Moreno was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, to a seamstress named Rosa Mara (née Marcano) and a farmer named Francisco José “Paco” Alvero. “Rosita” was her nickname. Moreno was raised in nearby Juncos by her mother, who was 17 at the time of her birth. Justino Marcano (born in Puerto Rico) and Trinidad from Spain were her maternal grandparents. Moreno’s mother moved to New York City in 1936, but not with her son, Moreno’s younger brother, Francisco, whom Moreno would not see again until 2021. Moreno took the surname of her first stepfather, Rosa Maria’s second husband, Edward Moreno. She spent her adolescence in the Long Island villages of Valley Stream, which are part of the town of Hempstead, which borders New York City.

Soon after arriving in New York, Moreno began her first dancing lessons with a Spanish dancer known as “Paco Cansino,” who was Rita Hayworth’s paternal uncle. She first appeared in Spanish-language versions of American films when she was 11 years old. By the age of 13, she had landed her first Broadway role as “Angelina” in Skydrift, which drew the attention of Hollywood talent scouts. Moreno claimed she was raped by her agent when she was a teen actor.

Rita Moreno children: Meet daughter Fernanda Luisa Gordon

Rita Moreno is the proud mother of her daughter, Fernanda Luisa Gordon, and the grandmother of two grandchildren.