Chita Rivera, Broadway Legend Who Played Anita in West Side Story, Dead at 91
Chita Rivera, the Broadway legend who starred as Anita in the original production of West Side Story, has died at the age of 91.
Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson was born on January 23rd, 1933 in Washington, D.C. She studied ballet at the Jones Haywood School of Dance, and as a teenager, she was given a scholarship to the School of American Ballet in New York City.
In 1951, Rivera scored her first role in the musical Call Me Madam. She appeared as a dancer in the 1953 Broadway production of Can-Can, and in 1955, she appeared as Fifi in Seventh Heaven. The next year, Rivera played Rita Romano in Mr. Wonderful, starring Sammy Davis Jr.
In 1957, Rivera was cast as Anita in the original Broadway production of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s West Side Story. As part of the production, Rivera sang on now-iconic songs like “America” and “A Boy Like That / I Have a Love.”
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While in West Side Story, Rivera met her husband, fellow dancer Tony Mordente. The following year, the London production of the show was postponed so Rivera could deliver the couple’s daughter, Lisa. Rivera and Mordente ultimately divorced in 1966.
In 1960, Rivera starred as Rose opposite Dick Van Dyke in Bye Bye Birdie, a role for which she was nominated for a Tony. As her star power rose, she also appeared on the era’s biggest television shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Judy Garland Show, The Carol Burnett Show, and The New Dick Van Dyke Show.
Rivera received her second Tony Award nomination for her role of Velma Kelly in 1975’s Chicago, which famously included her performance of “All That Jazz.” She was nominated again in 1981 for the Bye Bye Birdie sequel Bring Back Birdie, and again in 1983 for her work as The Queen in Merlin. Finally, in 1984, Rivera won her first Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for portraying Anna in The Rink, which also starred stage legend Liza Minnelli.
Rivera was nominated for another Tony for her 1985 work in Jerry’s Girls. The next year, the actress was involved in a serious car accident in which she broke her leg in 12 places, requiring 18 screws to heal. She appeared in a touring production of Can-Can a few years later, but her career comparatively slowed until 1993, when she starred as both Aurora and Spider Woman in Kander and Ebb’s Kiss of the Spider Woman. She received her second Tony Award for the role.
After appearing in a London production of Chicago and a Chicago production of The Visit, Rivera returned to Broadway in 2003 for Nine. Two years later, she starred in Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, a career retrospective. Rivera guest-starred in a few television series at the time as well, including appearances in Will & Grace and the Disney musical show Johnny and the Sprites.
Rivera’s last Broadway role was in 2015’s The Visit, the final musical written by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Terrence McNally. She was nominated for her 10th and final Tony Award for her role. In 2018, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the organization, rounding out her career with 10 Tony nominations and three awards.
In 2009, Rivera was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama. She became a Kennedy Center honoree in 2002, marking the first Latina to receive the award.
