VIDEO: Rita Moreno On Being Hollywood's 'House Ethnic' and Being Sexy With A Muppet

Born in Puerto Rico in 1931, if young Rita Moreno wanted any kind of career in show business, she would need to be a pioneer. She hated being Hollywood's 'house ethnic,' with supporting roles that included Tuptim in the film version of THE KING AND I.

Her star-making turn arrived when she was cast as Anita in the film of WEST SIDE STORY, winning an Oscar for the role. Her numerous honors throughout her career would include a Grammy (THE ELECTRIC COMPANY ALBUM), a Tony (THE RITZ) and two EMMYs (THE MUPPET SHOW, THE ROCKFORT FILES).

With an active career spanning nearly 70 years, Moreno was recently among those celebrated at the 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, which will be telecast on CBS on December 29, 2015 at 9:00p.m., ET/PT. Her fellow honorees include Carole King, George Lucas, Seiji Ozawa and Cicely Tyson.

In this PBS segment introduced by Gwen Ifill, Moreno talks about being typecast early in her career, the excitement of the Academy Awards ceremony, and how there's something about sex that brings out the funny in her, especially when she's singing "Fever" to a Muppet.