Who could ever believe that Raquel Welch was once pressured to change her name to hide her Hispanic origin? The actress almost changed her identity for a promise of fame. A new documentary, I Am Raquel Welch, about her life and career, shows some of the challenges she faced when Hollywood was hard on people of Hispanic or Latino backgrounds.
It seemed proper for actors who desired recognition to remove a portion of their names that did not sound international or marketable, but that was not the case with Welch; she chose her Spanish name although she was born Jo Raquel Tejada in 1940 as the daughter of a Bolivian father and an American mother.
Is Raquel Welch Hispanic?
In the 1960s, this was a common practice in Hollywood, where actors were often expected to prioritize whiteness. Raquel Welch was not excluded from this, even though she was starting her career then. She was frequently persuaded to change her name to a less Hispanic one.
Many believed that having a Latina name might prevent her from landing leading roles or appealing to white or American viewers. However, she refused and kept the Spanish version of her name, ‘Raquel,’ which could have quickly become ‘Rachel,’ while keeping her ex-husband’s surname, James Westley Welch. Even though she had excellent skills, she was often given minor roles rather than complex, leading roles because of her name. Despite this, she carved out a space for herself and became one of the most recognized actresses of her time. Raquel Welch passed away at 82.
Raquel Welch’s experience of being forced to forget her origin began at home with her father, who intentionally did not speak Spanish to her at home because of the fear of her having an accent. Even though she looked Hispanic, he withheld from her the experience of it as a child.
However, despite her rough childhood and uncertain future in Hollywood, Raquel Welch became a trailblazer and a celebrated Hollywood star, known for her role in films like One Million Years B.C. and The Three Musketeers.