![Chita Rivera as Anita in WEST SIDE STORY on Broadway, 9/26/57](https://cdn.statically.io/img/people.com/thmb/KNFewJW2lc12cBc2SS1uRx4GNMo=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/chita-rivera-west-side-story-tout-14372b0ba8d749689498dbbafd7aad86.jpg)
Everett
The lights on Broadway are a little less bright tonight, as the theater world mourns the death of stage legend Chita Rivera.
The actress died on Jan. 30, 2024, at 91 years old.
Throughout her career, the star brought her talents to a host of iconic roles, including Anita in West Side Story, Velma Kelly in Chicago and the titular Spider Woman in Kiss of the Spider Woman. She also made her mark on the big and small screens, and earned accolades including three Tony Awards and a Kennedy Center Honor along the way.
Here, look back on some of Chita Rivera's career highlights in photos.
'West Side Story'
![Chita Rivera and Ken Leroy star in a stage version of the musical 'West Side Story' in Manchester, UK, November 1958](https://people.com/thmb/aDKMCwwNU8TJNzh0VfcRzxGraGw=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2)/chita-rivera-west-side-story-03918be4b21a44a29641b6e3a9af7b0a.jpg)
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty
Rivera famously originated the role of Anita in West Side Story in 1957, the part that launched her into superstardom.
"It was the excitement of the creation of the show, watching Leonard Bernstein setting down notes that would later be heard and loved by everyone, and watching Jerome Robbins suddenly come up with a masterful step that would later become known as an integral part of the performance," Rivera shared of the highlights in an interview with On Broadway Tonight.
She performed through much of her pregnancy with her only child, daughter Lisa Mordente.
'Bye Bye Birdie'
![BYE BYE BIRDIE, from left, Dick Gautier (on poster), Chita Rivera, Dick Van Dyke, Martin Beck Theater, New York, 1960](https://people.com/thmb/v2wuCHVnfW1Gg2t-AiNogOAx9vY=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2)/chita-rivera-bye-bye-birdie-ff18566ed40b43e0ac2c37ca6232e003.jpg)
Everett
Rivera earned her first Tony nomination in 1960 for her role as Rose in Bye Bye Birdie. In the musical she starred opposite Dick van Dyke; the two would form a lifelong friendship from their time together, and she'd later appear on his New Dick Van Dyke Show in the '70s.
'Sweet Charity'
![SWEET CHARITY](https://people.com/thmb/y0WOS8w7MEkurIT5LWC-zLCFbys=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/chita-rivera-sweet-charity-75463abb3d2f4e679c510feb37893e29.jpg)
Everett
Rivera's work extended to movies, too, notably in 1969's Sweet Charity alongside Paula Kelly and Shirley MacLaine.
"I’ll never forget an instance with Shirley MacLaine when we were filming the movie Sweet Charity," Rivera recalled to the Harvard Business Review. "She was the star, so [director and choreographer Bob Fosse] told us that he would use the take that was her best and we needed to make sure we were perfect every time.
"On the last take, which was Shirley’s best, I had twisted my body just a bit and afterward said under my breath, 'Darn it.' Shirley heard me and asked what was wrong. Whispering, I said, 'I just didn’t do that right.' Then she went to Fosse and said, 'You know, I’d like to do that take over.' And we did."
'Chicago'
![Famous Celebs - Chicago the Musical](https://people.com/thmb/Ap-0Vz_KXjjvWpEmqXteX9y5T_Y=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(746x0:748x2)/chita-rivera-1-2000-2cb4279b3b7d4140b8af49b4a14c9eeb.jpg)
Rivera originated the role of Velma Kelly in the 1975 production of Chicago on Broadway, and 25 years later, she returned, this time as Roxie Hart — playing the part in Toronto, Las Vegas, and London.
She also had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in the 2002 film version of the musical.
'Kiss of the Spider Woman'
![KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN](https://people.com/thmb/wUNy2Qm0jiY8wlY-t1OpcJ_kAVI=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/chita-rivera-kiss-spider-woman-824eda8a63b541078ce081ae7b72ba55.jpg)
Alamy
Rivera won her second best actress in a musical Tony Award for her work as Aurora, the fantastical "Spider Woman" of a man's dreams in 1993's Kiss of the Spider Woman. (Her first award was for 1984's The Rink.)
Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb "were great friends, and they believed in me," Rivera told the Harvard Business Review. "I didn’t have the role initially. It was given to another actress before Broadway. But even though she was a great singer and actress, she couldn’t dance, and one critic said in his review, 'Why don’t they get Chita Rivera?' And I almost hit my head: 'Why didn’t I think of that?' I finally did get the part, thanks to God, and history was made."
'The Dancer's Life'
![Chita Rivera during "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life" Broadway Opening Night - Curtain Call at Schoenfield Theatre in New York City, New York, United States.](https://people.com/thmb/7L3x2QQcFsOQzwMr-RnYvI9fKYw=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/chita-rivera-performing-1-091823-ce1f22567944478994ad03eeb3d38477.jpg)
Jemal Countess/WireImage
Rivera was so beloved that she performed in her own show, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, on Broadway from 2005 to 2006. The musical — a history of her roles and the choreographers behind some of the major moments — earned her her ninth Tony nomination.
'The Visit'
![Michelle Veintimilla, Chita Rivera at the press conference for THE VISIT on Broadway Cast Photo Op and Preview, The Lyceum Theatre, New York, NY March 24, 2015.](https://people.com/thmb/Iqj0NMBSn3lzGV9iMCns4GS1uTg=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/chita-rivera-the-visit-2f74f8556e5940e68db60de1947800d9.jpg)
Jason Smith/Everett
Rivera's final Broadway role was in 2015's short-lived The Visit, in which she starred as the wealthy, conniving Claire Zachanassian. Her performance earned her her 10th and final Tony Award nomination.
Three years later, she'd win her third Tony, a Lifetime Achievement Award. "I said, 'Does that mean it's all over?' " she joked when she accepted the award at the 2018 Tonys. She thanked her mother for putting her into ballet classes at a young age, which "led me here."
"I wouldn't trade my life in the theater for anything, as the theater is life," she concluded, adding, "there's still a lot of salt left in this shaker."