Raquel Welch Wiki, Biography
Jo Raquel Welch (née Tejada; September 5, 1940 – February 15, 2023) was an American actress and model. Welch first won attention for her role in Fantastic Voyage (1966), 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. (1966). 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 (1967), Bandolero! (1968), 100 Rifles (1969), Myra Breckinridge (1970), and Hannie Caulder (1971). She made several television variety specials.
Welch was born Jo Raquel Tejada on September 5, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois. She was the first child of Armando Carlos Tejada Urquizo and Josephine Sarah Hall. Her father, Armando Tejada, was an aeronautical engineer from La Paz, Bolivia, son of Agustin Tejada and Raquel Urquizo. In 2010, while she was being interviewed on the talk show Tavis Smiley, Welch stated, “My father came from a country called Bolivia. He was of Spanish descent.” Her cousin, Bolivian politician Lidia Gueiler Tejada, became the first female president of Bolivia and the second female non-royal head of state in the Americas. Welch was named after her paternal grandmother. Her mother, Josephine Hall, was the daughter of architect Emery Stanford Hall and his wife Clara Louise Adams; she was of English ancestry. Welch had a younger brother, James “Jim” Tejada, and a younger sister, Gayle Tejada.
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 La Jolla High 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. This long line of beauty contests eventually led to the state title of Maid of California. Her parents divorced when she finished her school years.
| Celebrated Name | |
| Age | |
| Nick Name | |
| Birth Name | |
| Birth Date | 1940-09-05 |
| Gender | Female |
| Profession | Actress |
| Birth Nation | USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Place Of Birth | |
| Father | Armando Carlos Tejada Urquizo |
| Mother | |
| Ethnicity | Mixed |
| Siblings | James “Jim” Stanford (Younger Brother), and Gayle Carole (Younger Sister) |
| High School | |
| College / University | |
| Awards | Golden Globe Award and more |
| Net Worth | $40 million |
| Source of Wealth | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Husband | Ex husband – James Welch, Patrick Curtis, André Weinfeld, and Richard Palmer |
| Children | Damon Welch, and Latanne Rene Welch |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in |
| Weight | 58 KG |
| Body Measurement | 37-24-36 inches (94-61-91 cm) |
| Cause Of Death | Brief Illness |
| Death Date | |
| Links |
Welch initially intended to move to New York City from Dallas, but moved back to Los Angeles in 1963 and started applying for roles with film studios. During this period, she met a one-time child actor and Hollywood agent Patrick Curtis who became her personal and business manager. They developed a plan to turn Welch into a sex symbol. To avoid typecasting as a Latina, he convinced her to use her husband’s last name.
She was cast in small roles in two films, A House Is Not a Home (1964) and the musical Roustabout (1964), an Elvis Presley film. She also landed small roles on the television series Bewitched, McHale’s Navy and The Virginian and appeared on the weekly variety series The Hollywood Palace as a billboard girl and presenter. She was one of many actresses who auditioned for the role of Mary Ann Summers on the television series Gilligan’s Island.
Welch married her high school sweetheart, James Welch, on May 8, 1959. They had two children: Damon (born November 6, 1959) and Tahnee (born December 26, 1961). The couple separated in 1962 and divorced in 1964; she retained Welch’s last name until her death.
She married producer Patrick Curtis on Valentine’s Day 1967, and divorced him in 1972. During the shooting of 100 Rifles in Spain in 1968, Welch had an extramarital affair with Spanish actor Sancho Gracia, who had a small role in the film. Welch’s husband, upon finding out about the affair, chased Gracia at gunpoint through the hotel where they were staying in Aguadulce. Welch also had an affair with another Spanish actor, Aldo Sambrell, during the shooting. Boyfriends in the 1970s included football player Joe Namath, producer Robert Evans and comedian Freddie Prinze.
On July 5, 1980, she married producer André Weinfeld.[ In early February 1983, while vacationing in Mustique, Welch suffered a miscarriage at three months pregnant. Her marriage to Weinfeld ended in 1990.[
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.
Welch wed Richie Palmer, owner of Mulberry Street Pizzeria, on July 17, 1999, at her home in Beverly Hills. Palmer, who had one son from a previous marriage, was engaged to actress Cathy Moriarty when he met Welch at a party in October 1997. The pair separated in August 2003 and later divorced.
Following her fourth divorce, Welch said she would not remarry. Her last relationship of record, during the early-to-mid-2010s, was with American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe.
Welch died on February 15, 2023, at her home in Los Angeles, following a brief illness. She was 82.
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