Raquel Welch Refused To Surrender To Hollywood — And Paid The Price For It

Raquel Welch had some intimidating shoes, or some might say bikinis, to fill when she burst onto the scene in *Fantastic Voyage* in the 1960s. She was immediately compared to Jean Harlow, Rita Hayworth, Jane Russell, and Marilyn Monroe.

She perhaps did not quite live up to those stellar heights, and yet it was Raquel Welch who had become the ultimate sex symbol and the icon of the radical new cinematic world of the 1960s. The world was changing rapidly, and movies became more daring, more graphic, and more subversive.

And yet, the literal poster girl for the new sexuality was a conservative Midwestern girl who famously never once took off her clothes—at least not all of them. She was also maligned as a diva and was a terrifying opponent, not only to her co-stars but even to the Hollywood studios themselves.

She left them gobsmacked when she took them to court and, in a landmark case, won. But soon enough, Hollywood would have its revenge on Raquel Welch.

Raquel Tejada was born on September 5, 1940, in Chicago. Her father, Armando Carlos Tejada Urquizo, was an aeronautical engineer of Spanish heritage from La Paz, Bolivia.

Armando came from a prestigious family, and Raquel’s cousin, Lidia Gueiler Tejada, became Bolivia’s first female president and the second female non-royal head of state in the Americas. Her mother, Josephine Sarah Hall, had English roots with ancestors who were among the Mayflower passengers.

Raquel was the eldest of three children, with a younger brother named James and a younger sister named Gail. In 1942, the family relocated to La Jolla, California, where Raquel went to public school.

Raised as a Presbyterian, she attended Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church with her family every Sunday. Like many aspiring performers, Raquel started to attend ballet classes at the age of seven.

As she grew up, Raquel quickly realized that her stunning looks and rapidly developing physique were her biggest assets. At 14, she won the titles of Miss Photogenic and Miss Contour in local beauty contests.

She also earned the titles of Fairest of the Fair at the San Diego County Fair and Miss La Jolla. Her success in these tests then led to her winning the state title of Maid of California.

Looking back later on her teenage years, a typically forthright Raquel told the press: “I’ve got news for you: no one ever fawned over me. Do you think in my day-to-day life that my mother, my friends, even a boy would tell me I was attractive all the time? No, oh no; it would have been too much for his masculine pride.”

Raquel continued: “I entered a beauty contest just for fun; I didn’t think I’d win. Well, I did. I’ll tell you why I won: because I walk the best in high heels, not because I was so beautiful.”

“The others didn’t know how to walk well. Do you suppose all the girls gathered around me when I won the beauty contest? No, it was not fun and games when I was growing up.”

At 17, her dream of becoming a ballet dancer was crushed when, after 10 years of training, her instructor told her she lacked the physique for a professional ballet career. And then her parents divorced shortly after she graduated from high school.

Added to the turmoil in 1958, Raquel married James Welch, her high school sweetheart. She took his last name, which she kept throughout her life.

An honors graduate from high school, she attended San Diego State College on a theater arts scholarship. However, after only a year at the school, she left college to earn some practical stage experience.

She performed with the Drury Lane Players in San Diego and worked as a weather girl on a local television station while picking up various gigs as a model on the side. From the experience, Raquel landed several roles in local theater plays.

For example, in 1959, she played the lead role in the *Ramona Pageant*, an outdoor play in Hemet, California, based on the novel *Ramona* by Helen Hunt Jackson. Marrying James Welch, she had two children: Damon, born in 1959, and Tahnee, born in 1961.

In later years, Raquel refused to talk about her husband and this period of her life in general. She did say that her husband did not treat her well, but she never shared much more about him in any case.

By 1960, the demands of her professional life were putting a strain on her marriage. The arrival of Tahnee did nothing to ease the stress, and the couple separated in 1962.

It wasn’t until the late 1960s, by which time Raquel was internationally famous, that anyone ever knew she had been married and had two children before that. She found herself in a tough situation; she was a single mother of two without a steady job and had to rely entirely on herself.

Her parents, dealing with their own new lives apart, had never been particularly enthusiastic about their daughter’s ambitions to become an actress. She decided to set aside her Hollywood plans and relocate to Dallas.

There, she managed to scrape a precarious living as a model for Neiman Marcus and as a cocktail waitress. This lifestyle was not sustainable for Raquel, who was determined to succeed.

