Raquel Welch, an veteran actress who gained prominence in the 60s with the movies “One Million Years B.C.” and “Fantastic Voyage,” has passed away, according to an announcement from her agent, Steve Sauer.
She was 82.
Welch died on Wednesday morning at Los Angeles after a “brief illness,” the statement read.
The actress, who has more than 70 television and film credits, began her career as a spokesmodel for a variety showcalled “Hollywood Palace,” and was a part-time actress on”Roustabout,” an Elvis Presley film “Roustabout” in 1964.
Her career began in the year following, following the publication of the science fiction movie “Fantastic Voyage,” about the scientists who are shrunk and then injected into a seriously disabled man’s body “One Million Years, B.C.,” an ancient drama that starred Welch in the role of the cavewoman Loana and the images of her wearing a fur bikini serving as the basis of the film’s marketing campaign, as well as turning Welch into a global sexual symbol. (The poster was later an integral part of the critically-acclaimed film “The Shawshank Redemption.”)
Her career in television and film stretched over a long period. Numerous starring roles for Welch were released in the latter half of the 1960s, such as her western films “Bandolero!” and “100 Rifles,” the latter of which was infamous for its controversial interracial love scene that she performed with former football player Jim Brown.
In 1967, after the instant huge success that was “Fantastic Voyage” and “One Million Years, B.C.,” Welch played Lilian Lust in “Bedazzled,” a film that was later made in 2000 with Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser.
She was born in Chicago and went on play the role of Constance de Bonacieux in the 1973 film “The Three Musketeers.” Welch was awarded the best actress Golden Globe award for her performance. She then she reprised her role as de Bonacieux in 1974’s sequel “The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge.”
Other noteworthy roles played by Welch include the role of the titular character in the 1970’s “Myra Breckinridge,” in which she was a trans actor.
in the 1990s Welch was a regular on a variety of sitcoms. One of them was “Seinfeld,” where she performed herself as a nod to the famous woman she had become. Welch was also seen on “Spin City,” “Evening Shade” and “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.”
Her iconic roles lasted until the beginning into the 20th century. The Hollywood legend appeared in the film “Legally Blonde” alongside Reese Witherspoon and played the role of Mrs. Windham Vandermark, ex-wife of late Hayworth Windham the murderer with Witherspoon’s Elle Woods helps solve.
The momentum was gaining steam for Welch and Welch, The “sex symbol” moniker also was able to remain in place.
“Part of being a sex symbol is very flattering and it does help you get success in the business – but only to a point,” Welch stated during an interview on Cinema.com in the lead-up to when she released her movie from the year 2001 “Tortilla Soup,” adding that “it does cloud people’s imagination.”
“They just can’t see you being able to do anything else.”
The final credit for Welch’s professional career was in 2017 when the iconic actor starred as Rosa her mother-in-law, an unmarried father, on UPTV’s “Date My Dad.”
Welch was also committed to a profession as an entrepreneur. This included skincare, jewelry and wigs.
The singer leaves behind two sons, her son Damon Welch and her daughter Tahnee Welch, according the statement of her manager.
