Chita Rivera

Chita Rivera
Rivera in 1997
Born	Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero (1933-01-23)January 23, 1933 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	January 30, 2024(2024-01-30) (aged 91) New York City, U.S.
Occupations	Actress dancer singer
Years active	1950–2024
Spouse	Tony Mordente ​ ​ (m. 1957; div. 1966)​
Children	Lisa Mordente
Awards	Full list
Website	chitarivera.com
Signature

External audio
"Chita Rivera" performs America and All That Jazz from 1982 on YouTube

Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero (January 23, 1933 – January 30, 2024), known professionally as Chita Rivera, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Rivera received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Drama League Award. She was the first Latina and the first Latino American^[1] to receive a Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.^[2] She won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.

After making her Broadway debut as a dancer in Guys and Dolls (1950), she went on to originate roles in Broadway musicals such as Anita in West Side Story (1957), Velma Kelly in Chicago (1975), and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). She was a ten-time Tony Award nominee, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice for her roles in The Rink (1984) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993).^[3] She was Tony-nominated for her roles in Bye Bye Birdie (1961), Chicago (1975), Bring Back Birdie (1981), Merlin (1983), Jerry's Girls (1986), Nine (2003), Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (2005), and The Visit (2015).

Rivera acted in the film Sweet Charity (1969) and appeared in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), and Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021). She played Connie Richardson in the CBS sitcom The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1973–1974). She also appeared on television in The Judy Garland Show (1963), The Carol Burnett Show (1971), and Will & Grace (2005). Her autobiography, Chita: A Memoir, was published in 2023.^[4]