With a career that has spanned almost 5 decades, Belita Moreno stamped her name heavily in the entertainment industry. She has been in both TV and theatre acting in movies such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Perfect Strangers, and more. Throughout her career, Moreno served in many capacities for the duration of her activeness.
Belita shares the same last name as a fellow actress, Rita Moreno from Puerto Rico, and even acted as her daughter in the TV show George Lopez but the relationship is only existent in the TV series.
The American actress has been married to Joel Rudnick for more than 40 years now and they have welcomed children together during the years.
1. Belita Moreno is of Mexican Descent
Belita Moreno was born Aurabela ‘Belita’ Moreno on November 1, 1949, in Dallas, Texas, United States of America. Her parents are Aurora Rodriguez and Abel Moreno. Aurora taught Spanish at a high school while her father served as a soldier during WWII and retired as a veteran.
From her name, you can tell that the actress has Mexican roots.
Belita has a sister identified as Elsie.
For her education, it is public knowledge that Moreno attended Justin F. Kimball High School. Upon graduation from there and with a growing passion for acting, she enrolled at Southern Methodist University. At the university, the Dallas-born majored in Theatre.
2. She Studied at the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts to be an Actress
Belita Moreno’s interest in acting grew and she continued to pursue it. After her university studies, the young lady then enrolled, yet again, into the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts, Santa Maria, California.
Here she continued to improve on her knowledge and skill in acting and began to earn the interest of producers. Due to her doggedness, Moreno was picked and cast in the Broadway musical Once Upon a Mattress.
3. She Started off Big on TV after being Noticed by a Top Producer
Belita Moreno moved to Hollywood after her stint at the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts. She was opportune to meet with famous director Robert Altman and eventually found more luck when he cast her in 3 of his movies.
Moreno was cast in 3 Women, A Wedding, and A Perfect Couple. After that, she became so good and well sought after that she was cast in many more movies such as Mommie Dearest, Nobody’s Fool, Men Don’t Leave, and Grosse Pointe Blank.
She also had a great spell on TV shows and was part of quite a number of big productions. The American actress was a recurring character on the ABC sitcom, Perfect Strangers which lasted from 1986 to 1992. She also played roles in series such as Tales of the City, The Golden Girls, Family Ties, and most famously, George Lopez.
4. Belita Moreno also has Theatre Credits in not Just Acting but Also Roles Inspiration
Not only did Belita Moreno have a great on-screen acting career, but she was also a great theater actress. Given that she studied for a while in theatrical schools, this isn’t such a surprise.
However, what is interesting to note is that Belita Moreno inspired several theatre productions. She became a favorite actress for playwright Beth Henley who went on to create several stories and dialogue based on tales told by Belita. Additionally, he created several roles specifically for the actress.
5. Benny from George Lopez Lent Her Voice to Animations
Proving to be an all-round actor, Belita has also been part of voice acting. She has lent her voice to some animations and brought to life some characters. For one, she voiced Rosario Vargas in the adult animated series, Family Guy.
Also, she is the voice of the shopkeeper in Ferdinand.
6. She Has Since Stopped Acting but Still Serves as an Acting Coach
The George Lopez actress has since left the acting scene although she has movie credits as recently as 2022. She was credited for being part of an episode of Lopez vs. Lopez, the spinoff of George Lopez.
Following her exit from the screen and stage, the 74-year-old remains fully committed to Hollywood and acting, still. She may have left memorizing lines and acting it out but she still prides herself as an acting coach.
Since the 1990s, way before she retired from acting, Moreno had begun a career in helping other actors become better. She has admittedly found so much satisfaction from doing so.
Some of the actors she has coached include Rene Zellweger, Kate Hudson, Zac Effron, Britney Spears, Eminem, and Usher, to name a few.
7. Her Favorite Roles are as Benny Lopez and Lydia Martins
Belita Moreno’s favorite roles, as admitted by her, are Benny Lopez in the series George Lopez as well as Lydia Martins on Perfect Strangers.
In as much as these are very different roles, Belita enjoyed playing them both and the dissimilarities between the roles endeared them to her more.
8. Belita Moreno has Been Married to a Talent Manager for Many Years
The American actress has been married to a Paradigm Talent agent known as Joel Rudnick. Aside from being a talent manager, he also has a film credit to his name. Joel played the role of Dream Barbecue Father and he acted as the husband to his real-life wife, in the movie Two Idiots in Hollywood.
They have been married since 1981, more than 40 years now, and have 2 kids together.
Joel is the actress’ first husband but the talent agent was married before Moreno. According to Rudnick’s IMDb page, he was married to Michele Marsh from March 18, 1972 to April 15, 1981.
Rudnick and Marsh got divorced just 3 months before he got married to Belita on July 12, 1981.
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9. Is Belita Moreno Related to Rita Moreno?
Safe for playing mother and daughter on George Lopez, there isn’t any other relationship between the 2 women. Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican actress who played the role of Benny Lopez’s mother in a 2002 episode of the TV show.
Outside of their roles, the Puerto Rican and the Texas-born actress share no other relationship.
10. Rotten Tomatoes Best Rated Movie of Belita Moreno
Belita Moreno’s highest-rated movie dates back to 1977 and is none other than 3 Women. The movie rates 85% on the Tomatometer.
So far, she doesn’t have any lowest-rated movie based on Rotten Tomatoes. There are other movies featuring her that have been rated highly too.
These movies include Men Don’t Leave, Clear and Present Danger, as well as Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
