- Rita Moreno is a famous actress and singer.
- She has one daughter, Fernanda Luisa Gordon, with her late husband, Leonard Gordon.
- She has two grandsons.
Everyone knows Rita Moreno, 91, from the first West Side Story film, where she won an Oscar for playing Anita. 60 years later, after becoming an EGOT winner, Rita returned for Steven Spielberg‘s adaptation of West Side Story. Next up for Rita is the Beauty and the Beast 30th anniversary special, where she’ll play the Narrator. Rita’s stayed humble throughout her career thanks to her loving family, which includes her daughter Fernanda Luisa Gordon, 55. Fernanda has given Rita two grandchildren who she loves so much. Here’s everything you need to know about Fernanda, and her relationship with her legendary mother.
Who Is Fernanda Luisa Gordon?
Fernanda was born in 1967 to Rita and her husband, cardiologist Leonard Gordon. Fernanda got her Bachelor’s degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts, and got her Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Southern California. Fernanda temporarily followed in her mother’s footsteps and pursued acting during the 1990s. She appeared in the miniseries An Inconvenient Woman and the series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr, according to her IMDb. She was also featured in the 2021 documentary film Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It, about her mom’s life. Fernanda later became a jewelry designer and founded the brand Nandiz Designs.
Fernanda is married with children.
Fernanda married David Tyler Fisher in 1996. The couple welcomed their first child, son Justin, that same year, giving Rita her first grandchild. Fernanda and David’s second son, Cameron, was born in 1999. Rita cherishes her relationship with her two grandsons. In fact, before Rita’s husband died, the couple moved from Los Angeles to Berkley, California to be closer to their grandkids.
“We were out of our minds when we first found out we were going to be grandparents,” Rita told Grand Magazine back in 2008. “And the funny thing is that it has never changed. We built a house here in Berkeley. First of all we came up here to be near our daughter because we’re very close to her,” the Slums of Beverly Hills star added. “We were living in Los Angeles at the time. And we came up here before she got pregnant. We fell in love with the area. Eventually we built a house with room for the boys and their books and toys.”
In that same interview, Rita gushed over how her grandsons are “the light of our lives,” referring to her and her husband Leonard, who died in 2010. “One of the best experiences of our lives, if not the best, next to our daughter’s birth, is helping birth our daughter’s baby,” she explained. “We were at the hospital with them [Fernanda and David]. I held one of her legs. It was astonishing. It was the most moving experience you can possibly imagine. My baby is giving birth to a baby.”
Fernanda’s relationship with Rita.
Rita has always had such a special relationship with her daughter. In fact, Rita openly admitted to People in 2019 that she only stayed with Leonard for Fernanda’s sake. “In my case, it was ‘I’ll be the little girl, and you be the daddy,’ ” Rita reportedly said in the interview. “And that stopped working, of course, cause the little girl wanted to grow up and that’s when the trouble started. So I wasn’t happily married for a very long time.”
In December 2022, Rita turned 91 and Fernanda threw her mom a surprise birthday party. Fernanda’s husband and one of her sons were at the party which took place at Rita’s home, according to People. Rita told the outlet that she “was absolutely surprised” about the event.
“She had said to me previously how much she wished she could celebrate her birthday in her new home but she just didn’t see how to make it happen, so she was thrilled that I made it happen,” Fernanda said to the outlet. The mother-daughter duo also shared photos from the party with People, and it looked like they had such an amazing time!