She often recounted to interviewers how her mother once gave her a copy of Harold Robbins’s book *The Carpetbaggers*, which was about Hollywood’s rise and its wayward, often deeply troubled characters. Her mother suggested she read it and see if she still really wanted to become a movie star.

This attempt at dissuasion backfired, as Raquel found the lurid Hollywood tales only ignited her enthusiasm further. At first, Raquel planned to move to New York City from Dallas, but instead returned to Los Angeles in 1963 and began scouring for roles with various film studios.

She used her showstopping beauty to land a role on television’s *The Hollywood Palace* as one of the billboard girls, in which she announced upcoming guests for the variety show. She also appeared briefly on Red Skelton’s and Danny Kaye’s shows.

It was around this time that Raquel met Patrick Curtis, a 28-year-old former child actor who had appeared as Olivia de Havilland’s child in *Gone With the Wind* and who was now working as a talent agency executive. Curtis said in an interview with *Look* magazine in 1967: “In Hollywood, girls look more like Sandra Dee than Sophia Loren. I was flabbergasted when this knockout told me she was a recent college scholarship student from San Diego—straight A’s, too.”

We decided to form an alliance and try to make her a star. I quit my job, and we started a corporation we called Curtwel—something like opening a filling station, an honest business venture with honest aims.

From the start, the key to success was, as always, would be hard work. Curtis required Raquel to take three dance lessons and two singing lessons each week.

He focused on crafting her image as a photographer’s dream. The goal was to transform her into a genuine sex symbol and help her enter the Hollywood talent radar.

To avoid her being typecast as a Latina, he also persuaded her to continue to use her ex-husband’s surname. Under his guidance, Raquel flaunted her figure in various settings, such as tennis courts, swimming pools, and beaches, to gain publicity and enhance her image.

She also set some guidelines for Curtis to ensure her new persona was always prepared. Raquel explained: “I have to know the occasion, the atmosphere, the reason, what I should wear, how I should do my hair, what I should be prepared to talk about.”

This insistence on having everything possible at her disposal to maximize the impact of her physical presence would be a recurring theme and sometimes major point of conflict throughout her acting career. Raquel’s transition from beauty queen to sex symbol was a success.

In 1964, she made her film debut in the Elvis Presley musical *Roustabout*. The film, mainly known for starring Presley alongside veteran actress Barbara Stanwyck, featured Raquel in a minor role as a college student.

Later in 1964, Raquel appeared in Joseph E. Levine’s adaptation of Polly Adler’s autobiography, *A House Is Not a Home*, released three months after *Roustabout* although filmed earlier. The movie featured Raquel as one of Polly’s girls in a portrayal of New York’s famous Madame.

On October 2, 1964, *Life* magazine featured a photo story on rising Hollywood stars, and Raquel Welch was included alongside Mia Farrow. The article proclaimed the end of the great girl drought.

Later that year, on November 21, 1964, Raquel appeared at the 12th annual Debutante Ball held at the Hollywood Palladium. She was introduced as one of the “10 Stars of Tomorrow”.

This was an event covered on television, which gave her plenty of exposure. Raquel also had small roles in television shows such as *Bewitched*, *McHale’s Navy*, and *The Virginian*, and appeared as a billboard girl on *The Hollywood Palace*.

Right at the end of the year, she auditioned for the role of Mary Ann Summers on *Gilligan’s Island* but did not get the part. But even if this was a disappointment, her star was set to rise, but the following year would be a little slower than she might have hoped.

In 1965, Raquel’s only film release was *A Swinging Summer*. This rock and roll teen movie cast Raquel in a supporting role set at a summer resort.

The movie involved a pretty light-hearted plot with a mix of musical performances by the Righteous Brothers and others. It played in the lower half of double features in small theaters.

Raquel contributed her singing voice to the soundtrack album. This then led to a big chance, as she was seriously considered for the role of Domino in *Thunderball*.

However, it went to French actress Claudine Auger. In an example of the Mandela effect, many people often associate Raquel Welch with the Bond series and believe she was a Bond girl, although she never once appeared in any of the Bond movies.

With her Domino test the closest she ever got, Raquel caught the eye of producer Saul David, whose wife had seen her at the Debutante Ball. As it happened, David was working on a Bond spoof, *Our Man Flint*, for 20th Century Fox.

Impressed by Raquel, David recommended her to Fox as a candidate for a role in his film. With Curtis’s help, Raquel then secured a contract with the studio.

She agreed to a seven-year non-exclusive deal, which included five films over the next five years and two additional options. Studio executives wanted to change her name to “Debbie” because they believed “Raquel” might be difficult to pronounce.

