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- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
A new reigning 1960s international sex symbol took to the cinematic throne as soon as Raquel Welch emerged from the sea in her purposely depleted, furry prehistoric bikini. Tantalizingly wet with her garb clinging to all the right amazonian places, One Million Years B.C. (1966), if nothing else, captured the hearts and libidos of modern men (not to mention their teenage sons) while producing THE most definitive and best-selling pin-up poster of that time.
She was born Jo Raquel Tejada on September 5, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois, the first of three children of Bolivian-born Armando Carlos Tejada, an aerospace engineer, and his wife, Josephine Sarah (Hall). The family moved to San Diego, California (her father was transferred) when Raquel was only two. Taking dance lessons as a youngster, she grew up to be quite a knockout and nailed a number of teen beauty titles ("Miss Photogenic," "Miss La Jolla," "Miss Contour," "Miss Fairest of the Fair" and "Miss San Diego").
With her sights set on theater arts, she studied at San Diego State College on a scholarship starting in 1958 and married her first husband, high school sweetheart James Welch, the following year. They had two children: Damon Welch (born 1959), who later became an actor/production assistant, and actress Tahnee Welch (born 1961). Tahnee went on to take advantage of her own stunning looks as an actress, most notably with her prime role in Cocoon (1985).
Off campus, she became a local TV weather girl in San Diego and eventually quit college. Following the end of her marriage in 1962 (although Raquel and James Welch didn't divorce until 1964), she packed up her two children and moved to Dallas, Texas, where she modeled for Neiman-Marcus and worked as a barmaid for a time.
Regrouping, she returned to California and made the rounds of film/TV auditions. She found work providing minor but sexy set decoration on the small screen (Bewitched (1964), McHale's Navy (1962) and The Virginian (1962)) as well as the large screen (Elvis Presley's Roustabout (1964) and Doris Day's Do Not Disturb (1965)). Caught in the midst of the "beach party" craze, it's not surprising to find out that her first major film role was A Swingin' Summer (1965), which concentrated more on musical guests The Righteous Brothers and Gary Lewis & The Playboys than on Welch's outstanding assets. But 20th Century-Fox certainly took notice and signed her up.
With her very first film under contract (actually, she was on loan out to Britain's Hammer Studios at the time), she took on One Million Years B.C. (1966) (the remake of One Million B.C. (1940), in the role originated by Carole Landis), and the rest is history. Welch remained an international celebrity in her first few years of stardom. In England, she was quite revealing as the deadly sin representing "lust" for the comedy team of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in their vehicle Bedazzled (1967), and as the title secret agent in the spy spoof Fathom (1967). In Italy, she gained some exposure in primarily mediocre vehicles opposite such heartthrobs as Marcello Mastroianni.
Back in the U.S., however, she caused quite a stir in her groundbreaking sex scenes with black athlete Jim Brown in the "spaghetti western" 100 Rifles (1969), and as the transgender title role in the unfathomable Myra Breckinridge (1970). Adapted from Gore Vidal's novel, she created some unwelcome notoriety by locking horns with septuagenarian diva Mae West on the set. The instant cult movie certainly didn't help Welch's attempt at being taking seriously as an actress.
Box office bombs abounded. Try as she might in such films as Kansas City Bomber (1972) and The Wild Party (1975), which drew some good reviews for her, her sexy typecast gave her little room to breathe. With determination, however, she partly offset this with modest supporting roles in larger ensemble pieces. She showed definite spark and won a Golden Globe for the swashbuckler The Three Musketeers (1973), and appeared in the mystery thriller The Last of Sheila (1973). She planned on making a comeback in Cannery Row (1982), even agreeing to appear topless (which she had never done before), but was suddenly fired during production without notice. She sued MGM for breach of contract and ultimately won a $15 million settlement, but it didn't help her film career and only helped to label her as trouble on a set.
TV movies became a positive milieu for Welch as she developed sound vehicles for herself such as The Legend of Walks Far Woman (1980) and Right to Die (1987), earning a Golden Globe nomination for the latter project. She also found a lucrative avenue pitching beauty products in infomercials and developing exercise videos (such as Jane Fonda).
Welch took advantage of her modest singing and dancing abilities by performing in splashy Las Vegas showroom acts and starring in such plausible stage vehicles as "Woman of the Year" and "Victor/Victoria". She spoofed her own image on occasion, most memorably on Seinfeld (1989). Into the millennium, she co-starred in the Hispanic-oriented TV series American Family (2002) and the short-lived comedies Welcome to the Captain (2008) and Date My Dad (2017), along with the movies Tortilla Soup (2001), Legally Blonde (2001), Forget About It (2006) and How to Be a Latin Lover (2017).
