Actress Raquel Welch passed away today at the age of 82. The superstar catapulted to fame in the 1960s with “Fantastic Voyage” and “One Million Years B.C.”
“Raquel Welch, the legendary bombshell actress of film, television and stage, passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness,” her rep, Steve Sauer, said. “The 82-year-old actress burst into Hollywood in her initial roles in ‘One Million [Years] B.C.’ and ‘Fantastic Voyage.’”
“Her career spanned over 50 years starring in over 30 films and 50 television series and appearances. The Golden Globe winner, in more recent years, was involved in a very successful line of wigs. Raquel leaves behind her two children, son Damon Welch and her daughter, Tahnee Welch.”
Welch starred alongside some of Hollywood’s leading men through the years, including Frank Sinatra, Robert Wagner, James Stewart, Dean Martin and Burt Reynolds.
Welch earned a Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy after starring in 1973’s “The Three Musketeers.” She revealed that winning the award was one of her proudest career achievements.
“I played a lot of action figures, like in Westerns … I carried a gun; I was a very formidable woman who could handle herself, who could ride and shoot. … I also showed myself in a lot of different periods of time. … I worked in Spain for a lot of the Westerns, which is where most American Westerns were filmed.”
She starred in Western movies such as Hannie Caulder, 100 Rifles, and Bandolero! throughout her career.
