Raquel Welch, known for her captivating performances in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years B.C. died on February 15. She was 82. “Raquel Welch, the legendary bombshell actress of film, television and stage, passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness,” a rep told Vulture in a statement. Born Jo Raquel Tejada in Chicago, the actress first appeared onstage in local theater productions and onscreen as a weather forecaster for the San Diego station KFMB. She moved to Dallas with her two children after separating from her first husband, James Welch. Welch landed a modeling job for Neiman Marcus and was a cocktail waitress on the side, before making her way back to Los Angeles in 1963 to star in guest roles for the TV shows Bewitched, McHale’s Navy, and The Virginian. A pair of sci-fi films altered the trajectory of her career. Back-to-back roles in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years B.C. launched Welch’s status as a Hollywood bombshell in 1966 — partially thanks to the tiny fur bikini she wore in One Million Years — and made her one of the most in demand stars during the ’60s and ’70s. Welch went on to take home a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, for her role in 1974’s The Three Musketeers. She continued to act on screens both big and small until 2017.