She refused and chose to keep her name as Raquel Welch. Raquel was screen tested for *Our Man Flint* but was ultimately cast in another project David had ready, *Fantastic Voyage*.

By the mid-1960s, Fox had changed a lot since the days when Marilyn Monroe was the studio’s top star and major box office draw. Darryl Zanuck, who had been in Europe as an independent producer since 1956, returned to the US in 1962 and became president of the studio that August.

After the financial disaster of *Cleopatra*, Fox closed for nine months and reopened on April 23, 1963, with a restructured setup. The studio size was reduced from 282 acres to just 76 acres, with 21 sound stages.

Richard Darryl Zanuck eventually became vice president of his father’s company. He produced several films, including *Compulsion* in 1959 and *Sanctuary* two years later, and was an associate producer of *The Longest Day* the year after that.

In October 1962, Richard Zanuck became the de facto head of production at Fox, and by 1967, he was the executive vice president in charge of production. When Raquel Welch joined Fox, the studio had very few contract players left.

The film industry was in flux; Hollywood was no longer the global production center, and television had not yet been fully mastered. As Darryl Zanuck noted at the time: “Today’s audience is so unpredictable; even if you make a great picture and get great reviews, you still can’t be sure enough that people will want to see it to make you any money.'”

In *Fantastic Voyage*, Raquel Welch was second billed as Cora Peterson, a medical assistant to Arthur Kennedy. She played part of a team of scientists who embarked on a miniaturized submarine journey through a patient’s bloodstream to perform emergency surgery.

Set in the year 1995, the film was known more for its special effects, which won an Oscar, rather than for its plot. Judith Crist commented on NBC TV’s *Today Show*: “It is a pity that the intellectual content never rises above Raquel Welch’s bust line or Stephen Boyd’s histrionic talents.”

Nevertheless, the film was a commercial success, earning over $5.5 million. Raquel’s figure, accentuated by her skintight suit, had people glued to the screen, particularly as she was the only female presence throughout most of the film’s 100 minutes.

Offscreen, Raquel fell in love with her co-star Stephen Boyd. She made her feelings clear, but Irish actor Boyd showed no interest, a fact which certainly surprised and confused her legion of male admirers.

The unrequited passion left her feeling dejected. Following *Fantastic Voyage*, Raquel was given a non-exclusive contract by Fox, allowing her more freedom than past studio stars.

She could choose projects with other companies and had considerable control over her career. So Raquel and her manager Patrick Curtis went to Europe.

They aimed to attract major publicity, particularly in Rome. The plan was successful; Raquel’s frequent poses for the press made her a favorite among Italian photographers who knew that pictures of her would make big money.

By August 1966, Raquel had appeared on the covers of 92 European magazines and 19 American ones. She said: “I created my own zap in Sako.”

Curtis knew that Raquel needed to maintain a strong presence on screen to push her career Beyond being just a Covergirl. Consequently, she took on roles in several European films which would be released over the following years.

Raquel explained to the press: “In the studio, you don’t have an audience, but I don’t miss them because I have my own. What I work for is the gratification of the director and cameramen, the men of quality—they are my real audience. What I am always looking for is that inner feeling that I have done right.”

Fox lent Raquel Welch to Hammer Studios in England for the 1966 film *One Million Years B.C.*, a remake of the 1940 Hal Roach movie *One Million B.C.*. During filming, photographers took some astonishing images of Raquel in her primitive cavewoman attire—a minimal deerskin bikini.

These images went the 1960s equivalent of viral, appearing in newspapers and magazines worldwide even before the film’s release in April 1967. And the image’s fame was no flash in the pan.

The famous pinup of Raquel from this film was featured in *The Shawshank Redemption*, where it can be seen on Andy Dufresne’s prison cell wall. The film played fairly true to its predecessor, with just a few added grunts to improve the dialogue.

Raquel wasn’t the only great thing about *One Million Years B.C.*; it also featured astounding special effects by Ray Harryhausen. Fox knew the film’s core appeal and promoted the films with ads proclaiming: “Raquel Welch wearing Mankind’s first bikini.”

The plot had Raquel playing Loana, a member of the Shell people who becomes romantically involved with Tumak, played by John Richardson from the Rock people. Her role was limited to delivering two words: “Akita,” meaning help, and “Sarin,” evidently meaning giant bird.

