Rita Moreno on the March 1, 1954, cover of Life magazine. "I didn't want to be ... this 'sexpot'," she told CNN. Moreno added that she had no role models, so she chose one: Elizabeth Taylor.
Rita Moreno through the years —
Rita Moreno on the March 1, 1954, cover of Life magazine. "I didn't want to be ... this 'sexpot'," she told CNN. Moreno added that she had no role models, so she chose one: Elizabeth Taylor.
Loomis Dean//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
Moreno in 1954.
Rita Moreno through the years —
Moreno in 1954.
Loomis Dean//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
Marlon Brando and Moreno talk on the set of "Desiree" in 1954, where they met. Moreno writes in her memoir about their contentious romantic relationship that would later drive her to a suicide attempt and finally to end the relationship: "It was wrenching to know that I would never be with Marlon again, but to do otherwise would be to die."
Rita Moreno through the years —
Marlon Brando and Moreno talk on the set of "Desiree" in 1954, where they met. Moreno writes in her memoir about their contentious romantic relationship that would later drive her to a suicide attempt and finally to end the relationship: "It was wrenching to know that I would never be with Marlon again, but to do otherwise would be to die."
20th Century-Fox/Getty Images
Moreno circa 1955.
Rita Moreno through the years —
Moreno circa 1955.
Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Moreno dances during a photo shoot for "West Side Story" in 1961. "I was convinced really from the time I was very young, someday, somehow, someway, someone would see talent in me and try to help me out, " she said. "Well, that didn't really happen until 'West Side Story,' and 'The King and I.' But it happened."
Rita Moreno through the years —
Moreno dances during a photo shoot for "West Side Story" in 1961. "I was convinced really from the time I was very young, someday, somehow, someway, someone would see talent in me and try to help me out, " she said. "Well, that didn't really happen until 'West Side Story,' and 'The King and I.' But it happened."
Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Moreno greets fans at the Rivoli Theater in New York in 1961.
Rita Moreno through the years —
Moreno greets fans at the Rivoli Theater in New York in 1961.
NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Left to right: Moreno, George Chakiris, Greer Garson and Maximilian Schell at the Academy Awards in 1962. Moreno won the Oscar for best actress in a supporting role for her performance in "West Side Story." Moreno did not work for seven years in film after she won. "That was what was so shocking to me. It really broke my heart," she told CNN. "So, you know, I did what I always did before that. I went back to summer theater, and I did television, and regional theater."
Rita Moreno through the years —
Left to right: Moreno, George Chakiris, Greer Garson and Maximilian Schell at the Academy Awards in 1962. Moreno won the Oscar for best actress in a supporting role for her performance in "West Side Story." Moreno did not work for seven years in film after she won. "That was what was so shocking to me. It really broke my heart," she told CNN. "So, you know, I did what I always did before that. I went back to summer theater, and I did television, and regional theater."
J. R. Eyerman//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
Moreno sits with Sammy Davis Jr. at the March on Washington on August 28, 1968. "I have always felt very Latina and very Puerto Rican, despite my efforts in my youth to be something I wasn't," Moreno told CNN. "As I got older, I really realized that I carry with me a wonderful history, that we all do, not just myself. That's what makes this country so great: what we bring to it."
Rita Moreno through the years —
Moreno sits with Sammy Davis Jr. at the March on Washington on August 28, 1968. "I have always felt very Latina and very Puerto Rican, despite my efforts in my youth to be something I wasn't," Moreno told CNN. "As I got older, I really realized that I carry with me a wonderful history, that we all do, not just myself. That's what makes this country so great: what we bring to it."
Francis Miller/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Moreno sings in 1975.
Rita Moreno through the years —
Moreno sings in 1975.
Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Ted Knight and Moreno film a scene for "The Love Boat" circa 1983.
Rita Moreno through the years —
Ted Knight and Moreno film a scene for "The Love Boat" circa 1983.
ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
Moreno lies next to her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as her husband, Dr. Leonard Gordon, and daughter Fernanda Luisa watch in 1995.
Rita Moreno through the years —
Moreno lies next to her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as her husband, Dr. Leonard Gordon, and daughter Fernanda Luisa watch in 1995.
Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images
President Barack Obama presents the 2009 National Medal of Arts to Moreno during a ceremony in February 2010 at the White House.
Rita Moreno through the years —
President Barack Obama presents the 2009 National Medal of Arts to Moreno during a ceremony in February 2010 at the White House.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images