Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82

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By Sandra Gonzales and Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

3 minute read

Updated 8:32 PM EST, Wed February 15, 2023

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (1)

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CNN —

Raquel Welch, a veteran actress who rose to fame in the 1960s in the films “One Million Years B.C.” and “Fantastic Voyage,” has died, according to a statement provided by her manager, Steve Sauer.

She was 82.

Welch died Wednesday morning in Los Angeles after a “brief illness,” the statement said.

The actress, with more than 70 film and television credits, got her start as a spokesmodel on a variety show, “Hollywood Palace,” and had a small role in the Elvis Presley film “Roustabout” in 1964.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (26)

Raquel Welch rowing on the Serpentine, London, in April 1969.

Her career took off two years later, with the release of the science fiction film “Fantastic Voyage,” about a team of scientists shrunken and injected into a critically ill man’s body; and “One Million Years, B.C.,” a prehistoric drama that cast Welch as the cavewoman Loana, with the photos of her in a fur bikini becoming the foundation of the movie’s marketing campaign, while turning Welch into an international sex symbol. (The poster later became a central device in the acclaimed movie “The Shawshank Redemption.”)

Welch’s career in TV and film spanned decades. A number of starring roles for Welch followed in the late 1960s, including the westerns “Bandolero!” and “100 Rifles,” the latter notable for her then-controversial interracial love scene with former football star Jim Brown.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (27)

Raquel Welch poses for a photo in 1968.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (28)

Welch, second from right, had a small role in the Elvis Presley film "Roustabout" in 1964.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (29)

Artist Salvador Dali kisses Welch's hand in front of an abstract portrait of her circa 1965.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (30)

Welch appears with John Richardson in the 1966 film "One Million Years B.C." Welch played the cavewoman Loana, and photos of her in a fur bikini, which became the foundation of the movie's marketing campaign, turned Welch into an international sex symbol.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (31)

Welch appears with Stephen Boyd, left, and Donald Pleasence in a scene from the science fiction film "Fantastic Voyage." The 1966 movie was about scientists who were shrunken and injected into a critically ill man's body.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (32)

Welch shakes hands with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at a Royal Film performance in 1966. At left is director Woody Allen.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (33)

Welch rides a donkey in Malaga, Spain, with her boyfriend, film producer Patrick Curtis, in 1966. She was in Spain shooting the movie "Fathom." Welch and Curtis married the next year. Curtis was the second of Welch's four husbands.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (34)

Welch is photographed at the Cannes Film Festival in 1966.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (35)

Welch and Curtis are besieged by photographers as they enter a room in Paris for their wedding ceremony in 1967. The ceremony was delayed for 15 minutes while police and city officials tussled with the photographers, who had been ordered out of the room.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (36)

Welch circa 1967.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (37)

Welch dances on stage with a group of soldiers in Vietnam during a Bob Hope USO show in 1967.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (38)

Welch rows a boat on the Serpentine lake in London in 1969.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (39)

Welch starred with former football star Jim Brown in the Western drama "100 Rifles" in 1969.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (40)

Welch is photographed in Paris in 1970.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (41)

Welch in 1970. She starred in two films that year: "Myra Breckinridge" and "The Beloved."

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (42)

Welch appears with Michael York and Simon Ward in a scene from 1973's "The Three Musketeers."

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (43)

Welch, front left, appears on one of Cher's music and variety shows in 1975. Cher is at front right. Between them are Wayne Rogers and Tatum O'Neal.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (44)

Arnold Schwarzenegger holds up Welch at the Golden Globe Awards in 1977.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (45)

Welch, front right, shoots a scene in Paris for the 1977 film "Animal." She's sitting next to co-star Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (46)

Welch sits with her boyfriend, screenwriter and TV director André Weinfeld, in 1978. The two married in 1980.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (47)

Welch and "Muppets" character Miss Piggy perform on the set of "The Muppet Show" circa 1978.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (48)

Welch appears with Robin Williams on an episode of "Mork & Mindy" in 1979.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (49)

Welch rehearses in 1981 as she filled in for the vacationing Lauren Bacall in Broadway's "Woman of the Year."

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (50)

Welch takes a bow after returning to Broadway in 1982.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (51)

Welch and Weinfeld are seen running together during a Barbara Walters TV special in 1985.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (52)

Welch, second from left, joins other celebrities during a "Hands Across America" fundraising event in 1986.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (53)

Welch poses for the television film "Right to Die" in 1987.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (54)

Welch films a workout video in 1988.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (55)

Welch poses with her son, Damon, and his new wife, Rebecca, after their wedding in 1991. Welch also had a daughter, Tahnee.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (56)

Welch waves as she receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (57)

Welch holds a bouquet on the opening night of the Broadway musical "Victor/Victoria" in 1997.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (58)

Welch appears in the 2001 film "Legally Blonde."

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (59)

"Good Morning America" host Robin Roberts holds up a copy of Welch's autobiography, "Beyond the Cleavage," as they discuss the book in 2010.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (60)

Welch attends the premiere of the 2017 film "How to Be a Latin Lover" with director Ken Marino, left, and co-stars Rob Corddry, Rob Lowe, Raphael Alejandro and Eugenio Derbez. It was Welch's last film credit.

In pictures: Actress Raquel Welch

In 1967, following the instant success of “Fantastic Voyage” and “One Million Years, B.C.,” Welch starred as Lilian Lust in “Bedazzled,” a film that was later remade in 2000 starring Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser.

The Chicago-born actress went on to star as Constance de Bonacieux in the 1973 movie “The Three Musketeers.” Welch won a best actress Golden Globe award for her performance, and reprised her role as de Bonacieux in the 1974 sequel “The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge.”

Other notable roles for Welch include the titular role in 1970’s “Myra Breckinridge,” in which she played a trans actress.

In the 90s, Welch appeared in various sitcoms, including “Seinfeld,” where she played herself as a nod to the legendary diva she had become. Welch also appeared in “Spin City,” “Evening Shade” and “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.”

Welch’s iconic roles continued into the turn of the century. The Hollywood legend appeared in 2001’s “Legally Blonde” alongside Reese Witherspoon and portrayed Mrs. Windham Vandermark, ex-wife of the late Hayworth Windham, whose murder Witherspoon’s Elle Woods helps solve.

Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (61)

Raquel Welch waves as she sits in front of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996 in Hollywood.

As the momentum pushed forth for Welch, the “sex symbol” moniker also continued to stick around.

“Part of being a sex symbol is very flattering and it does help you get success in the business - but only to a point,” Welch said in an interview with Cinema.com around the release of her 2001 film “Tortilla Soup,” adding that “it does cloud people’s imagination.”

“They just can’t see you being able to do anything else.”

Welch’s final professional credit came in 2017, where the icon starred as Rosa, the mother-in-law of a single dad, in UPtv’s “Date My Dad.”

Welch also dedicated time to a career as an entrepreneur, which included jewelry, skincare and wig lines.

The star leaves behind her two children, son Damon Welch and her daughter Tahnee Welch, according to her manager’s statement.

CNN’s Brian Lowry contributed to this report.

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Raquel Welch, ‘Fantastic Voyage’ star, has died at age 82 | CNN (2024)

In pictures: Actress Raquel Welch

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