Matinee Classics - Raquel Welch Biography & Filmography

Raquel Welch ACTOR

PHOTOS

RAQUEL WELCH BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Raquel Welch was born on September 5th, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois with the birth name Jo Raquel Tejada born to Armando Carlos Tejada Urquizo and Josephine Sarah Hall. At the age of two her family relocated to San Diego, California and as a young girl, Raquel began taking dance lessons. As she became a teenager she entered a number of beauty contests and won a couple teen titles.

She always loved entertaining and planned on a career in the performing arts. After graduating from La Jolla High School, she received a scholarship to study theater at San Diego State College, and worked part time as a Television weather girl.

Soon, Raquel dropped out of college and after a failed marriage to James Westley Welch, she took her two children and relocated to Dallas, Texas where she found work as a model for Neiman-Marcus.

After she got her personal life back in order, she decided to give the film industry a try and picked up her two children and headed west for Hollywood. Some of her earlier roles include appearances on such television series as, "McHale's Navy" (1962) starring Ernest Borgnine, Joe Flynn and Tim Conway, "The Virginian" (1962) starring James Drury, Doug McClure and Lee J. Cobb and "Bewitched" (1964) starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick Sargent and Agnes Moorehead and "The Hollywood Palace" (1964-1965).

One of Raquel's earlies roles was as a bit part in "Roustabout" (1964) starring Elvis Presley, Barbara Stanwyck, Leif Erickson, Joan Freeman, Jack Albertson, Sue Ane Langdon, Pat Buttram, Dabbs Greer, Joan Staley, Steve Brodie, Billy Barty, Red West and Kent McCord, followed shortly after as a call girl in "A House is Not a Home" (1964) starring Shelley Winters, Robert Taylor, Cesar Romero, Ralph Taeger, Broderick Crawford, Mickey Shaughnessy, Jesse White, Kaye Ballard and Connie Gilchrist. After a role in the film, "A Swingin' Summer" (1965) co-starring James Stacy and Lori Williams, 20th Century took notice of Raquel and signed her to a contract. As her career progressed she worked with 20th Century films but was also loaned out to other production companies and was seen on the big screen in such films as, "One Million Years B.C." (1966) co-starring John Richardson, Percy Herbert, Robert Brown and Martine Beswick, a classic science fiction movie "Fantastic Voyage" (1966) starring alongside Stephen Boyd, Edmond O'Brien, Donald Pleasence, Arthur O'Connell, James Brolin and Arthur Kennedy, "Bedazzled" (1967) starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, "Fathom" (1967) co-starring Anthony Franciosa, "100 Rifles" (1969) also starring Jim Brown, Burt Reynolds, Akim Tamiroff and Fernando Lamas, "Myra Breckingridge" (1970) starring an ensemble cast including Mae West, John Huston, Farrah Fawcett, Jim Backus, John Carradine, Andy Devine, Kathleen Freeman, Tom Selleck, Rex Reed, Roger Carmel and William Hopper, "Kansas City Bomber" (1972) with Helena Kallianiotes, Jodie Foster and Kevin McCarthy, "The Wild Party" (1975) starring with James Coco, Perry King, Tiffany Bolling, David Dukes and Royal Dano and "The Three Musketeers" (1973) also starring Charlton Heston, Faye Dunaway, Richard Chamberlain, Frank Finlay, Michael York, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Geraldine Chaplin, Simon Ward, Roy Kinnear and Christopher Lee, for which she won a Golden Globe for her performance.

Raquel Welch was promoted as America's sex symbol and even posed in a animal skin bikini for the release of the film, "One Million Years B.C.", a role she is still most remembered for.

She did not slow down and along with her film work she also appeared in a number of television movies such as, "The Legend of Walks Far Woman" (1982) starring with Nick Mancuso, Bradford Dillman and George Clutesi, "Right to Die" (1987) with Michael Gross and a guest appearance on, "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" starring Melissa Joan Hart and "Seinfeld".

In addition to working in Hollywood she maintained her love for performing live and often was seen in Las Vegas showrooms in such productions as, "Woman of the Year" and "Victor/Victoria".

Not only did she make a name for herself in the industry as an actress, in 1984 the Raquel Welch Total Beauty and Fitness Program book was published. This book shares her views on living a healthy life and nutrition tips. Raquel also started a jewelry and skincare line as well as a wig collection called HAIRuWEAR which was her most successful business venture.

Most recently she has been seen on the big screen in such films as, "Legally Blonde" (2001) starring Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber and Jennifer Coolidge, "Forget About It" (2006) co-starring Burt Reynolds, Robert Loggia and Charles During and the television series, "American Family", "8 Simple Rules", "Welcome to the Captain" and CSI: Miami". She was also chosen in 2007 as the new face of MAC Cosmetics and also appears in a number of commercials for Foster Grant Sunglasses.

After her failed marriage to James Westley Welch she married for a second time to Patrick Curtis in 1967 however by 1972 this marriage also came to an end. Her third husband was Andre Weinfeld whom she wed in 1980 but again by 1990 another marriage ended in divorce. Her fourth time to marry was to Richard Palmer in 1999 and yet again another union came to an end.

Filmography

2012 CSI: Miami

2008 Welcome to the Captain

2006 Forget About It

2004 8 Simple Rules

2002 American Family

2001 Legally Blonde

2001 Tortilla Soup

1997-2000 Spin City

1998 Folle d'elle

1998 Chairman of the Board

1996 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch