DAUGHTER OF A BOLIVIAN ENGINEER,

WELCH BECAME THE SYMBOL THE INDUSTRY HAD BEEN SEARCHING FOR AFTER THE DEATH OF MARILYN MONROE

›› BY: PABLO SCARPELLINI | LOS ÁNGELES

Raquel Welch, daughter of a Bolivian engineer and an American mother, stood as the goddess Hollywood had been searching for since the death of Marilyn Monroe. Welch— who died at 82 in 2023— managed to transform the way the United States understood femininity, power, and Latino identity in the film industry.

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When she burst onto the screen in the

1960s, Latina actresses were typecast in secondary, stereotyped roles: domestic workers, dancers, or“ exotic” figures designed to reinforce a limited and superficial gaze. Welch— born Jo-Raquel Tejada in Chicago, Illinois, 1940— broke that mold without speeches or explicit militancy: she did it by occupying center stage. She became a global star, a dominant presence at the box office, and a figure impossible to ignore in an industry that had until then avoided giving leading roles to

I have definitely used my body and sex appeal to my advantage at work, but always within certain limits.”

PUBLISHED BY women with Latin roots.

Winner of a Golden Globe for Richard Lester’ s adaptation of The Three Musketeers in 1973, Welch had to fight throughout her career to shake off the stereotype of the decorative actress. She also refused to appear nude on screen, despite pressure from the studios.“ I hated feeling so exposed and vulnerable,” the actress wrote in her memoir, Beyond the Cleavage.“ I have definitely used my body and my sex appeal to my advantage in my work, but always within certain limits. I reserve some things for my private life, and those are not for sale.”

Born September 5, 1940, Welch was the eldest of three children. Although her parents had met at the University of Illinois, they moved to Southern California when Raquel was just 2 years old. At La Jolla High School in San Diego— where everyone called her Rocky— she won a scholarship to San Diego State College thanks in part to her success in local beauty contests. But she dropped out at 19, married James Wesley Welch, and worked as a weather girl at a local television station, KFMB San Diego.