Three-time Tony-winning actress Chita Rivera passed away at 91 years of age last Tuesday, Jan. 30, due to a brief illness. Her passing was announced by her daughter, Lisa Mordente, in a statement confirmed by the New York Times. No additional details were given.
Born as Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero, the ever-revered and ten-time Tony-nominated theatre actress was a Broadway icon through and through.
She was the one who first performed as "Anita" during the inaugural run of the famed "West Side Story" stage production in 1957, as well as breaking out the "Velma Kelly" role from the equally famous classic, "Chicago."
All in all, Rivera received two momentous "Best Actress" wins from the prestigious Tony Awards ceremony for her performances in "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and "The Rink. Additionally, she was the recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 alongside a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
The Start to Chita Rivera's Long-Standing Theatrical Career
Rivera was born and raised in Washington, DC, by a government clerk named Katherine neé Anderson and by Pedro Julio del Rivero, a clarinetist and saxophonist. Sadly, Rivera survived her father at the young age of seven.
By 1944, Rivera's mother had enrolled her in the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet where she attracted the attention of an instructor from the famed George Balanchine's School of American Ballet.
Because of this, the then-sprouting talent was one of two students picked by said teacher to come audition in New York City for a chance at gaining a dance scholarship, which she of course got.
As she turned 20 years old, Rivera was able to make her Broadway debut as part of an original production dubbed "Guys and Dolls," directly after her first tour as a professional theatrical dancer alongside "Call Me Madam's" Elaine Stritch.
She spent much of the '50s as a dancer in a variety of musical projects, which include "Can-Can," "Mr. Wonderful," "Shinbone Alley," and "Seventh Heaven.
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Chita Rivera Projects Which Cemented Her Legendary Status
By 1957, she got her launch to fame after originating the role of "Anita" in the Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, and Stephen Sondheim production of "West Side Story.
Rivera's stint as the resolute Puerto Rican immigrant became the shining precedent that actresses taking up the role followed for decades to come. After that widely famous gig, Rivera then performed in "Bye Bye Birdie" which brought her first Tony nod as the ever-romantic "Rosie."
Rivera then went on to originate some more classic roles in a slew of a lot less successful productions, namely "Bajour," "Merlin," and "Bring Back Birdie." Surprisingly, "Chicago" was part of this unsuccessful series of productions, as it was originally considered a financial failure before the still-running City Center Encores-initiated 1996 revival.
After a brief time working on the silver screen and on-the-road projects, Rivera returned to Broadway in 1984 and finally won her first Tony Award by playing the role of "Anna in the Kander and Ebb written production of "The Rink."
Almost a decade after this particular project, the Kander and Ebb duo would yet again write a "tailor-made" role specifically for Rivera, which won the actress her second and last Tony win as "Aurora" in the "Kiss of the Spider Woman."
The musical production itself was more than a "homerun" success, as it won a total of seven Tony Awards and ran an incredibly perseverant length of nearly 1,000 shows.
Last year, Rivera published an autobiography chronicling her successes, which was dubbed "Chita: A Memoir." This book was a success in its own right as it became a New York Times Best Seller.
The Broadway legend is survived by her daughter, Lisa, alongside her other children and her many nephews, nieces, and friends. Her family has wished for a private funeral, however, a memorial service will be announced later on.
