Raquel Welch is an American actress and model. She first won attention for her role in Fantastic Voyage, after which she won a contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her contract to the British studio Hammer Film Productions, for whom she made One Million Years B.C.. Although Welch had only three lines of dialogue in the film, images of her in the doe-skin bikini became bestselling posters that turned her into an international sex symbol. She later starred in Bedazzled, Bandolero!, 100 Rifles, Myra Breckinridge, Hannie Caulder, Kansas City Bomber, The Last of Sheila, The Wild Party, and Mother, Jugs & Speed. She made several television variety specials. In 1995, Welch was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the “100 Sexiest Stars in Film History”. Playboy ranked Welch No. 3 on their “100 Sexiest Stars of the Twentieth Century” list.
Birth Name
Jo Raquel Tejada
Nickname
Rocky
Profession
Actress, Singer
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Raquel Welch was born on the 5th of September 1940, in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Died
She was died on the 15th of February 2023 (aged 82), in Los Angeles, California, United States. Due to heart failure. She was also battling Alzheimer’s disease, which was also one of the underlying causes of her death.
Sun Sign
Virgo
Ethnicity
Multiracial (Latino and White)
She was of Bolivian descent on her father’s side and English descent on her mother’s side.
Religion
Christianity
Education
In 1958, Raquel had graduated, with honors, from the La Jolla High School in San Diego, California.
Family Details
- Father – Armando Carlos Tejada Urquizo (Aeronautical Engineer) (d. 1976)
- Mother – Josephine Sarah Hall (d. 2000)
- Siblings – James “Jim” Stanford (Younger Brother), Gayle Carole (Younger Sister)
Marital Status
Married
Boyfriend / Spouse
Raquel Welch has dated –
- James Welch (1959-1964) – On May 8, 1959, Raquel married her high school sweetheart James Welch. In 1962, The couple parted ways and got divorced in 1964. They had 2 children together – a son named Damon Welch and a daughter named Latanne Rene “Tahnee” Welch (Model, Actress).
- Patrick Curtis (1964-1972) – In 1964, Welch began dating film producer Patrick Curtis and in 1967, they got married. In 1972, The couple got divorced.
- André Weinfeld (1980-1990) – In 1980, Raquel got married to French-American film and TV producer, director, screenwriter, cinematographer, photographer, and journalist André Weinfeld. in 1990, The couple got divorced.
- Gary Stretch (2003) – In 1996, after keeping a low romantic profile for several years, she dated former British boxing champion Gary Stretch, who was younger than both of Welch’s children.
- Richard Palmer (1999-2008) – In 1999, Welch got married to Richard Palmer. In 2008, The couple got divorced.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 6 inches
- In centimeters – 168 cm
- In meters – 1.68 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 58 kg
- In Pounds – 128 lbs
Body Measurements
- Measurements – 34-24-34
- Bust – 34 inches
- Waist – 24 inches
- Hip – 34 inches
- Bra Size – 32B
Body Build
Voluptuous
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Hair Color
Dark Brown
She often used to dye her hair blonde.
Shoe Size
She wears a size 8 (US) shoe.
Dress Size
Her dress size is 5 (US).
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Welch became known for her cameo performance in the 1966 film One Million Years B.C. Although she only had a limited role in the film, images of her in a doe-skin bikini became best-selling posters across the globe and turned her into an overnight international s*x symbol. She went on to act in numerous films in the 1960s and 1970s such as Bedazzled (1967), Bandolero! (1968), 100 Rifles (1969), Myra Breckinridge (1970), Hannie Caulder (1971), and The Three Musketeers (1973).
Film Debut
In 1964, Raquel had her first film onscreen role in the movie A House Is Not a Home as Polly’s Girl and she made her theatrical film debut as Kit Forrester in the comedy thriller movie Lady in Cement (1968).
Television Debut
In 1964, Welch landed her first role in television by appearing as Billboard Girl in the series, The Hollywood Palace.
Brand Endorsements
Raquel had served as the brand ambassador for – MAC Cosmetics‘ Beauty Icon series, Foster Grant eyewear. She had been featured in the commercials for – Foster Grant sunglasses (Print) (1968), Crystal Light diet soft drink (TV), Lux Soap (TV), Clairol True Brunette shampoo and hair color (TV) (1972), Foster Grant sunglasses (TV) (2009, 2010).
Raquel Welch Net worth
Raquel Welch has an estimated net worth of $40 million dollars as of 2023.
Social Media Profiles
- Instagram – therealraquelwelch
- Twitter – Raquel Welcht
Some Lesser Known Facts About Raquel Welch
- Welch was born Jo Raquel Tejada in Chicago, Illinois. She was the first child of Armando Carlos Tejada Urquizo and Josephine Sarah Hall.
- The family moved from Illinois to San Diego, California, when Welch was two years old. Welch attended the Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church every Sunday with her mother.
- As a young girl, Welch had the desire to be a performer and entertainer.
- She began studying ballet at age seven, but after ten years of study, she left the art at seventeen when her instructor told her she did not have the right body type for professional ballet companies.
- At age 14, she won beauty titles as Miss Photogenic and Miss Contour. While attending school she won the title of Miss La Jolla and the title of Miss San Diego – the Fairest of the Fair – at the San Diego County Fair.
- In 1960, Welch got a job as a weather presenter at KFMB, a local San Diego television station. Because her family life and television duties were so demanding she decided to give up her drama classes.
- Raquel’s first major film was A Swingin’ Summer where she played the role of Jeri. The movie was a comedy and she also made her singing debut with it. A year after that, she starred in her second major film, the 1966 science fiction Fantastic Voyage.
- Her first starring vehicle, the British Modesty Blaise-style spy film Fathom (1967), was filmed in Spain for 20th Century Fox.
- In 1975, Welch won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy for The Three Musketeers.
- Raquel was placed at number 2 on Men’s Health magazine’s 2011 list of Hottest Women of All Time and number 3 on Playboy magazine’s list of 100 S*xiest Stars of the Twentieth Century.
