Raquel Welch, whose emergence from the sea in a skimpy, furry bikini in the film 鈥淥ne Million Years B.C.鈥� would propel her to international sex symbol status throughout the 1960s and 鈥�70s, has died. She was 82.
Welch died early Wednesday after a brief illness, according to her agent, Stephen LaManna of the talent agency Innovative Artists.
Welch鈥檚 breakthrough came in 1966鈥檚 campy prehistoric flick 鈥淥ne Million Years B.C.,鈥� despite having a grand total of three lines. Clad in a brown doeskin bikini, she successfully evaded pterodactyls but not the notice of the public.
鈥淚 just thought it was a goofy dinosaur epic we鈥檇 be able to sweep under the carpet one day,鈥� she told The Associated Press in 1981. 鈥淲rong. It turned out that I was the Bo Derek of the season, the lady in the loin cloth about whom everyone said, 鈥楳y God, what a bod鈥� and they expected to disappear overnight.鈥�
She did not, playing Lust for the comedy team of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in their film 鈥淏edazzled鈥� in 1967 and playing a secret agent in the sexy spy spoof 鈥淔athom鈥� that same year.
Her curves and beauty captured pop culture attention, with Playboy crowning her the 鈥渕ost desired woman鈥� of the 鈥�70s, despite never being completely naked in the magazine. In 2013, she graced the No. 2 spot on Men鈥檚 Health鈥檚 鈥淗ottest Women of All Time鈥� list. In the film 鈥淭he Shawshank Redemption,鈥� a poster of Welch covers an escape tunnel 鈥� the last of three that character Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) used after Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe.
Admirers took to Twitter to mourn the star, including TV host Rosie O鈥橠onnell, actor Chris Meloni and writer-director Paul Feig, who worked with Welch on 鈥淪abrina the Teenage Witch鈥� and called her 鈥淜ind, funny and a true superstar whom I was pretty much in love with for most of my childhood. We鈥檝e lost a true icon.鈥�
In addition to acting, Welch was a singer and dancer. She surprised many critics 鈥� and won positive reviews 鈥� when she starred in the 1981 musical 鈥淲oman of the Year鈥� on Broadway, replacing a vacationing Lauren Bacall. She returned to the Great White Way in 1997 in 鈥淰ictor/Victoria.鈥�
She knew that some people didn鈥檛 take her seriously because of her glamorous image. 鈥淚鈥檓 not Penny Marshall or Barbra Streisand,鈥� she told the AP in 1993. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l say, 鈥楻aquel Welch wants to direct? Give me a break.鈥濃��
Welch was born Jo-Raquel Tejada in Chicago and raised in La Jolla, California. (The Jo in her name was from her mother, Josephine). Welch was a divorced mother when she met ex-actor turned press agent, Patrick Curtis.
鈥淭he irony of it all is that even though people thought of me as a sex symbol, in reality I was a single mother of two small children!鈥� she wrote in her autobiography, 鈥淩aquel: Beyond the Cleavage.鈥�
Curtis became her manager and second husband and helped shape her into a glamor-girl with hundreds of magazine covers and a string of movies, plus exercise videos and books like 鈥淭he Raquel Welch Total Beauty and Fitness Program.鈥�
Though she would appear in exploitative films, she also surprised many in the industry with fine performances, including in Richard Lester鈥檚 鈥淭he Three Musketeers,鈥� which earned her a Golden Globe, and opposite James Coco in 鈥淲ild Party.鈥� She was also nominated for a Globe in 1988 for the TV movie 鈥淩ight to Die.鈥� She played herself and mocked divas in an episode of 鈥淪einfeld,鈥� memorably attacking Elaine and rattling Kramer.
Married and divorced four times, she is survived by two children, Damon Welch and Tahnee Welch, who also became an actress, including landing a featured role in 1985鈥檚 鈥淐ocoon.鈥�
鈥擬ark Kennedy, The Associated Press
