Rita Moreno is set to become one of a handful of “PEGOT” winners, as she will receive the Peabody Award for Career Achievement, the board of jurors announced Thursday.
Moreno is already an EGOT winner, having previously won an Oscar, a Tony, two Emmys, and a Grammy. But she’ll n0w add to it a Peabody Award. The honor is reserved for individuals whose work and commitment to electronic media has left an indelible mark on the field.
In a career spanning six decades, beginning with her Broadway debut at age 13, Moreno most recently starred on the Latino remake of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom “One Day at a Time” on Netflix, and she’s an actress and executive producer in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming remake of “West Side Story.”
“Rita Moreno is a unique talent who has not only broken barriers, but whose career continues to thrive six-plus decades after her acting debut,” Jeffrey P. Jones, executive director of Peabody, said in a statement. “We are delighted to celebrate her many contributions to entertainment and media, as well as her passion for children’s programming and important social issues.”
Moreno also recently received The Kennedy Center Honor for her lifetime contributions to American Culture and was honored by her peers as the 50th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2015, she served as the grand marshal of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade. That same year she released her “first ever” all Spanish language album, “Una Vez Más,” produced by Emilio Estefan. She also added New York Times Bestselling Author to her list of accomplishments with her first book, “Rita Moreno: A Memoir” published by Celebra Books. Moreno was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush and the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.
She’ll be presented with the Career Achievement Award at the Peabody Awards annual gala as presented by Mercedes-Benz in New York on May 18. The Peabody Awards are based at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
Nominees for the 78th Peabody Awards will be announced Tuesday, April 9. Winners will be announced by category on April 16 (Documentary), April 18 (Entertainment/Children’s), and April 23 (News/Radio/Web/Public Service).