Marquita Rivera

Dubbed the "Queen of La Conga," "Queen of Latin Rhythm" and "Latin Hurricane" during various stages of her career, dazzling, flashy-eyed entertainer Marquita Rivera, one of the great enduring Latin-born beauties of the late 30s, 40s and 50s, went on to enjoy a strong musical career both here and in her native Puerto Rico. Born María Heroína Rivera de Santiago on May 18th, 1922 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, she was the youngest in a family of seven sons and five daughters. The de Riveras moved to New York City when Marquita was only three months old and it was there that her musical career blossomed. Studying dance and flamenco at an early age (6), she originally studied with Rita Hayworth's father, well-known dance master Eduardo Cansino. Rita herself gave Marquita a set of castanets as a gift. A childhood friend of bandleader Tito Puente, Marquita's musical gifts were noticed early. Accompanied on her tours by her costume designer mother, the teenage Marquita went on to earn a featured role as a dancer with "George White's Scandals of 1936," but it was her performance before King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at the New York's World's Fair during their respective royal visits in 1939 that she considered the highlight of her nascent career. She also toured Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia in bands headed by Paul Whiteman and Noro Morales . Appearing in many New York venues, including The Roxy, Paramount, Loews State, Strand and Radio City Musical Hall, Marquita shared their stages with such illustrious stars as Frank Sinatra, Mickey Rooney, Ann Miller, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Kathryn Grayson, Victor Borge, Ed Sullivan, Merv Griffin and Betty Hutton. Marquita Rivera became an established name on the club circuit when she put together her own show and performed it at the Latin Quarter and Havana-Madrid in New York. She was also a marquee name back in her homeland where she entertained at popular venues such as Zero's Nightclub and the famous El San Juan Theatre. In the mid 1940s Marquita was signed by Azteca Studios in Mexico City. She acted for director Fernando Soler in both the film drama Me persigue una mujer (1947) with José Torvay and David Silva, and the comedy El conquistador (1947), also starring Torvay and Enrique Herrera. After her contract ended at Azteca, Marquita drew the interest of Paramount Studios. Thus, the singer/actress went on to become the first native Puerto Rican actress/dancer to sign a Hollywood contract with a major studio, and made her American movie debut as a specialty performer in the Hope-Crosby-Lamour comedy Road to Rio (1947). During this promising turn of events, Marquita was selected (in a popularity poll by Mexican film goers) to star in a Hollywood film biography of the late Mexican spitfire Lupe Velez. Unfortunately the film was shelved when legal issues involving Ms. Velez's estate reared its head. One can only wonder what a showcase of this caliber might have done for her career in Hollywood. Nevertheless, she continued to work in such popular "hot spots" such as the famous Ciro's nightclub with Desi Arnaz's band. Marquita was married to business tycoon Albert Vernon Ashbrook from 1946 to 1949 and had one child, Marquita, her namesake. In 1951, she married physician Eugene N. Biscardi, Jr. in New York City. They eventually became a family of seven children. Of their children, eldest son Eugene Biscardi III is a model-turned-fashion photographer who has appeared occasionally as an actor on film and TV, and daughter Jessica Biscardi is a one-time former model/actress and former "Miss New York". By the 1950s, Marquita had phased out her career in order to concentrate on raising her large family. In 1963, however, she made a special appearance at Carnegie Hall that featured an all-star lineup, including opera performers Thomas Hayward, Rina Telli, Dino Formichini and James Boxwill, led by Philharmonic conductor Warner S. Bass. She did not appear again publicly until 1977 when she returned to the stage in a limited engagement of her own off-Broadway revue, "The Marquita Rivera Show." In the 1980s her husband, Dr. Biscardi, retired and the couple relocated to Los Angeles where Marquita would occasionally be wooed back to episodic TV appearances, including "Sanford" with Redd Foxx. She also traveled frequently throughout the South on the beauty pageant circuit as a judge. Following the death of her beloved husband in 1988, Marquita chose to retire completely from the limelight. She passed away in 2002. Singer, actress, castanet player, flamenco dancer - all of these facets and more made up the lovely and talented "Latin Hurricane" Marquita Rivera, a pioneering musical performer in her time and a legend in ours.