Raquel, an actress and model, diеd at the age of 82.
According to her representative, Raquel Welch, known for her roles in the 1966 films «Fantastic Voyage» and «One Million Years B.C.,» has died. Welch was 82 years old.
«After a brief illness, the legendary bombshell actress of film, television, and stage passed away peacefully early this morning,» Welch’s rep said in a statement to KABC.
«Her career spanned more than 50 years, with roles in more than 30 films and 50 television series and appearances. In recent years, the Golden Globe winner has been involved in a very successful line of wigs.»
«Raquel leaves behind two children, son Damon Welch and daughter Tahnee Welch,» her representative said.
Welch was born in Chicago on September 5, 1940, to aerospace engineer Armando Carlos Tejeda and his Irish American wife, Josephine Sarah Hall. Her family relocated to San Diego when she was two years old.
Welch had a strong desire to perform from a young age. She took dance lessons as a child and won teen beauty pageants such as Miss La Jolla and Miss San Diego.
She enrolled at San Diego State College in 1958 to study theater arts. She married her first husband, high school sweetheart James Welch, the same year, and they had two children: Damon Welch and Tahnee Welch.
She got a job as a weather forecaster at a local San Diego station after school.
After her divorce from James Welch in 1962, she relocated to Los Angeles and began auditioning for film roles. During this time, she met her agent, Patrick Curtis, who devised a strategy to make Welch a sex symbol. To avoid being stereotyped as a Latina actress, he advised Welch to keep her ex-surname. husband’s
Welch was cast in minor roles in the films «A House Is Not a Home» and the Elvis Presley musical «Roustabout» as a result of the move.
She also appeared in episodes of «Bewitched,» «McHale’s Navy,» and «The Virginian.»
Welch made her feature film debut in 1965 with «A Swingin’ Summer,» in which she also made her singing debut. With «Fantastic Voyage» in 1966, she landed more film roles.
In 1966, she played one of her most famous roles in «One Million Years B.C.» She wore a two-piece deer-skin bikini, which was a popular look in the 1960s. A poster of her wearing the infamous bikini was later used in the 1994 film «The Shawshank Redemption.»
Welch rose to international prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with roles in Frank Sinatra films «Lady in Cement» and «100 Rifles.»
In the 1970 film «Myra Breckinridge,» she played a controversial transgender heroine.
