Raquel Welch (1940-2023) is dead. The actress died Wednesday morning “after a brief illness,” as her manager Steve Sauer confirmed to “People.” Which was 82 years old. “In her 50-plus year career, she has appeared in over 30 films and 50 television series,” said her manager.
Welch gained worldwide fame in the mid-1960s for her performances in the films ‘Fantastic Voyage’ (1966) and ‘A Million Years Before Time’ (1966). In the latter work, the actress only had a few lines of dialogue, but her iconic fur bikini made her an international sex symbol. The poster motif entered pop culture. Other appearances in films such as “Myra Breckinridge – Mann oder Frau?” (1970) and “In a Saddle with Death” (1971) followed. In 1974, Welch was awarded a Golden Globe for her performance in Richard Lester’s (91) “The Three Musketeers” (1973).
Welch tied the knot four times in her life. She was married to James Welch from 1959 to 1964. The couple had two children. She married the film producer Patrick Curtis (1939-2022) in 1967, the marriage lasted until 1972. After that she was married to the director and producer André Weinfeld (75) from 1980 to 1990. Her last marriage to Richard Palmer was from 1999 to 2004.
