Photo: Presley Ann/WireImage
Rita Morenohas wonEmmys, Grammys, an Oscar and a Tonyfor her various parts over the years, but her most important roles are mother and grandmother.
TheWest Side Storystar shares daughterFernanda Luisa Gordonwith her late husband,Leonard Gordon. Moreno and Leonard, a former doctor who later managed Moreno’s career, got married in 1965 and welcomed Fernanda a year later. Leonard died in June 2010 at 90 years old.
Despite their 45-year marriage, Moreno doesn’t look back on their union fondly. In March 2024, she told PEOPLE that she’d considered leaving Leonard, whom she called “very controlling,” on multiple occasions.
“Things began to get very tense. And if it were not for my daughter, I probably would have left,” Moreno shared.
Still, Moreno says Fernanda, whose nickname is Nandy, “was themost wanted childin the whole world” and received plenty of love from both her and Leonard.
“Being an only child means that we poured all our love in her,” the EGOT winner toldGrandmagazinein 2008. “That love is a bottomless well.”
Keep reading for everything there is to know about Rita Moreno’s daughter.
She was born in 1966
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Moreno and Leonard, who wed in 1965, welcomed their first and only child together on Sept. 26, 1966. According to theUniversity of California, Berkeley, Fernanda spent her childhood in New York City before her family moved to Los Angeles. She later received a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and a master’s degree from the University of Southern California.
She got married in 1996
Fernanda Gordon Instagram
On Oct. 12, 1996, Fernanda married her husband, David Fisher,at the Stonepine Estate Resort in Carmel Valley, California, according to theNew York Times. At the time, the couple lived in Berkeley, California, where Fernanda worked as a performer and a freelance graphic designer. Fisher was working at a local consulting firm.
She has two sons
Rita Moreno Instagram
Fernanda is a mother herself. Her first child,Justin Fisher, was born in July 1998. Moreno’s second grandson,Cameron Fisher, arrived two years later in July 2000.
Justin joined Moreno at TIME’s Women of the Year Gala in 2023. PEOPLE asked Moreno at the event when shefeels most beautiful, to which the proud grandmother pointed out her grandson and replied, “When I’m looking into the eyes of my grandboys, and that’s one of them.”
She’s been a stand-in for her mom
Fernanda was a stand-in for her mother on the set ofSteven Spielberg’sWest Side Story. In 2021, she shared a picture onInstagramwith her mom on set.
“Feeling such #gratitude for having been the stand-in for @theritamoreno on the #WestSideStoryMovie 😍🙏,” she wrote. “To have been fortunate enough to go through that experience with my mother and a crew and cast of insanely talented people was the #gift of a lifetime. And hearing our friends,family and critics (!) praise the film is the #IcingOnTheCake.”
She attended her mom’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony
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Fernanda was present when the EGOT winner received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1995 and posed for photos next to the prestigious star with her parents.
She worked on80 for Brady
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Fernanda worked as her mother’s assistant on the 2023 film80 for Brady, which also starredLily Tomlin,Jane FondaandSally Field. “Don’t miss @80forbrady - it is a great ride with #talent overflowing everywhere😂,” Fernanda wrote onInstagram. “And after working on the whole film shoot I am so pleased to see a great outcome. And - it’s pretty darn cool to see my name on the credit roll😍.”
She is a jewelry designer
Fernanda is a jewelry designer and the owner ofNandiz Designs. In 2021, she and Moreno hit theOscarsred carpet, where the designerwore one of her own creations.
She is close with her mom
Fernanda has described her mother as an “incredibly unique personwith incredible energy that not many people have.”
Over the years, she’s penned several tributes to her mom on Instagram. In 2022, she shared athrowback photoof the two of them, writing: “You have always been an amazing mom - and have become a true friend🌸 Grateful to share so many beautiful experiences with you mí compañera💞.”
Inanother post, Fernanda shared a screenshot from her mother’sPlaybillinterview in 2021. “It was very touching to read this❣️❣️❣️,” she wrote. “I am so #blessed to have a close relationship with my #mom. It is a rare #gift at any age but especially at our ages🙏.”
She threw her mom a surprise party
Fernanda added that Moreno had wanted to celebrate in her new house. “She just didn’t see how to make it happen, so she was thrilled that I made it happen,” she said.
Moreno shared pictures from the celebration onInstagram. “High on life at 91!!!!! Overjoyed with the outpouring of love and gratitude and elated to have spent my day with some of my nearest and dearest,” she captioned the post. “Muchas gracias mi familia y amigos! Besos!”
source: people.com
