Raquel Welch
| Home > R > Raquel Welch |
|
Pictures more pictures
Click on a picture to view the larger version and to have the possibility to buy it.
 | enlarge buy |  | enlarge buy |  | enlarge buy |
Videos more videos
Biography
Raquel Welch is an American actress of Bolivian and Irish descent. She was known as the sex kitten in the sixties and seventies.
Originally named Jo Raquel Tejada, Raquel was born on September 5, 1940 in Chicago. In 1942, her family shifted to San Diego. As a child, she was interested in acting and dancing and took ballet lessons. She took part in many beauty contests and won the titles of Miss Fairest of the Fair, Miss Maid of California, and Miss Contour. After finishing high school, she won a theater arts scholarship to study at the San Diego State College.
In 1959, at the age of 19, Raquel married her high school sweetheart, James Welch. They have two kids. Their marriage soon broke up in 1962 and she shifted to Los Angeles with her kids. Soon after, she met Patrick Curtis, her manager and future husband.
In 1964, Raquel made her film debut with a small role in Elvis Presley's film Roustabout. She then did many small roles in films and television shows.
It was in 1966 with the sci-fi hit film Fantastic Voyage that Raquel first tasted success. She then followed this up with a role as Loana the cavegirl in the British film One Million Years B.C. The film didn't do well but her skimpy fur outfits fuelled her image as a sex goddess. A poster for the film showing her in a furry animal-skin bikini was a best-selling poster. She was named the "Most Desired Woman of the Decade" in 1979 by Playboy magazine.
After many cameo appearances and sexy roles, Raquel starred in Myra Breckinridge with Mae West in 1970. The film, which had Raquel in a serious role, flopped.
Considerable time and films later, Raquel was first appreciated for acting when she was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role in The Three Musketeers (1973). In the 1980s, Raquel shifted her focus to stage and television. She starred in the Broadway musical Woman of the Year in 1982, and her performance was popular with critics and audiences. She received a Golden Globe nomination for her powerful performance as a woman with Lou Gehrig's disease in the television film Right to Die (1987).
In the mid-1980's, Raquel ventured into the fitness world with her book The Raquel Welch Total Beauty and Fitness Program focusing on Yoga and nutrition. She followed up the book's success with a series of exercise videos.
In 1994, Raquel returned to films when she played herself in Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult. In 2001, she was seen in Legally Blonde. She appears in small roles in television.
In 1998, Raquel launched her line of wigs called "Raquel Welch Signature Collection". In 2001, she launched "Raquel - Timeless Beauty Skin Care".
On the personal front, Raquel got married the second time to James Welch in 1967. They divorced on 1972. She then married writer Andre Weinfeld in 1980 and divorced him in 1990. She then married Richard Palmer in 1999.
Links
Raquel Welch Pictures
AskMen.com: Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch at StarPulse.com
123celebs - Raquel Welch
Relationships with Raquel Welch
CoolestMag.com: Raquel Welch photos, wallpapers, screensavers, gallery and pictures
Raquel Welch Picture Galleries
Java's Bachelor Pad--Raquel Welch
The Numbers - Raquel Welch
The Internet Movie Database Entry
Related Celebrities
Barbra Streisand
Connie Francis
Faye Dunaway
Holland Taylor
Lauren Hutton
Lily Tomlin
Linda Evans
Madeline Kahn
Margaret O'Brien
Natalie Wood
