Raquel Welch

Raquel Welch emerged as her character and subsequently a new sex symbol – from the sea in her purposely depleted, furry prehistoric bikini in One Million Years B.C. (1966)

She was born Jo Raquel Tejada on September 5, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois.

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 she took on One Million Years B.C. 1966.

Other appearances include Bedazzled (1967)
Fathom (1967).
100 Rifles (1969),
Myra Breckinridge (1970).
City Bomber (1972)
The Wild Party (1975)
The Three Musketeers (1973),
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.

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 aged 82, at her Los Angeles home.