The rest relied on her impressive natural ability for pantomime. Perhaps surprisingly, *The New York Times* praised the film and Raquel’s performance, describing her as a “marvelous breathing monument to womankind.”

With *One Million Years B.C.* earning $2.5 million at the box office, Fox’s strategy to Market Raquel as a sex symbol was successful. However, Raquel herself did not fully cooperate with this image, saying: “I don’t even try to be sexy; what I aim for is that kind of sensuality that foreign women, particularly Sophia Loren, have—that’s something that comes from inside.”

There was also another even more controversial publicity shot by Terry O’Neal which remained unseen until more than 30 years later. The photograph, titled “Raquel Welch on the Cross,” was both an artistic and personal statement for Raquel Welch and photographer O’Neal.

It came about as Raquel felt nervous about being photographed in the fur bikini. She feared negative press, saying that she thought the media would crucify her for exposing so much female flesh.

Inspired, O’Neal swiftly requested that 20th Century Fox bring over a crucifix, and he began taking multiple photos of her on the cross in the bikini. The image was meant to symbolize the feeling of being scrutinized and judged by the media.

However, O’Neal, raised Catholic, was concerned that the photo might be seen as blasphemous rather than the feminist art piece it was intended to be. Consequently, he delayed publishing the photos for decades, and what would likely have been a major controversy was avoided.

On February 14, 1967, Raquel Welch married Patrick Curtis in a civil ceremony in Paris. Raquel went for wow factor by wearing a crocheted see-through mini dress, causing a stir among the French photographers and creating quite a scene.

In mid-1967, Raquel appeared in *Shoot Loud, Louder… I Don’t Understand*. This was supposed to be a way for her to show off her ability to excel in an art-house European film, but the film was a bomb.

Co-starring with Italian superstar Marcello Mastroianni, Raquel played Tanya Montini, a high-class woman who becomes entangled with a troubled artist. As Arthur Knight of the *Saturday Review* noted: “Raquel Welch, who in the past year has made more magazine covers than movies, here reveals the probable reason.”

As Mastroianni’s dream girl, she looks great, but in every scene, she seems as improbable as her dubbed-in Italian dialogue. Another cheeky critic dryly remarked: “Her acting ranges from busty to hippie.”

Raquel’s next film, *Fathom*, produced by Fox and filmed in Spain, was more a vehicle for her white bikini than for its plot or cinematic merit. The film felt outdated despite its vibrant colors and psychedelic camera setups, with minimal dialogue and limited character development.

Raquel played Fathom Harvill, a skydiver who gets mixed up in espionage. *The New York Times* noted: “Somewhere between her unfortunate arrival and the revival of One Million Years B.C. in her new film, Miss Welch has learned to act.”

But the *Times*’s continued support for Welch was the exception rather than the rule; pretty much everyone else hated the film. *Time* remarked: “Raquel tries to come on as the movie’s newest sex queen; for that role, her credentials are ample, but Raquel Welches on herself every time she speaks.”

She seems less a living, breathing doll than an antiseptic Barbie doll who got lost on her way to the nursery. Roger Ebert gave out one of his extremely rare zero-stars reviews for the film.

During the making of *Fathom*, Raquel had her first widely reported clash with a co-star, the temperamental Anthony Franciosa. She told Sheila Graham: “I’m not trying to win a popularity contest; you have to do what you think is right.”

“I don’t think it’s possible to be an individual and try to please everybody, and I think that this business needs individuals. I believe that to be a star, one must be strong-minded.”

*Bedazzled*, a Stanley Donen film released by Fox in December 1967, was a modern twist on the Faust legend. Raquel appeared briefly as Lillian Lust, one of the seven deadly sins.

In early 1967, Fox acquired Jacqueline Susann’s best-selling novel *The Valley of the Dolls* and began filming. Raquel turned down the lead role of Jennifer, which was eventually taken by Sharon Tate.

This decision led Fox to suspend her. Richard Zanuck, head of the studio, commented: “She tested—that’s unheard of for an actress to test and then refuse the part, so I put her on suspension.”

Raquel’s refusal stemmed from her desire to avoid being typecast as just a sex symbol. If you have a physical attractiveness, you don’t have to act; people don’t expect anything of you.

But as an actress, I’d like to display the ability to act, and I want the opportunity to do so. When asked about comparisons to Marilyn Monroe, Raquel said: “I certainly don’t envy her; she was very unhappy and took her life because she felt she was so inadequate.”

