VIDEO: Chita Rivera Accepts her Lifetime Achievement Tony Award Saying 'Theatre is Life'

The iconic Chita Rivera's career is practically unparalleled in the history of the American theatre, and on Sunday, she was honored with a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. In accepting her award, she said, "I wouldn't trade my life in the theatre for anything, because theatre is life." The legendary triple-threat closed her speech saying, "There's still a lot of salt left in this shaker."

Watch Chita Rivera's Acceptance Speech Below!

Her rich and varied Broadway career is highlighted by starring performances in Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, The Rink (for which she won both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards), Jerry's Girls, and the Broadway and touring productions of Kander and Ebb's Kiss of the Spider Women directed by Harold Prince. She recreated the role of the fiery Anita in the Original London Production of West Side Story and returned to the West End in 1960 as Rosie in Bye Bye Birdie.

Her earlier Broadway productions include the original casts of Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven, and Mr. Wonderful. On National Tour, Chita starred in Born Yesterday; The Rose Tatoo; Call Me Madam; Threepenny Opera; Sweet Charity; Kiss Me Kate; and Zorba, and a National Tour of Can-Can with the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes took her to Japan. Chita also played Nicky in the film version of Sweet Charity with Shirley MacLaine. Her most treasured production is her daughter, Lisa Mordente.