Rita Moreno was among those honored at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony on Sunday.

The famed Puerto Rican actress came to the forefront after becoming the first Latin American to win an Oscar for her work as Anita in "West Side Story."

"It's never, for me, been about the importance of my name as much as about the joy I can derive from doing things that make me happy," Moreno stated, according to The Washington Post. "And I see this Honor as the reward, for all of that hard work."

Here are some interesting facts that make Moreno such a groundbreaking figure.

She is one of 12 people to win a Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Emmy

Moreno pulled off the grand slam of American awards in 16 years. Only Robert Lopez completed the feat faster in 10 years. Moreno's first big win was the Oscar, and in 1972 she added a double with a Grammy for Best Recording for Children. That was followed up by a Tony in 1975 for her work in "The Ritz." She completed the quartet in 1977 with an Emmy for her work in "The Muppet Show" and then added another award for "The Rockford Files" a year later.

She is also involved in social outreach and movement

She was among those that were involved in the famous 1963 March on Washington, according to Variety. She has also been involved in movements to help bring about racial equality, an end to hunger, broader education, and support for HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, according to Blouin Artinfo. According to USA Today, she was part of a major effort to bring AIDS awareness in 2003.

"The most important and immediate message is that HIV/AIDS can kill you," Moreno said at the time. "And if it doesn't kill you, it can kill someone else. If you're having sex, you need to protect yourself and others."

She stopped making films in Hollywood for years to avoid stereotypical roles

It is easy for Latin Americans to be pigeonholed these days. The power of Hollywood, coupled with the desire to be a working actor, has often put major talent into situations they likely should not be in, playing the perpetual Latino stereotypes of gangsters and illegal immigrants.

This fate did not befall Moreno, who preferred to be out of work in Hollywood than to play the same stereotypes to no end.

"Ha, ha. I showed them. I didn't make another movie for seven years after winning the Oscar ... Before 'West Side Story,' I was always offered the stereotypical Latina roles," she stated, according to the Miami Herald, via Latin American Studies. "The Conchitas and Lolitas in westerns. I was always barefoot. It was humiliating, embarrassing stuff. But I did it because there was nothing else. After 'West Side Story,' it was pretty much the same thing. A lot of gang stories."

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