“She felt nobody liked her except for physical appeal alone—that’s very dangerous for a woman because you can’t be young and beautiful forever.” Raquel’s first film release of 1968 was *The Biggest Bundle of Them All*, made during her 1966 Italian stay.

Raquel played Juliana, Robert Wagner’s whimsical girlfriend, and performed a lively dance with an energetic Edward G. Robinson. During the filming, Raquel’s diva reputation began to truly emerge.

She was frequently late, leading Robinson to reprimand her. After a stern talking to, Raquel promised to improve, though she was late again the next day.

Robinson remarked: “I must say she has quite a body; she has been the product of a good publicity campaign. I hope she lives up to it, because a body will only take you so far.”

*Bandolero!*, a Western spoof released in July 1968, was a hit and earned $5.5 million at the box office. Raquel’s fourth film of 1968 was *The Oldest Profession*, where she earned $100,000 for her two weeks of work.

In *Lady in Cement*, a sequel to *Tony Rome*, released in November 1968, Raquel starred alongside Frank Sinatra. Raquel admitted the film was terrible, but he, Sinatra, had the most raw talent and magnetism of any man she’d ever met.

Raquel, having proven herself as a reliable box office draw, was being hailed as a superstar. When asked about her status, she remarked: “Yes, superstars get to a point where they want to put themselves on a pedestal.”

“Success for me doesn’t mean social position; it means satisfaction and not being upset by the public thinking of me as some sort of Amazon Superwoman.” Raquel Welch’s second Western, *100 Rifles*, was produced by Fox and filmed in Spain, hitting theaters in April 1969.

The film turned out to be one of the most contentious of her career. In *100 Rifles*, Raquel was cast in a supporting role with former football star Jim Brown taking top billing.

Both stars often found themselves used as promotional tools to boost underperforming action films, with their acting skills sometimes taking a backseat to their physical presence. *100 Rifles* featured an interracial romance, a bold move that went against Hollywood’s unspoken rules of the time.

One notable scene involved Raquel in a shower at a water tower, which was meant to distract soldiers on a train. The director pushed Raquel to perform the scene nude, but she declined, continuing her long-standing resistance to such demands.

While rumors of a romance between Raquel and Brown may have been exaggerated, Raquel did have a genuine affair with actor Sancho Gracia. When her then-husband Curtis discovered this, he chased Gracia through their hotel at gunpoint.

Raquel’s other film for 1969 was *Flareup*, where she played Michelle, a go-go dancer pursued by a deranged killer. Fox acquired the controversial novel *Myra Breckinridge*, planning to make a film adaptation with Raquel in the lead role of the transgender protagonist.

This was a progressive move for the studio, or so it thought. Producer Robert Fryer commented: “If a man were going to become a woman, he would want to become the most beautiful woman in the world—he would become Raquel Welch.”

Raquel responded: “Look, it obviously isn’t my dream part, but it’s the first real role I’ve ever been offered. As far as I’m concerned, playing Myra will probably do me more good than harm.”

This would be a classic case of famous last words. When Mae West was coaxed out of retirement to play Leticia Van Allen, expectations for on-screen fireworks were high.

The film’s production was chaotic, with the director hugely exceeding the budget and indulging in unorthodox methods. Tensions rose to new heights, and the film had gone $1 million over budget.

During this period, Mae West and Raquel Welch had become estranged and were no longer speaking. West had a peculiar clause in her contract that stipulated she alone could wear black and white dresses.

When Welch arrived for their scene in a black dress with a white ruffle, West was outraged. Welch compromised by dyeing the ruffle pale blue, knowing it would appear white on camera, but the damage was done and the two stars went to war.

Farrah Fawcett, making her film debut, found herself in the middle of the conflict between Welch and West. Gene Siskel reviewed the film unfavorably: “Gratuitous nudity and oafish direction have replaced wit and mystery.”

Gore Vidal himself disowned the film, dismissing it as an awful joke. For a while, this fiasco seemed to signal the end of Raquel Welch’s film career, but she would have a few more opportunities to prove herself in the 1970s.

In January 1970, *The Magic Christian* hit theaters. Raquel Welch made a brief appearance as a whip-wielding character.

Her provocative photo with the whip was heavily used to promote the film. On April 7, 1970, during the 42nd annual Academy Awards, Raquel Welch took part in presenting the awards.

Leaning suggestively over the lectern, she made a playful remark about presenting the special visual effects award, adding with a wink: “And there are two of them.” Later that month, when the *New York Daily News* asked about her career, Raquel described her roles as campy and not of her choosing.

