Raquel Welch (1940–2023) was an American actress and international sex symbol who became one of Hollywood’s most iconic stars of the 1960s and 1970s. Born Jo Raquel Tejada in Chicago to a Bolivian father and an American mother, she grew up in California, where she won local beauty contests and worked briefly as a weather presenter before pursuing acting.
Her breakthrough came with the film One Million Years B.C. (1966), where she wore a now-legendary doe-skin bikini that turned her into a global pin-up. Despite being marketed for her looks, Welch proved herself as a talented actress, starring in hits like Fantastic Voyage (1966), Bandolero! (1968), 100 Rifles (1969), and The Three Musketeers (1973), the latter earning her a Golden Globe.
Beyond acting, she became a successful businesswoman with fitness videos, beauty products, and wigs. Though often typecast for her beauty, she was admired for navigating Hollywood on her own terms and for breaking stereotypes as one of the first Latina actresses to achieve worldwide fame.
Raquel Welch passed away in February 2023, at age 82, leaving behind a legacy as both a glamorous screen siren and a strong, independent woman who helped redefine the role of women in entertainment.
