Dancer and singer Rita Moreno was born in 1931, in Puerto Rico. She started taking dance lessons at a young age, and her family moved to New York City in 1936.

Moreno made her Broadway debut as Angelina in the play “Skydrift,” and entered the film industry five years later.

However, casting directors mainly placed her in ethnically stereotypical roles, which frustrated her. In 1961, she played Anita, a central character in “West Side Story,” a role that earned her an Oscar and a Golden Globe award. After “West Side Story,” she no longer allowed herself to be cast in stereotypical roles.

As Moreno became famous, she grew more vocal about supporting social justice and ending discrimination. In 1965, she joined a Hollywood delegation and attended the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. She went on to become the first and only Latina to achieve an “EGOT,” meaning she won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.