The Great American Songbook Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission
to inspire and educate by celebrating the Great American Songbook.
Rita Moreno
2013 new standard Award
“To be inducted into The Great American Songbook Hall of Fame prompts me to once again reflect, with gratefulness, on just how privileged I’ve been to have lived the American Dream! What can I say? I’ve simply been blessed!” Rita Moreno
An accomplished film, television, and Broadway star, Rita Moreno has achieved much well-deserved success throughout her career. While roles in Broadway’s Skydrift and MGM’s Singin’ In The Rain helped Moreno gain attention for her incomparable talent, her breakout role as Anita in the 1961 musical film West Side Story earned her both an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Moreno later went on to become a cast regular in the PBS children’s program The Electric Company alongside Bill Cosby and Morgan Freeman, and appeared in all 780 episodes of the series. Her work on the show’s soundtrack earned a Grammy for Best Recording for Children. She has also accumulated a Tony for her featured role in The Ritz and two Emmys for her appearances in The Muppet Show and The Rockford Files, garnering Moreno the distinct recognition of being the only Hispanic and one of eleven people to win a Tony, Oscar, Emmy and Grammy. Further, Moreno has had guest spots on The Love Boat, The Cosby Show, The Golden Girls and Miami Vice. Her debut solo performance album, Rita Moreno, was released in 2000 and showcases her wide vocal range with a mix of pop and jazz tunes on songs such as “If Swing Goes, I Go Too,” and “Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries.”
