1. Early Life and Education
Chita Rivera's early life and rigorous artistic training laid the foundation for her groundbreaking career in the performing arts.
1.1. Childhood and Education
Born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero in Washington, D.C. on January 23, 1933, Chita Rivera was one of five children. Her father, Pedro Julio Figueroa del Rivero, was a clarinetist and saxophonist for the United States Navy Band and was born in Puerto Rico, with family names of Galician origin. Her mother, Katherine (née Anderson), was a government clerk and of Scottish, Irish, and African-American descent. When Rivera was seven years old, her father passed away, and her mother began working at The Pentagon to support the family.
In 1944, Rivera's mother enrolled her in the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet, now known as the Jones Haywood School of Dance. Her talent was recognized early; at the age of 15, a teacher from George Balanchine's School of American Ballet visited her studio. Rivera was one of two students selected to audition in New York City, an audition she attended accompanied by Doris Jones, one of the founders of the Jones-Haywood School. Her audition was successful, leading to her acceptance into the prestigious school with a scholarship, marking a pivotal step in her dance education.
2. Career
Chita Rivera's career spanned over seven decades, showcasing her exceptional talent as an actress, singer, and dancer across Broadway, film, and television, where she originated numerous iconic roles and maintained an enduring presence.
2.1. Early Career and Broadway Breakthrough (1950s-1970s)
Rivera's professional journey began in 1951 when she accompanied a friend to an audition for the touring company of Call Me Madam, ultimately winning a role herself. This led to a series of appearances in other Broadway productions, including Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Mr. Wonderful alongside Sammy Davis Jr., and Seventh Heaven. In 1956, she showcased her dancing skills on The Maurice Chevalier Special.
Her breakthrough came in 1957 when she was cast as Anita in West Side Story, a role that propelled her to Broadway stardom. In 1960, she earned her first Tony Award nomination for creating the role of Rose in Bye Bye Birdie, performing opposite Dick Van Dyke. Despite critical acclaim for her performances on Broadway and in London with Peter Marshall, she was not cast in the film version of Bye Bye Birdie, with the role going to Janet Leigh. Rivera made three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show during this period.
In 1963, Rivera was a guest on The Judy Garland Show and was cast opposite Alfred Drake in Zenda, a Broadway-bound musical that closed during its out-of-town tryouts. She returned to Broadway in 1964 with Bajour and made a television appearance in The Outer Limits. Music producer Norman Petty approached her in New York, leading to the release of her first single in 1965 on the Dot Records label, followed by a second single in 1966. She also recorded a full album of Buddy Holly cover songs with The Fireballs at Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico in 1966, though the project remained unreleased.
Rivera starred in numerous national tours, notably in Sweet Charity, directed by Bob Fosse. Her collaboration with Fosse continued to be significant. In 1975, she earned another Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Velma Kelly opposite Gwen Verdon in the original Broadway cast of Chicago, also directed by Fosse. Rivera credited both Leonard Bernstein and Gwen Verdon as influential figures in her success. She later made a cameo appearance in the 2002 film adaptation of Chicago.
2.2. Film and Television Work
Chita Rivera transitioned her dynamic stage presence to both film and television, taking on diverse roles that showcased her versatility.
In film, Rivera played Nickie in the 1969 adaptation of Sweet Charity, starring alongside Shirley MacLaine. She also appeared as a guest at Heartland in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1978 and had a cameo as a "Sunday" Legend in the 2021 film Tick, Tick... Boom!. Other film appearances include the documentaries He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (1983), Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003), Carol Channing: Larger Than Life (2012), Show Stopper: The Theatrical Life of Garth Drabinsky (2012), Still Waiting in the Wings (2018), and Studio One Forever (2023). She also acted in Kalamazoo? (2006) and provided a voice for The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! (2010).
On television, Rivera played Connie Richardson in the CBS sitcom The New Dick Van Dyke Show from 1973 to 1974, appearing in seven episodes. She was a guest on variety shows such as The Maurice Chevalier Show (1956), The Garry Moore Show (1960), The Ed Sullivan Show (1960), The Judy Garland Show (1963), The Hollywood Palace (1965), and The Carol Burnett Show (1971). Her television film credits include The Marcus-Nelson Murders (1973), Pippin: His Life and Times (1981), Strawberry Ice (1982), and Mayflower Madam (1987). Rivera also lent her voice to animated series, portraying Katy in an episode of Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1997) and The Witch in two episodes of Dora The Explorer (2004, 2019). She guest-starred in popular shows like Will & Grace (2005) as Lenore Portillo, Johnny and the Sprites (2008) as The Queen, and Submissions Only (2011) as Gladys Franklin. She also made four appearances on Great Performances between 1985 and 2004.
2.3. Later Career and Major Roles (1990s-2023)
Rivera's later career was marked by continued success and critical acclaim, demonstrating her resilience and enduring talent. In 1981, she appeared as Fastrada in a filmed-for-television version of the musical Pippin. She was nominated for Tony and Drama Desk awards for her role in Bring Back Birdie (1981) and a Tony Award for Merlin (1983).
