The Golden Age of Hollywood has just lost one of its greatest protagonists. Raquel Welch, born Jo Raquel Tejada, died on February 15 at the age of 82 in Los Angeles.
[Arranca la Semana de la Moda de Nueva York más diversa e inclusiva que nunca]
The first-time daughter of Armando Carlos Tejada and Josephine Sarah Hall, the actress was born in Chicago. When she was barely two years old, her family moved to California where the girl began to develop a special interest in art. A trained dancer (a practice that she had to abandon due to a physical issue according to her teacher), she won several beauty contests throughout her adolescence.
His passion for acting led him to study at San Diego State College, where he won a theater arts scholarship. In 1959, he landed his first major role in The Ramona Pageantan annual outdoor play in Hemet, California, based on the novel Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson.
Her natural sense of interpretation and ease allowed her to enter the world of television: in 1960, she got a job as a weather anchor on KFMB, a local station in San Diego. Forced to leave her acting classes, she moved, after her divorce, to Texas, with her children, where she got occasional and precarious jobs.
Luckily, in 1963, the 23-year-old girl began to live off her passion.. He met Patrick Curtis, who became his agent and invited him to adopt his ex-husband’s last name. The actress, however, refused to change her birth name.
Little by little, the artist gained prominence and visibility. In 1963, she participated in The globetrotter, a film starring Elvis Presley. Two years later, she landed her first prominent role in Go-go vacations. He then signed an exclusive contract with 20th Century Fox.
fantastic trip, released in 1966, it was key in the rise of the performer. But it was A million years ago the film that really elevated Raquel Welch to the rank of icon. One of the reasons was her leather bikini, which also strengthened her power as a sexy actress, an image she always played with.
Protagonist of numerous films, some filmed outside of American borders, Raquel Welch definitively established her power in the 1970s. Versatile and confident, the actress tried several genres. She went from drama to comedy, passing through suspense. One of her most talked about roles was that of Myra Breckinridge (1970) in which she played a transsexual heroine.
His recent film credits include Tortilla Soup (2001) and the blockbuster comedy A very legal blonde, with Reese Witherspoon. Her last appearance on the big screen was in How to Be a Latin Lover (2017), a comedy with Salma Hayek and Rob Lowe.
His work was rewarded: In 1974, the actress won a Golden Globe for “Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy” by The Three Musketeers: The Queen’s Diamonds (1973). She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the television drama Right to Die (1987). In 1994, Welch got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The acting career of the actress was undoubtedly marked by her aesthetic power. Beyond her leather bikini, Raquel Welch managed to stand out in each of her works for diverse styles, with high visual impact.
A sensual figure par excellence, she gave life to sensual characters, wearing suggestive outfits, but also period outfits, uniforms and silhouettes that advanced trends. We review 10 of the most unforgettable of his career.
