When we look at an entertainer, such as Rita Moreno, we often only think about the part that they play in movies or on TV. In reality, there is much more that goes on behind the scenes.
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican actress and a winner of the coveted EGOT. She is known for performances and some of the top shows of her time, including the 1961 Westside Story and Singing in the Rain from 1952.
She is easily recognizable on the screen but off of the screen, she is much more. She has two grandsons and one of them is quite handsome.
In 1965, Rita married a retired cardiologist who later became her manager. She was married to Leonard Gordon for 45 years but unfortunately, he died in 2010. Later, she would reveal that she may have left him because he was very controlling.
Tensions in the relationship had grown and the primary reason why she stayed married was because of her daughter. She also said that she didn’t know if divorce was a good option because she “had no plans to have a life with anybody else.”
The two had one child together, a daughter. Fernanda Luisa Gordon was born in September 1967, two years after they were married.
She spoke about her daughter, saying: “She brought with her a light that, through the years, has grown into a perpetual incandescence where I warm myself more and more as the years go by. You could say she is the gift that keeps giving…”
After growing up, Fernanda would get married in 1996 to David Tyler Fisher. The two of them would have two sons together, Justin and Cameron, and Rita couldn’t be happier. She loves her grandchildren, and that is obvious.
Rita admits that she feels loved and beautiful the most when she’s looking in the eyes of her grandsons. In speaking of her older grandson, Justin, she said: “I’m just I’m so proud of him. I can’t stand myself. This is my boy.”
Justin also feels the same about his grandmother. This is not only because she was the first Hispanic woman to win an Academy Award, it’s because of what she brings to the family.
In fact, Justin may have had a hand in helping his grandmother to get into the Fast and Furious franchise. He met up with Vin Diesel, and said that they: “caught up and grabbed drinks after the event, and he’s so fond of my grandma.”
He went on to tell him: “You should work with her. You should have her be your grandma, have her slap you upside the head. Have her have a little tone, because you know her, it’s all tone.”
Justin, who is now 26, is happy to post about his family on social media. In sharing a picture of himself with his family, he is towering over his grandmother.
His younger brother, Cameron, celebrated his 21st birthday in 2021. In 2023, he graduated from college and they shared the accomplishment on social media.
It’s amazing to get to know somebody more when you only know them by their professional life. We wish Rita many more years of love and happiness together with her family.
