'West Side Story's' Rita Moreno and George Chakiris Reunite, Re-Live Oscar Wins as Part of THR's 'Hollywood's 100 Favorite Films'
In celebration of The Hollywood Reporter's ranking of "Hollywood's 100 Favorite Films," legendary onscreen pairs reunited, including "West Side Story's" Rita Moreno and George Chakiris, the infamous duo Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon from "Thelma & Louise," Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw from "Love Story" and "Pulp Fiction's" Quentin Tarantino, Uma Thurman and John Travolta.
Puerto Rican actress Moreno, one of the few to land the coveted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards), reminisced about her 1962 Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Anita, "the tough but vulnerable girlfriend to the Sharks's gang leader, Bernardo." It was a monumental moment for Moreno, as she was the first Hispanic actress to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
On that fateful night, Moreno was joined by Chakiris, who also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks gang.
"The beautiful thing about the evening was that we went together," Chakiris, who is of Greek descent, told THR. "My category was called first, and I got lucky. And then Rita got lucky. What a perfect night."
While Chakiris won his Oscar early into the night, Moreno anxiously awaited the results of her category.
"By the time my category came up, it was very late. I had to wait a long time. At that point, 'West Side Story' had swept the awards, and I thought, 'My Puerto Rican luck; I'll be the only one who doesn't get an award," she added.
Moreno was born Rosa Dolores Alverio in Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx, N.Y. When she broke into show business, she took on her step-father's surname as well as Rita, based on American actress and dancer Rita Hayworth.
"After her success with West Side Story, Moreno took on a range of interesting roles on stage and in films. She performed with the likes of Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson and James Garner, according to Biography. "Her career took another interesting turn in the 1970s, when joined the cast of The Electric Company, a children's television program. She stayed with the program for six seasons and became known for her trademark catchphrase: 'Hey, you guys.' She and the rest of the cast won a Grammy Award in 1972 for the show's soundtrack."
Shortly after, Moreno won a Tony Award (best featured actress in a play) for her work in Broadway's "The Ritz" (1975). She then went on to win two Emmy awards for guest appearances on "The Muppet Show" (1977) and "The Rockford Files" (1978).
THR adds that when she finally won best supporting actress, she gave one of the briefest speeches in Oscars history, saying: "I don't believe it. Good Lord. I leave you with that." She added: "I was not ready to win. I had nothing planned."
Among THR's ranking of "Hollywood's 100 Favorite Films," "The Godfather" came in first place," following other classic films such as "When Harry Met Sally," "Rocky" and "Ferris Bueler's Day Off" and the hundredth favorite film is "The Seven Samurai."
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