Her three subsequent marriages were to producer/agent Patrick Curtis (who produced her TV special, Raquel (1970)), director André Weinfeld (who directed her in several fitness videos), and pizza parlor owner Richie Palmer, who was 14 years her junior. All these unions ended in divorce.
She died at 2:25 a.m. on February 15, 2023, aged 82, at her Los Angeles home after suffering a cardiac arrest. She had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.- Richard Kane was born on 17 September 1938 in Birmingham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for A Bridge Too Far (1977), Doctor Who (1963) and A.D. (1985). He died on 15 February 2023 in the UK.
- Shôzô Îzuka was born on 23 May 1933 in Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan. He was an actor, known for Millennium Actress (2001), Kamen Rider Black (1987) and Fist of the North Star (1984). He died on 15 February 2023.
- Kerstin Tidelius was born on 14 October 1934 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. She was an actress, known for Fanny and Alexander (1982), Fröken Julie (1969) and Roseanna (1967). She died on 15 February 2023 in Sweden.
- T3ehr was born on 17 September 2002. He was an actor, known for Lil Corn feat. T3ehr: Pain (2020), T3ehr: IDK (2020) and T3ehr: Changes (2021). He died on 15 February 2023 in Hamilton, Ohio, USA.
- David Oreck was born on September 17, 1923 in Duluth, Minnesota. Oreck had an early interest of engines and other electric devices and would use that interest to serve America during World War II. After the war he got a salesman job at RCA before he founded the Oreck Corporation in 1963 to sell vacuum cleaners by mail. He also appeared on infomercials selling his vacuum cleaners and air purifiers since the company started.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Maestro was born on 31 March 1989 in Malatya, Turkey. He was an actor, known for Canavar Gibi (2018), Call My Manager (2020) and Immortals (2018). He died on 15 February 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey.- Additional Crew
- Actor
Dario Penne was born on 17 February 1938 in Trieste, Italy. He was an actor, known for Interstellar (2014), Sotto il placido Don (1974) and The Butterfly's Dream (1994). He died on 15 February 2023 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Slawomir Lubinski was born on 26 April 1934 in Warsaw, Warszawskie, Second Polish Republic [now Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland]. He was a writer, known for Z soboty na poniedzialek (1989) and Ballada o Januszku (1988). He died on 15 February 2023.
- Paul Berg was born on 30 June 1926 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. Paul was married to Mildred Levy i. Paul died on 15 February 2023 in Stanford, California, USA.
- Grzegorz Skrzecz was born on 25 August 1957 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was an actor, known for E=mc2 (2002), Tanie pieniadze (1986) and Boys Don't Cry (2000). He died on 15 February 2023.
- Basak Dogru was born in 1945 in Istanbul, Turkey. She died on 15 February 2023.
- Graciela Zavatti was born on 14 March 1972 in Caracas, Venezuela. She was an actress, known for My Lucky Day (1998), Petra Delicado (1999) and Aquí no hay quien viva (2003). She died on 15 February 2023 in Málaga, Málaga, Andalucía, Spain.
- Brigitte Smadja was born on 12 May 1955 in Tunis, Tunisia. Brigitte was a writer, known for Il faut sauver Saïd (2008). Brigitte died on 15 February 2023 in Paris, France.
- Kalady Jayan was a producer, known for Karyam Nissaram (2012). Kalady was married to S. Geetha. Kalady died on 15 February 2023 in Thiruvananthapuram, India.
- Sound Department
Cilia Erens was born on 16 February 1946 in Haarlem, Netherlands. Cilia is known for Via Dolorosa (2013). Cilia died on 15 February 2023 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.- Sumio Uetake was a writer, known for Destiny of the Shrine Maiden (2004), Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga (2021) and Ultraman Blazar (2023). He died on 15 February 2023 in Japan.
- Producer
- Additional Crew
BBC television editor Eileen Fitt was one of the five surviving children (all daughters) of Gerry and Susan Anne Gertrude (Doherty) Fitt. Another daughter died in infancy. Her father, Gerard "Gerry" Fitt (later Baron Fitt of Bell's Hill, County Down), was a politician from Northern Ireland. At age 15, despite hailing from a Catholic republican area of Belfast, he joined the merchant navy, serving in it from 1941 to 1953. During WWII, he sailed on Russian convoys. He later co-founded and was the first leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).- Kaladi Jayan was born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. He was an actor, known for Ekalavyan (1993), Kalikkalam (1990) and Artham (1989). He died on 15 February 2023 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
- Tak-beon Oh was a writer, known for Mokmawa suknyeo (1976). Tak-beon died on 15 February 2023 in South Korea.