Beloved actor Raquel Welch, known for her roles in movies like Fantastic Voyage and Three Musketeers, has passed away at 82. She passed away Wednesday morning after what her manager Steve Sauer described as a “brief illness.” She appeared in over 70 films and TV series in her lengthy career and garnered a reputation for her drop-dead gorgeous looks and bombshell physique.
Fans offered an outpouring of support to Welch after the news of her passing was made public. Tributes on social media have heralded her as a 60s icon. She leaves two children, Damon Welch and Tahnee Welch.
A Storied Career
Welch’s first on-screen appearance was in the 1964 variety series Hollywood Palace, where she performed as a spokesmodel for various segments. Her other notable early role came in the Elvis Presley vehicle Roustabout in the same year.
Welch got her big break in the 1966 sci-fi movie Fantastic Voyage, an iconic movie in which a tea of scientists shrinks down to a microscopic scale to combat illness in a sick man’s body. She was also featured prominently in the marketing of the prehistoric One Million Years, B.C. Welch played a cavewoman and sported a fur bikini, which the film’s marketing campaign highlighted aggressively in posters and trailers.
TV Roles
Welch was also extremely popular with TV producers, appearing in 60s-era westerns like Bandolera! and 100 Rifles. She would also go on to appear in Seinfeld in the 90s, playing a somewhat fictionalized version of herself. Her Seinfeld spot, alongside the noticeable One Million Years, B.C. poster in The Shawshank Redemption, helped revitalize interest in Welch’s 60s and 70s career.
Throughout the 90s, she made several other TV cameos, including Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and Spin City. Her reputation as an old-school Hollywood star gave her cameos an air of refined dignity that was rare in the era.
Later Roles
Later in her career, Welch appeared in films like Legally Blonde and Tortilla Soup. By this time, she told interviewers that her status as a “sex symbol” was only helpful in Hollywood up to a point. She noted that she would frustratingly be typecast and found it hard to land roles that didn’t focus on her appearance.
Welch was an undeniable icon and has become an enduring symbol for a bygone era of movie production. Her aura of class, dignity, and beauty will be sorely missed.
