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Leonard Gordon is a cardiologist and internist who is also remembered as the late husband and manager of Puerto Rican Actress, dancer, and Singer, Rita Moreno. Leonard was famous due to his association with Rita Moreno, who has worked across different areas of the entertainment industry and won different accolades for his performances. How did Moreno and her husband meet?

Leonard Gordon: Bio Summary

When & Where Was Leonard Gordon Born?

Leonard Gordon was born on March 26, 1920, in New York, New York, United States. He is the son of Alex Gordon and Senka Gordon. Gordon passed away on June 30, 2010, leaving behind his lovely wife Rita and his daughter Fernanda Luisa Gordon.

Rita Moreno’s husband was a Doctor

Leonard Gordon worked as a cardiologist and internist. He also worked in the field of medicine but later retired and he became the manager of his famous wife, Rita Moreno.

How did Rita Moreno and her husband Leonard Gordon meet?

Leonard Gordon and Rita Moreno married in the year 1965. Leonard Gordon later became manager of Rita after retiring from medicine. The pair moved to Berkeley, California. They first met on a blind date. They gave birth to a daughter named Fernanda Gordon Fisher, who is a jewelry designer and freelance graphic designer.

ALSO, READ; Fernanda Luisa Gordon: Where is Rita Moreno’s Daughter now?

Their daughter Fernanda is also a mother of two children; Justin and Cameron. Leonard and Rita remained married until Leonard passed away in the year 2010. They were married for more than 40 years. “I was with him to the very last, including a month in hospital where I slept on a cot and was with him 24/7,” Rita Moreno recalled in a 2021 interview with The Guardian. “It’s what you do when you love and respect somebody.“

While their decades-long marriage appeared to be a happy one from the outside, the West Side Story star once considered leaving her husband but did not leave because she didn’t want to break up the family. “The thought of making her [her daughter, Fernanda ]do without her daddy was anathema to me,” she later told Vanity Fair of her rationale at the time.

In the documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, the iconic actress shared that her husband Gordon was often a “controller” and that she hid some of the truths about her marriage to keep up appearances. “[After he died] I thought, ‘It’s over. I don’t have to answer to anybody anymore,’ “ she said in the film, per USA Today. But after reflecting on her marriage in her documentary, Moreno called Gordon “wonderful“.

Since Leonard Gordon passed away, Moreno has said she has no interest in exchanging vows with anyone again, she told PEOPLE that she would rather “eat glass” than walk down the aisle and get married again.

Leonard Gordon’s Wife Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno was born Rosita Dolores Alverío on December 11, 1931, in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Her parents are Rosa María, a seamstress, and Francisco José “Paco” Alverío, a farmer. She is a notable actress, dancer, and singer. Rita Moreno has appeared in films, television, and theater projects throughout her broad career. Her career spans over seven decades.

Rita Moreno is regarded as one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is a beloved entertainer who is one of the very few performers to win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony, and a Grammy, thus becoming an EGOT. Rita’s professional career commenced before she became an adolescent and she is best known for her role as Googie Gomez in the 1975 musical The Ritz in the theater.

Also Read: Martyn Eaden: Everything About Chrissy Metz’s Ex-Husband

Rita Moreno embarked on her first dancing lessons after landing in New York with a Spanish dancer “Paco Cansino”. Her film career also started in the later years of the Golden Age of Hollywood. She has worked in Singin’ in the Rain (1952), The King and I (1956), Popi (1969), Carnal Knowledge (1971), The Four Seasons (1981), I Like It Like That (1994), and the cult film Slums of Beverly Hills (1998).

What happened to Rita Moreno’s husband?

Rita Moreno’s husband, Leonard Gordon died on June 30, 2010, in Berkeley, California. He was 90 years old at the time of his death. The cause of his death is unavailable but some believe he died a natural death due to old age.

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