Chita Rivera
A Broadway dynamo who blazed a trail for Latina performers with her volcanic energy and razor-sharp precision.
1933–2024 (age 91)·American actress, dancer and singer·Birthday: January 23·The Silent Generation
Biography
Chita Rivera was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero in Washington, D.C., and her path to the stage began with ballet. A scholarship to the School of American Ballet took her to New York, but it was the Broadway stage that would become her kingdom. Her breakthrough came as Anita in the original 1957 production of 'West Side Story,' where her fiery performance and explosive dance style announced a major new force. For over six decades, she commanded the musical theater with a unique blend of smoldering intensity and impeccable comic timing, creating indelible roles in shows like 'Bye Bye Birdie,' 'Chicago,' and 'Kiss of the Spider Woman.' Rivera’s career was a masterclass in resilience and reinvention, surviving a devastating car accident and returning to perform with the same ferocity. She became a beloved elder stateswoman of the theater, her very presence a testament to the power of longevity and artistry, forever changing who gets to be a leading lady.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Chita was born in 1933, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chita Was Born
The biggest hits of 1933
#1 Movie
King Kong
Best Picture
Cavalcade
Chita's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1933Born
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1938Started school
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1946Became a teenager
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Could drive
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1951Could vote
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Turned 21
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1963Turned 30
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 40
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 50
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 60
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 70
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 80
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2024Died at 91
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
Key Achievements
- She was the first Latina to receive the Kennedy Center Honors, awarded in 2002.
- She earned a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 for her contributions to American culture.
- She won two competitive Tony Awards, for 'The Rink' (1984) and 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' (1993).
- She originated the role of Anita in the landmark Broadway production of 'West Side Story.'
- She received a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre in 2018.
Did You Know?
She was considered for the role of Anita in the film version of 'West Side Story,' but the studio wanted a bigger name.
Her father was a Puerto Rican musician who played in the United States Navy Band.
She turned down the role of Cassie in 'A Chorus Line,' which later went to Donna McKechnie.
She and Gwen Verdon were close friends and shared a dressing room during the original run of 'Chicago.'
““I don't think of myself as a star. I think of myself as an actress who can dance.””