She explained: “I consider all of the roles that I have done as camp. So I guess the best way to survive them is to play them to the hilt.”

“If writers are going to put some cliché characters in their scripts, you might as well give it all you’ve got.” In April 1970, Raquel starred in her own CBS television special titled simply *Raquel*.

The show included appearances by John Wayne and Bob Hope. In 1971, Raquel Welch starred in *Hannie Caulder*, a Western filmed in Spain.

The film was forgotten until Quentin Tarantino cited it as an inspiration for his 2003 film *Kill Bill: Volume 1*. Raquel was constantly pressed about when she would appear nude on screen, but she always firmly resisted.

She said: “I will never do a nude scene; of course I’m afraid nudity is being misused. Ninety percent of the time when I’ve witnessed nudity on the screen or in person, it’s the most anticlimactic thing.”

“What I do on the screen is not to be equated with what I do in my private life.” In 1972, Raquel starred in *Kansas City Bomber*, where she played a tough roller derby star and single mother.

*Life* magazine hailed her performance as “the hottest thing on wheels”. During a break in production, she flew to Budapest to attend a lavish party for Elizabeth Taylor’s 40th birthday, despite being pointedly uninvited by Taylor herself.

December 1972 saw Raquel making her nightclub debut at the Las Vegas Hilton, where her act preceded Elvis Presley’s. This year also saw her divorce Curtis after a few troubled years.

In 2014, Raquel described herself as conservative, attributing her views to her upbringing and her mother’s Midwestern values. She strongly supported the Vietnam War and participated in USO shows with Bob Hope.

In 1973, Raquel appeared in *The Three Musketeers*; her role earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy. This was the highest official recognition she would achieve in her long career.

She was offered the lead role in *Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore* in 1974, which eventually won an Oscar for Ellen Burstyn, but she declined the part. By her 30s, Raquel was growing weary of acting and the repetitive roles she was offered.

In the late 1970s, Raquel Welch began a relationship with André Weinfeld, a French-American producer. The couple married on the beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on July 5, 1980.

In 1981, Raquel Welch found herself at the center of a dramatic legal battle over actor rights. During the filming of MGM’s *Cannery Row*, Welch was unexpectedly dismissed from her leading role.

The studio claimed she violated her $250,000 contract by preferring to do her hair and makeup at home rather than on set. Welch responded by filing a $24 million breach of contract lawsuit, which became a major news story.

She commented: “What they did was use me to get financing for the movie, then they dumped me.” The jury sided with Welch, and she celebrated by raising both fists in the air.

An appeals court upheld the ruling and awarded her $10 million. Even though she was thrilled to win a landmark case, Welch had regrets later saying: “I needed to clear my name, but since that time, I’ve never starred in a major motion picture.”

Ultimately, Welch earned more from *Cannery Row* than MGM, as the $11 million production grossed only $5 million domestically. Hollywood would have its revenge; the industry continued to blacklist her for taking legal action against the studio.

With that in mind, in the 1980s, Raquel Welch shifted her focus to television in search of more serious roles. In 1987, Welch took on a role in the television film *Right to Die*, portraying a mother with Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Her performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. By 1992, Welch’s marriage to André Weinfeld had ended.

In 1999, she married Richard Palmer, owner of Mulberry Street Pizzeria, but the union ended in 2003. She also guest-starred on *Sabrina the Teenage Witch* and appeared in the season 8 finale of *Seinfeld*, where she played a comically exaggerated version of herself.

Through her entire life, she had constantly downplayed her Latino heritage. But she finally accepted Hispanic roles in the PBS series *American Family* in 2002.

Throughout her life, Welch maintained that her glamorous screen persona was starkly different to her quiet, conservative private life. She was a devoted Presbyterian and a member of Calvary Presbyterian Church in Glendale.

In her final years, Raquel Welch battled Alzheimer’s disease and passed away at home from cardiac arrest in Los Angeles at the age of 82 on February 15, 2023. Raquel Welch, world famous for her auburn mane and stunning figure, succeeded Marilyn Monroe as the quintessential sex symbol of the 1960s and 1970s.

She was mesmerizing to look at but also had comic timing and the most valuable commodity of all in Hollywood: sheer star power. She nonetheless defined an era of rebellion and female sexuality without ever compromising her own values.

“Americans have always had sex symbols—it’s a time-honored tradition, and I’m flattered to have been one,” she once said. “But it’s hard to have a long, fruitful career once you’ve been stereotyped that way.”

Sweet dreams.