US actress Raquel Welch died on Wednesday at the age of 82 after a short illness. Welch, born Jo Raquel Tejada in Chicago in 1940, had her breakthrough in 1966 in the Stone Age hit “A Million Years Before Our Time” – mainly thanks to her tight fur bikini. As cave girl Loana, the then 26-year-old became a sex symbol overnight.
With small roles, Welch had worked his way up the film business in the early 1960s. She was briefly seen as a college student alongside Elvis Presley in the music film King of Hot Rhythms. Welch didn’t have much to say in “A Million Years Before Time” either, but he did have a lot to show. Life magazine declared her the most photographed woman of the year.
The Latina daughter of an American mother and a Bolivian father kept her first husband’s surname even though the relationship quickly fell apart. At the time of the divorce she was only 24 years old and the mother of two small children. Three more marriages followed. In 1999 she said yes to a much younger restaurateur.
Professionally, the actress continued into old age. In the 2017 comedy How to Be a Latin Lover, Welch played a widowed millionaire who is being ensnared by younger men. The age of the former ballet dancer could hardly be seen. By her own admission, she didn’t have to do much for it. All she does is eat well, lead a healthy lifestyle, exercise a little, and take care of her skin, Welch said in 2018.
The actress has worked with Hollywood greats such as James Stewart, Frank Sinatra and Burt Reynolds. She proved her comedic talent in the strip “The Three Musketeers” (1973). She received the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Actress for this performance.