In 1984, Rivera starred in the Kander and Ebb musical The Rink alongside Liza Minnelli, winning her first Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award for her portrayal of Anna. In 1986, while earning a Tony Award nomination for her performance in the Jerry Herman musical, Jerry's Girls, Rivera was involved in a severe car accident on West 86th Street in Manhattan. She sustained a broken left leg in twelve places, requiring eighteen screws and two braces for recovery. Despite the extensive injuries, Rivera underwent rehabilitation and continued to perform on stage, a testament to her determination.
After her recovery, in 1988, she toured the country in Can-Can. She also ventured into the restaurant business, partnering with novelist Daniel Simone to open "Chita's" on 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenue. The eatery became a popular spot for after-theater crowds and operated until 1994.
In 1993, Rivera achieved further critical success, receiving both a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her dual portrayal of Aurora and the Spider Woman in the Kander and Ebb musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. She later participated in the London revival of Chicago, this time taking on the role of Roxie Hart.
Rivera starred as Claire Zachanassian in the Goodman Theatre production of The Visit, another Kander and Ebb musical, in 2001. In 2003, she returned to Broadway in the revival of Nine as Liliane La Fleur, earning her eighth career Tony Award nomination (Best Featured Actress in a Musical) and fourth Drama Desk Award nomination (Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical). She performed alongside Antonio Banderas and was featured on the revival's cast album.
In December 2005, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, a retrospective of her career, opened on Broadway, for which she received another Tony nomination for her self-portrayal. Though a planned staging of The Visit at Signature Theatre in 2007 was postponed, she performed at New York's Feinstein's at the Regency supper club for two weeks. In 2008, she appeared in a revised production of The Visit at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, co-starring George Hearn.
In November 2008, Rivera released her third solo album, And Now I Swing. Her earlier albums from the early 1960s, Chita Rivera: Get Me To The Church On Time and And Now I Sing, were reissued on CD in February 2013. On November 30, 2011, Rivera performed in a staged concert of The Visit as a benefit at the Ambassador Theatre. In 2012, she played "Princess Puffer" in the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood at Studio 54. On June 9, 2013, she served as the Grand Marshal of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City.
Rivera returned to Broadway in The Visit, the final musical written by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Terrence McNally. The musical opened at the Lyceum Theatre on March 26, 2015, and closed on June 14, 2015. Co-starring Roger Rees, the production was directed by John Doyle and choreographed by Graciela Daniele. Rivera received significant praise for her performance, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award.
Rivera was a frequent guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World, with her most recent appearances in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Her autobiography, Chita: A Memoir, was published in 2023.
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Guys and Dolls | Dancer | 46th Street Theatre |
| 1953 | Can-Can | Dancer | Shubert Theatre |
| 1955 | Seventh Heaven | Fifi | ANTA Playhouse |
| 1956 | Mr. Wonderful | Rita Romano | Broadway Theatre |
| 1957 | Shinbone Alley | Mehitabel | Broadway Theatre |
| 1957 | West Side Story | Anita | Winter Garden Theatre |
| 1960 | Bye Bye Birdie | Rose Alvarez | Martin Beck Theatre |
| 1964 | Bajour | Anyanka | Shubert Theatre |
| 1975 | Chicago | Velma Kelly | 46th Street Theatre |
| 1981 | Bring Back Birdie | Rose Alvarez | Martin Beck Theatre |
| 1983 | Merlin | The Queen | Mark Hellinger Theatre |
| 1984 | The Rink | Anna | Martin Beck Theatre |
| 1985 | Jerry's Girls | Performer | St. James Theatre |
| 1993 | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Spider Woman/Aurora | Broadhurst Theatre |
| 2003 | Nine | Liliane La Fleur | Eugene O'Neill Theatre |
| 2005 | Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life | Herself | Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre |
| 2012 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | The Princess Puffer / Miss Angela Prysock | Studio 54 |
| 2015 | The Visit | Claire Zachannassian | Lyceum Theatre |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Sweet Charity | Nickie | |
| 1978 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | Guest at Heartland | |
| 1983 | He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' | Herself | Documentary |
| 2002 | Chicago | Nickie | Cameo |
| 2003 | Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There | Herself | Documentary |
| 2006 | Kalamazoo? | Giannina | |
| 2010 | The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! | Singer | Voice |
| 2012 | Carol Channing: Larger Than Life | Herself | Documentary |
| 2012 | Show Stopper: The Theatrical Life of Garth Drabinsky | Herself | Documentary |
| 2018 | Still Waiting in the Wings | Broadway Diva | Documentary |
| 2021 | Tick, Tick... Boom! | "Sunday" Legend | |
| 2023 | Studio One Forever | Herself | Documentary |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | The Maurice Chevalier Show | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1960 | The Gary Moore Show | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1960 | The Ed Sullivan Show | Herself | S14.E6, performing "Spanish Rose" from musical Bye Bye Birdie |
| 1963 | The Judy Garland Show | Herself | Episode 17 |
| 1964 | The Outer Limits | Mrs. Dane | Episode: "The Bellero Shield" |
| 1965 | The Hollywood Palace | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1971 | The Carol Burnett Show | Various characters | Episode: "4.22" |
| 1973 | The Marcus-Nelson Murders | Josie Hopper | Television film |
| 1973-1974 | The New Dick Van Dyke Show | Connie Richardson | Main role; 7 episodes |
| 1977 | Once Upon a Brothers Grimm | Gingerbread Lady | Episode: "Hansel and Gretel" |
| 1981 | Pippin: His Life and Times | Fastrada | Television film |
| 1982 | Strawberry Ice | Performer | Television film |
| 1985-2004 | Great Performances | Herself | 4 episodes |
| 1987 | Mayflower Madam | Risa Dickstein | Television film |
| 1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Katy | Voice, episode: "Thumbelina" |
| 2004, 2019 | Dora The Explorer | The Witch | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Will & Grace | Lenore Portillo | Episode: "Dance Cards and Greeting Cards" |
| 2008 | Johnny and the Sprites | The Queen | Episode: "Johnny Not Invited" |
| 2011 | Submissions Only | Gladys Franklin | Episode: "Yore So Bad" |
3. Awards and Honors
Chita Rivera received extensive recognition throughout her career, acknowledging her profound contributions to the performing arts through numerous major acting awards and special lifetime honors.
