An Evening with Award-Winning Performer Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno has had a storied career. From her Oscar-winning portrayal of Anita in the film adaptation of West Side Story to her challenging role as a prostitute in Carnal Knowledge, from her stint on the children's TV classic Electric Company to her late-career triumph in HBO's controversial series Oz, she's an actress with chops. Now this powerhouse performer shares her story, in conversation with Peter Crooks, senior editor/writer for Diablo magazine. She'll talk about being a Hollywood survivor, starting with her tumultuous childhood, to her career rise from "utility ethnic" to award-winning star, her explosive romance with Marlon Brando (and less-than-explosive romance with Elvis Presley) and finally finding peace with her choices and her life. Now 81, Moreno is still going strong -- she recently concluded a sold-out run of her one-woman show, Life Without Makeup at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, and makes frequent appearances on TV in such shows as Law and Order, In Plain Sight and Happily Divorced. She also authored Rita Moreno: A Memoir.