Many were stunned to hear about the death of Hollywood sex symbol Raquel Welch at age 82, but they were also driven to remember the impact that she made on them throughout the years. The important thing to remember, though, is that Raquel was a multi-faceted performer whose career spanned over 50 years and included everything from starring roles in feature films, television variety specials, guest star appearances, and even a triumphant musical turn on Broadway.
She was born Jo Raquel Tejada on September 5, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois. She studied ballet from when she was 7 until she was 17, but abandoned that particular dream when her instructor told her that she didn’t have the right kind of figure to succeed. That was enough to convince her to make the figure she had work for her, which led, at age 14, to her winning the title of Miss Photogenic and Miss Contour in beautiful contests. Other triumphs followed.
Deciding to give acting a try, she appeared in regional theater, and then made the move to Los Angeles where she would meet Patrick Curtis, her first agent and her first husband. In 1964 she scored some small film roles and made television appearances. Then came her big break, starring in the 1965 sci-fi film Fantastic Voyage, which was followed by One Million Year, B.C., in which she appeared in a fur-lined bikini and which truly caused things to explode for her.
Things would go on from there, with the actress working fairly consistently through the decades. And no matter her age, the beauty that she used to establish herself, never faded.
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While speaking to journalist David Giammarco, Raquel expressed her love for beautiful things like paintings, literature and poems, but there was also her realization that without substance, beauty actually means nothing. She drew a comparison to a plastic flower, how attractive it looks and the desire you may have to inhale the fragrance. But, of course, there isn’t any.
“I felt like I was sort of in danger of having that happen to me,” she said, “because I think I soaked in too much the way that people were objectifying me and the more that they did, the more I did … I really think that sexuality, if you are a person that can elicit that kind of response, gives you a lot of power in a way. But it’s a very specific thing. It doesn’t really open the door to other things, because sexuality is traditionally something that’s behind closed doors. So really, then, you’re only a fantasy figure. And if you’re a fantasy figure, nobody wants to wake up from the dream. Nobody wants you to be in real situations.”
25 Beautiful Photos of Raquel Welch
