Photo: Donaldson Collection/Getty
Their performance left us snapping (we mean, clapping).
West Side Storyhit the silver screen for the first time in 1961 with a talented cast that performed choreography and musical numbers that still resonate with audiences decades later.
Rita Moreno inWest Side Story.Silver Screen Collection/Getty
The original 1961 cast includesNatalie Wood, Richard Beymer,Russ Tamblyn,Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris. Not only did the talented bunch play notable roles in the film, but they played a part in the movie’s multiple-accolade earnings as well.
Few films have won more Oscars than their history-making movie, which received 10 trophies at the 34th Academy Awards in 1962, including Best Picture. It holds the record for the most wins for a musical and was the second-highest-grossing film in the U.S. that same year.
West Side Story.
Here’s where the original 1961 cast ofWest Side Storyis today.
Natalie Wood as Maria
Silver Screen Collection/Getty; Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Wood played the lead female character of Maria in 1961’sWest Side Story. Maria is compared to Shakespeare’s Juliet who falls in love with Tony’s Romeo. She’s the younger sister of Bernardo, who’s head of the Puerto Rican Sharks, yet finds herself at a controversial crossroad because Tony leads the rival Jets gang.
Wood shot to stardom at age 16 for her famed role in 1955’sRebel Without a Cause, co-starring alongside James Dean and Sal Mineo. 1961 was a big year for the actress who starred in two Oscar-nominated films:Splendor in the GrassandWest Side Story. In 1962, she played the title role inGypsy, the musical about stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.
The actress had relationships with many notable names over the years includingDennis Hopper, hotel dynasty heir Nicky Hilton and even singerElvis Presley. Wood placed her focus on family after remarrying actorRobert Wagnerin 1972 and having a daughter in 1974.
The couple remained together untilWood died at age 43 in 1981.
Rachel Zegler plays the role of Maria in Spielberg’s revival.
Richard Beymer as Tony
Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock; Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Beymer played Tony, the male lead in 1961’sWest Side Story, who falls in love with Maria after their first encounter. Prior to the musical film, he appeared in 1959’sThe Diary of Anne Frank.
Beymer has over 60 acting credits to his name, with his revived role of Benjamin Horne in the 2017 reboot ofTwin Peaksbeing one of them. He drifted away from acting later in his career and shifted toward making films of his own.
“I never left the movies. I just made other kinds of movies.Hollywood was a thing of the past for me because I’d found something that thrilled me,” he told theLos Angeles Timesin 1990. “That was the best fun in the world, doing movies that were spontaneous at every step, as compared with Hollywood movies that are all planned out.”
Ansel Elgort plays the role of Tony in Spielberg’s revival.
Russ Tamblyn as Riff
United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock; Roy Rochlin/Getty
Tamblyn played the snappy, tough guy and Jet leader Riff in 1961’sWest Side Story. This role wasn’t what he intended to play when he first auditioned.
Tamblyn has nearly 100 acting credits and is a Golden Globe recipient as most promising newcomer for 1955’sHit the Deck. He played a part in the 2018 Netflix miniseriesThe Haunting of Hill Houseand is working on a career-focused memoir calledDancing on the Edge, according toVariety.
Tony Award nominee Mike Faist plays the role of Riff in Spielberg’s revival.
Rita Moreno as Anita
United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock; Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Moreno played the unforgettable, Oscar-winningrole of Anita, Maria’s best friend, in 1961’sWest Side Story. She has had an impressive career and even plays a part inSpielberg’s film(althoughshe did not revive her role).
Per theHollywood Reporter, Moreno served as “both an actress and an executive producer — a role that’s intended tohelp guide the project away from the original’s dated and racially insensitive elements.”
The actress was an advocate for appropriate cultural representation in the original film and almost quit due tooffensive lyrics. “One day before we actually started rehearsals, I looked at the score and there it is… ‘Puerto Rico, you ugly island. Island of tropic diseases,'” Moreno, a native Puerto Rican, toldABC News.
Moreno is one of 18 people who have received an EGOT (winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony), the most coveted honor in Hollywood. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2004.
In addition to theWest Side Storyreboot, Moreno’s credits include the 2017 Netflix remake of the 1975 sitcomOne Day at a Timeand the 2023 film80 for Brady.
Ariana DeBose plays the role of Anita in Spielberg’s revival, and, like Moreno, she earned the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
George Chakiris as Bernardo
United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock; Tommaso Boddi/Getty
Chakiris played Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, in 1961’sWest Side Story. The Oscar-winning actor received the 1962 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role.
Chakiris appeared in multiple projects following the hugely successful musical, such as 1962’sTwo and Two Make Six(where he played the lead),Diamond Head(1962),Kings of the Sun(1963),Bebo’s Girl(1964) and633 Squadron(1964). In the early 1960s, he took on a pop-singing career, resulting in a few hit songs.
He also had recurring roles on shows such asSuperboy,Pale Blood,Human TargetandThe Girls of Lido. The British sitcom,Last of the Summer Wine, was his last project before retirement in 1996 — though he did play a bank manager in the 2021 filmNot to Forget.
David Alvarez plays the role of Bernardo in Spielberg’s revival.
William Bramley as Officer Krupke
United Artists
Bramley made his film debut as Officer Krupke in 1961’sWest Side Story, the character that served as the inspiration for the comedic song “Gee, Officer Krupke.”
Multiple Tony nominee Brian D’Arcy James plays the role of Officer Krupke in Spielberg’s revival.
source: people.com