3.1. Major Acting Awards
Rivera was nominated for the Tony Award ten times, holding the record for the most individual Tony Award nominations for a performer, a distinction she shares with Julie Harris and Audra McDonald. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice: first in 1984 for her role as Anna in The Rink, and again in 1993 for her dual portrayal of Aurora and the Spider Woman in Kiss of the Spider Woman. She also received two Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for these same roles. In 2015, she was honored with a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance for her work in The Visit, and the Theatre World Award's John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
3.2. Special Honors and Lifetime Achievement
Beyond her acting accolades, Rivera received several prestigious recognitions for her lifetime of artistic excellence and cultural impact. In 2002, she became a Kennedy Center Honoree, notably as the first Latina and Latino American to receive this distinction. In August 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama presented Rivera with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. She was also honored as The New Jewish Home's Eight Over Eighty Gala honoree in 2016. In 2018, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Florida. Further cementing her legacy, the Astaire Awards, which honor excellence in dance and choreography, were rebranded as The Chita Rivera Awards for Dance and Choreography in 2017. In 2018, she received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement, celebrating her extraordinary career and influence on Broadway. In 2019, Time Out New York named her "one of the best Broadway divas of all time."
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Bye Bye Birdie | Nominated |
| 1976 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Chicago | Nominated |
| 1981 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Bring Back Birdie | Nominated |
| 1981 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Bring Back Birdie | Nominated |
| 1983 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Merlin | Nominated |
| 1984 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | The Rink | Won |
| 1984 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | The Rink | Won |
| 1986 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Jerry's Girls | Nominated |
| 1993 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Won |
| 1993 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Won |
| 2002 | Kennedy Center Honors | Kennedy Center Honors | Herself | Honoree |
| 2003 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | Nine | Nominated |
| 2003 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Nine | Nominated |
| 2006 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life | Nominated |
| 2015 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | The Visit | Nominated |
| 2015 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | The Visit | Nominated |
| 2015 | Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | The Visit | Won |
| 2015 | Theatre World Award | John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre | Herself | Honoree |
| 2018 | Tony Award | Special Tony Award | Herself | Honoree |
4. Personal Life
On December 1, 1957, Chita Rivera married Tony Mordente, a fellow dancer from the original Broadway cast of West Side Story. Their daughter, Lisa Mordente, was born in 1958. The significance of Rivera's role in West Side Story was such that the London production of the musical was postponed until after Lisa's birth. Rivera and Mordente divorced in 1966 but maintained an amicable relationship. Rivera was a Roman Catholic.
5. Death
Chita Rivera died in New York City on January 30, 2024, following a brief illness. She passed away one week after her 91st birthday. Her ex-husband, Tony Mordente, died in June 2024, less than five months after her passing.
6. Legacy and Influence
Chita Rivera's legacy is profound, cementing her status as a cultural icon and a transformative figure in American musical theater. As the first Latina and Latino American to receive the Kennedy Center Honors, she paved the way for future generations of performers and artists, particularly within the Latino community. Her remarkable resilience, demonstrated by her return to the stage after a severe leg injury, inspired many. Rivera's name became synonymous with excellence in dance and choreography, leading to the rebranding of the prestigious Astaire Awards as The Chita Rivera Awards for Dance and Choreography in 2017. Her autobiography, Chita: A Memoir, published shortly before her death, further chronicles her extraordinary life and career. Her contributions to Broadway were celebrated when Time Out New York named her "one of the best Broadway divas of all time," underscoring her lasting impact on the world of theatre and her enduring influence on subsequent generations of performers.