Chita Rivera is a legendary personality in the dance and Broadway industries who has enthralled audiences for many years with her extraordinary talent and charm. Rivera’s achievements in the performing arts as a Tony Award-winning actress, singer, and dancer have cemented her reputation as a legend.
Even after such a successful career, rumors regarding her financial situation and net worth persist. Examining Chita Rivera’s net worth reveals the economic benefits she has received from her outstanding accomplishments on stage and screen. Given her lasting impact and standing in the entertainment business, Rivera likely has a high net worth that matches her impressive career path.
Chita Rivera Net Worth
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer with a $2 million fortune. Born in Washington, DC, on January 23, 1933, Katherine was the daughter of a federal clerk. Her mother is Scottish-Italian, and her father is of Puerto Rican origin.
Her mother started working at The Pentagon when her father passed away when she was only seven years old. Her mother got her admission to the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet in 1994. A teacher selected her from George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet for an audition in New York City.
Chita Rivera’s Early Life
Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson was born on January 23, 1933, in Washington, D.C. She was the daughter of Pedro Julio Figueroa del Rivero, a saxophonist and clarinetist with the U.S. Navy Band, and Katherine Anderson, a government clerk.
Her mother was African-American, Scottish, and Irish, and her father was Puerto Rican. Rivera came from a family of five. When Rivera’s mother became a widow and started working at The Pentagon, she was seven years old.
Rivera was enrolled in the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet (now the Jones-Haywood School of Dance) in 1944 by her mother. An instructor from George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet later came to their studio when Rivera was fifteen, and she was chosen as one of two pupils to come in for an audition in New York City.
One of the Jones-Haywood School’s administrators, Doris Jones, escorted Rivera to the audition. After a successful audition, Rivera received a scholarship and was admitted to the school.
Check out the articles given below to read more about the fortunes of various stars:
- What is Jay Leno Net Worth? Inside His Lavish Lifestyle Financial Success
- Tina Louise Net Worth: How Much Money Does She Make Throughout Her Career?
Chita Rivera’s Personal Life
On the first of December in 1957, Rivera tied the knot with Tony Mordente, a fellow dancer from West Side Story. Because her performance was so crucial to the success of the musical, the London production of West Side Story was delayed until she gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Lisa, in 1958. This move was made because of the significance of her performance. In 1966, they finalized their divorce.
It was a Roman Catholic who was Rivera.
Chita Rivera’s Career
Rivera auditioned with a friend for the touring company Call Me Madam, starring Elaine Stritch in 1951, and won the role. She then appeared in Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Mr. Wonderful with Sammy Davis, Jr., Seventh Heaven, and The Maurice Chevalier Special in 1956. As Anita in West Side Story in 1957, she became a Broadway star.
Rivera was nominated for a Tony in 1960 for playing Rose in Bye Bye Birdie with Dick Van Dyke. She appeared three times on The Ed Sullivan Show and was lauded for her Broadway and London performances opposite Peter Marshall, but Janet Leigh played the role in the film.
Rivera guested on The Judy Garland Show and starred alongside Alfred Drake in Zenda in 1963. Rivera returned to Broadway in Bajour and television in The Outer Limits in 1964 after the Broadway musical closed.
In New York, Norman Petty asked her to record with him after seeing her in the musical. She recorded her debut Dot Records single in 1965 and a second in 1966. She registered a whole Buddy Holly cover album with The Fireballs at Petty’s Clovis, New Mexico studio in 1966, but it was never released.
Rivera plays Nickie in Bob Fosse’s Sweet Charity with Shirley MacLaine (1969) and has done many national tours. Three times on The Hollywood Palace, twice on The Carol Burnett Show (including February 22, 1971), and Connie Richardson on The New Dick Van Dyke Show from 1973 to 1974.
Rivera was nominated for a Tony Award in 1975 for playing Velma Kelly alongside Gwen Verdon in Bob Fosse’s original cast of Chicago. Along with her ballet teachers, Rivera credited Leonard Bernstein and Verdon, with whom she starred in Chicago, for her career.
She appeared in the 2002 film as a cameo. In 1981, she played Fastrada in a televised version of Pippin and was nominated for Tony and Drama Desk awards for Bring Back Birdie (1981) and Merlin (1983) on Broadway.
As Anna in the 1984 Kander and Ebb musical The Rink alongside Liza Minnelli, Rivera received her first Tony and Drama Desk honors. Rivera was in a severe car accident on West 86th Street in Manhattan in 1986 while nominated for a Tony Award for her role in Jerry’s Girls.
Twelve broken bones in her left leg required eighteen screws and two braces to repair. Rivera resumed performing after recovery. She toured the country in Can-Can and opened a restaurant with novelist Daniel Simone in 1988 after recovering. “Chita’s” on 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenue was named after her. It was a popular after-theater attraction until 1994.
