EGOT-winner actress Rita Moreno (West Side Story) is adding another accolade to her legendary career. In November 2022, Moreno will be inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Joining Moreno in the new class of honorees are director/choreographer Debbie Allen, documentarian Ken Burns, former chairman of Warner Bros Bob Daly, BET founder Robert L. Johnson, and cinematographer Donald A. Morgan. Oscar-winner Sean Penn will also receive the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award from the TV Academy.
“These legendary performers, creators, craftspeople, and television executives are luminaries in our industry,” said Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy. “Their work has influenced and immeasurably elevated the current television landscape and culture,” “We are proud to induct these trailblazers into the Hall of Fame and honored to celebrate their extraordinary contributions to our industry.”
Rick Rosen, WME co-founder and head of television, was the chair of this year’s Hall of Fame selection committee. “This year’s honorees have told the American story through television in ways that will forever shape our history and culture,” Rosen said. “Whether they reshaped the industry itself through visionary leadership or created pieces of work that have had a lasting legacy, these individuals will forever be remembered for the impact they’ve had on the medium; and the Television Academy is proud to enshrine that.”
Moreno, who will turn 91 in December, is best known for her Oscar-winning role in the 1961 version of West Side Story. However, the Puerto Rican entertainer was also featured on several TV series during her career, including The Electric Company, The Muppet Show, The Carol Burnett Show, Oz, and One Day at a Time, among dozens of others.
The Television Academy Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on November 16, 2022, at the Academy’s Saban Media Center in North Hollywood.
