.) is a Puerto Rican-American Broadway actress and the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award.

Both her parents were from Puerto Rico. Her father played clarinet and saxophone for the Navy band. Chita's mother went to work for the Pentagon when Chita was seven years old and her father passed away (Chita's mother passed away in 1983).

In 1944, when Chita was 11 years old, her mother enrolled her in the Jones-Hayward School of Ballet . When Chita was 15, a teacher from George Balanchine's School of American Ballet visited their studio and Chita was one of two students picked to audition in New York City.

Chita was acompanied to the audition by Doris Jones , one of the people who ran the Jones-Hayward School. Jones told Chita to be herself and to not worry about the other girls who were auditioning.

Chita was accepted and given a scholarship by George Balanchine to attend The American School of Ballet . Among her teachers were Edward Villella , Allegra Kent and Maria Tallchief.

In 1952, when Chita was 17 years old, she accompanied a friend to the audition for a Broadway production of Call Me Madam and ended up with the role. She followed this by landing roles in other Broadway productions, such as Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful with Sammy Davis Jr.. Besides her ballet instructors, Chita considers that she learned a lot from Leonard Bernstein and especially from Gwen Verdon, with whom she participated in the Broadway production of Chicago.

In 1957, Chita was cast in the role which was destined to make her a Broadway star. She was cast as Anita in the Broadway premiere of West Side Story. Years later the role of Anita was to bring fame and an Oscar to another Puerto Rican, Rita Moreno in the film version. On December 1, 1957, Rivera married dancer Tony Mordente. Her performance was so important for the success of the show that the London production was posponed until after Chita gave birth to the couple's daughter, Lisa.

Chita also starred in the Broadway productions of Bye Bye Birdie, Born Yesterday, The Rose Tattoo, Call Me Madam, The Rink , Threepenny Opera, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Zorba. She went on a national tour with Can-Can. She played the role of Nicky in the movie version of Sweet Charity with Shirley MacLaine.

Rivera is planning on appearing in three plays in 2004: Nine with Antonio Banderas, The Visit and Ballroom .

Rivera is widely regarded by theatre aficiandos as a "living legend". Indeed "In Theatre" magazine has suggested in an interview by Goerge Horsfall: " You must be tired of the term "legend", but let's get it out of the way. You have long been considered a Broadway legend."" Rivera replied "Oh, God!" and laughed. [Quoted at http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Stage/9942/inthe1226.html]

Rivera received two Tony Awards and six additional nominations. She received her first Tony in 1984 for her role in The Rink and her second for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 1993 for her role in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

In 2002 Chita Rivera became the first female Hispanic to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors award presented by President George W. Bush, recognizing her contributions to American (U.S.) culture.

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans