Jo Raquel Tejada, Bolivian father and Irish-American mother, was an actress and international sex symbol born in 1940 in Chicago.
She became known worldwide under the surname of her first husband, James Welch, father of her two children, David and Tawnee.
Raquel Welch was born Jo Raquel Tejada on 05 September 1940 in Chicago, Illinois, the first of three children born to Bolivian Armando Carlos Tejada Urquizo - an aerospace engineer - and his Irish-American wife Josephine Sarah Hall, who was the daughter of American architect Emery Stanford Hall (1869-1939) and his wife Clara Louise Adams. The family moved to San Diego, California, (her father was transferred) when Raquel was only two. She didn't initially aspire to the movie stardom and sex symbol status she ultimately achieved. Her first love was actually ballet. From age seven to 17, she gave her all to ballet lessons only to be heartbroken when her instructor insisted that she didn't have the figure for it.
A breathtaking beauty, not without humor and charm, she became famous in 1966 for her role as the half-naked Amazon in ‘One million years B.C.’, a film that not only catapulted her to fame but also stimulated the libido of modern men like Marilyn or Jane Mansfield.
Welch only spoke a few lines in the film, but it was her look — a simple, skimpy buckskin bikini — that made her a sex symbol, the pin-up of the era. From there, the actress exploded into one of the most sought-after female stars of the 1960s and 1970s.
Also in 1966, she played the only female character in Richard Fleischer's successful science fiction film ‘Fantastic voyage’, starring Stephen Boyd.
In 1967 her role as a sex symbol was further enhanced by her appearances in Leslie H. Martinson's ‘Fathom’, opposite Anthony Franciosa and in Stanley Donen's ‘Bedazzled’, starring Dudley Moore and Peter Cook.
During the 1970s, Welch skillfully navigated the challenges of typecasting by pursuing diverse roles that demonstrated her versatility and depth. Around 1971, she starred in ‘Hannie Caulder’, filmed in Spain, portraying a vengeful gunslinger in a role that inspired later cinematic heroines. Her appearances in ‘The three Musketeers’ in 1973 and ‘The four Musketeers’ in 1974 earned her a Golden Globe Award, marking her transition from pin-up icon to respected actress.
The stunning beauty of Raquel Welch.
By the late 1970s, she was a dominant figure in American popular culture, often photographed in New York, Paris and Rome, attending premieres and fashion galas alongside Hollywood legends. Her charisma and elegance made her a fixture in both entertainment and fashion, influencing designers and photographers alike.
Welch also won awards for her beauty, with Empire Magazine naming her one of the 100 sexiest stars in film history in 1995 and Playboy declaring she was the third sexiest actress of the 20th Century.
When she passed away in 2023, the world remembered her not only as a screen siren but as a woman of remarkable strength, sophistication and timeless allure.
Raquel Welch - Ferrari 275 GTS.
Raquel Welch received a dark blue 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS Spider as a gift after starring in the 1967 spy film 'Fathom'. The iconic actress loved the V-12 convertible and drove it regularly until selling it in 1975.
The convertible was used extensively during filming in Europe and became a staple in her promotional photo shoots. The 275 GTS — a Pininfarina-designed roadster — features a 3.3-liter V-12 engine and independent suspension. Because only around 200 units were ever produced, original models are highly collectible and have been valued in the multi-million dollar range at classic car auctions.
Raquel Welch and her Ferrari 275 GTS.
Some girls have all the luck. They get paid pretty well for acting roles that seem not too difficult to play. And they even get a brand new bonus Ferrari on top of that, too. It supposedly happened to Raquel Welch after having accomplished the role of a bikini-clad secret agent (‘the most uncovered undercover agent’…) in the 1967 movie ‘Fathom’. A superb car to drive from one film set to the other. And why not use it as a backdrop for a photo shoot, too?
Raquel Welch with her Ferrari 275 GTS Spyder.
What's better to celebrate summer than a barefooted Raquel Welch leaning on her 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS? Both the actress and the car starred in the 1967 movie ‘Fathom’.
The rare Ferrari Convertible Raquel Welch fell in love with on set. By Dave McQuilling on February 15, 2023.
Raquel Welch standing next to a Ferrari 275 GTS.
Raquel Welch has died at the age of 82 after a brief illness, according to TMZ.
Off the screen, Welch leaves behind two children, Tahnee and Damon Welch and was married four times. Her ex-husbands were James Welch, Patrick Curtis, Andre Weinfeld and Richard Palmer with her last marriage ending in 2004. Like her marriages, her relationship with an iconic Ferrari only lasted a few years — but it's likely something Welch would have remembered fondly.
Welch fell in love with a rare vintage Ferrari: 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS. It is a coveted classic with added mystique and allure.
One of Welch's motoring loves was a Ferrari 275 GTS. It's a beautiful roadster, styled by Pininfarina and built with the American market in mind. The blue beauty features a naturally aspirated 3.3-liter short-block V12 capable of producing 256 horsepower and getting the roadster up to 150 miles per hour. That power goes through a five-speed manual transmission, so we know Welch could comfortably drive stick.
The cream leather interior of the 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS.
You may also love the Ferrari 275 GTS, but unlike Welch, you're unlikely to ever see one — never mind get your hands on one. Ferrari is known for its very limited runs, often amounting to just a few hundred vehicles. Even when they're new, they're impossible to get hold of without the right connections. With vintage cars, the numbers then dwindle further as cars are lost to crashes, careless owners and various other causes. The 275 GTS is no exception, with only 200 examples being built. One was listed last year for between $1.6 million and $2 million.
Raquel Welch in passenger sit of car in a scene from the 1967 film 'Fathom'. Photo by 20th Century - Fox / Getty Images.
Welch didn't have to pay for hers. It was her ride in one of her most famous movies, the espionage-based comedy ‘Fathom’. The Ferrari 275 GTS was gifted to her by the movie's director when filming wrapped, according to Classic Driver. Welch drove the Italian convertible for a number of years before parting ways with it.
Raquel Welch in passenger sit of car in a scene from the 1967 film 'Fathom'.
How Raquel Welch charmed her way into a multi-million dollar Ferrari – for free. By Drive Team on 16 February 2023.
Hollywood icon Raquel Welch didn't just sizzle on screen, she was a shrewd negotiator and managed to score a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS Spider as a 'thanks' for starring in a pretty ordinary movie.
A 1967 film centred around a female skydiver who is asked to help a British secret agent recover a nuclear weapon's trigger hidden in an antique Chinese statue didn't earn its star, Hollywood icon Raquel Welch, much critical acclaim. However, it did earn her a spectacular bonus.
In the film, Welch's titular character, ‘Fathom’, drives a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS Spider, one of just 200 ever made.
The star reportedly enjoyed driving the car so much that following some impressive negotiation and a whole lot of charm, Welch managed to finish the film's production with the keys to the Spider in her hand, a gift from the film's director, Leslie Martinson.
Perhaps more amazing is the story that Welch, with fewer than 10 films on her resume at the time, fell out with the director on the first day of production and never spoke to him again.
Raquel Welch in passenger sit of car in a scene from the 1967 film 'Fathom'.
Despite this, the Ferrari was a considerable windfall as every way you look at it, the 275 Spider was an expensive choice.
When new, the 275 GTS was priced from $US14,500, which at local inflation rates is the equivalent of $AU 340,000.
Powered by a 3.3-litre V12 with six Weber twin-choke carburetors, the 275 produced 190kW at a sonorous 7000rpm. It was impressively modern for its time too, with disc brakes on all four wheels, a five-speed manual transmission and independent suspension at all four corners.
Welch owned the 275 Spider, finished in Tour de France Blue over cream leather, for a number of years before it was sold to a couple in California who kept it for the next 30-odd years. It was then sold to a collector in France where it was fully restored to its 1960s on-screen glory.
Photo gallery
Portrait of Raquel Welch in 1960.
Portrait of Raquel Welch in 1960. Photo by Herbert Dorfman / Corbis via Getty Images.
Portrait of Raquel Welch in mini skirt.
Portrait of Raquel Welch in mini skirt.
Portrait of Raquel Welch circa 1960. Photo by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation / Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty Images.
Raquel Welch in 1960s.
Raquel Welch.
Raquel Welch in 1960s.
Raquel Welch with an orange one-piece swimsuit.
Raquel Welch with a one-piece swimsuit in 1960s.
Raquel Welch stunning in bikini stretching upwards hands in air.
Raquel Welch in a bikini.
Raquel Welch in a bikini.
Raquel Welch in a bikini.
Raquel Welch in a bikini.
Raquel Welch in a red bikini in 1960.
Raquel Welch lying on the beach in a bikini.
Raquel Welch lying on the beach in a bikini.
Raquel Welch lying down upon green grass with her yellow bikini on in 1965.
Raquel Welch in the mid 1960s.
Raquel Welch barefoot in bikini pin up pose circa 1966. Photo by Screen Archives / Getty Images.
Raquel Welch posing in a yellow bikini on the beach circa 1966. Photo by Screen Archives / Getty Images.
In the back seat of a car, American actor and model Raquel Welch aims a squirt gun and sprays a man outside the car window in Rome, Italy, in July 1966. Photo by Steve Schapiro / Corbis via Getty Images.
American actress and model Raquel Welch poses in front of a Ferrari and a Rolls Royce in a driveway in Rome, Italy, in July 1966. Photo by Steve Schapiro / Corbis via Getty Images.
A poster for the US release of Richard Fleischer's 1966 science fiction film 'Fantastic voyage', starring Raquel Welch. Photo by Movie Poster Image Art / Getty Images.
Raquel Welch in the film ‘Fantastic voyage’ in 1966.
Raquel Welch in the film ‘One million years B.C.’ in 1966.
Raquel Welch in the film ‘One million years B.C.’ in 1966.
Raquel Welch in the film ‘One million years B.C.’ in 1966.
Raquel Welch in a white bikini in the film ‘One million years B.C.’ in 1966.
Raquel Welch leaving London airport for Berlin wearing her baby leopard skin coat over a mini skirt on 03 January 1967. She is going for two to three weeks to make a film called 'The oldest profession'. Photo by Staff / Mirrorpix via Getty Images.
American actress Raquel Welch, circa 1967. Photo by Silver Screen Collection / Getty Images.
Raquel Welch in 1967 in Malaga in the film ‘Fathom’.
Raquel Welch sitting in a train compartment. She is in Malaga, Spain, to shoot the film ‘Fathom’ in 1967. Photo by Pierluigi Praturlon / Reporters Associati & Archivi / Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images.
Raquel Welch.
Raquel Welch in 1967 in the film ‘Fathom’.
Raquel Welch in 1967 in the film ‘Fathom’.
Raquel Welch in 1967 in the film ‘Fathom’.
Raquel Welch lying on a couch wearing a white bikini in the film 'Fathom' in 1967. Photo by Screen Archives / Getty Images.
Raquel Welch wearing a yellow bikini in the film 'Fathom' in 1967.
Raquel Welch wearing a bikini in the film 'Fathom' in 1967.
Raquel Welch wearing a bikini in the film 'Fathom' in 1967.
Raquel Welch wearing a white bikini.
Raquel Welch wearing a green bikini in the film 'Fathom' in 1967.
Raquel Welch wearing a yellow bikini.
Raquel Welch in the film 'Bedazzled' in 1967.
Raquel Welch.
Raquel Welch wearing a bikini in the film 'Bedazzled' in 1967.
Raquel Welch wearing a bikini in the film 'Bedazzled' in 1967.
Emerging from a sea of red-hot money bags is the mermaid magnificent Raquel Welch, bearing a few coins of her own. Raquel is here to star in MGM's ‘The biggest bundle of them all’ in 1968.
Raquel Welch in the film ‘The biggest bundle of them all’ in 1968.
American actress Raquel Welch wearing a bikini on the set of 'The biggest bundle of them all', directed by Ken Annakin, in 1968. Photo by Silver Screen Collection / Getty Images.
Portrait of actress Raquel Welch lying in a boat wearing a bathing suit on the set of 'The biggest bundle of them all' in 1968. Photo by Keystone Pictures.
Raquel Welch emerging from a swimming pool on the set of 'The biggest bundle of them all' in 1968.
Raquel Welch wearing a bikini on the set of 'The biggest bundle of them all' in 1968.
Raquel Welch wearing a bikini on the set of 'The biggest bundle of them all' in 1968.
Raquel Welch in late 60s.
Raquel Welch in a bikini in 1968.
Raquel Welch in 1968.
Portrait of actress Raquel Welch on 09 August 1968. Photo by Fox Photos / Hulton Archive / Getty Images.
Raquel Welch with a 1968 Volvo P1800.
Raquel Welch with a 1968 Volvo P1800.
Raquel Welch's midriff on 01 March 1969. Photo by Douglas Kirkland / Corbis via Getty Images.
Film star Raquel Welch at Heathrow airport, getting out of a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. Miss Welch has just finished shooting her latest picture 'Flare up', a suspense-thriller on 17 April 1969. Photo by Victor Crawshaw / Mirrorpix via Getty Images.
Raquel Welch portrayed a provocative dominatrix in the film ‘The magic Christian’ in 1969.
Raquel Welch as Mistress of the whip in the satire ‘The magic Christian' in 1969.
Raquel Welch in the film ‘The magic Christian’ in 1969.
Raquel Welch.
Another classic poster from the late 60's early 70's. Raquel Welch had the perfect hourglass figure.
Raquel Welch in 1970.
Raquel Welch 1970 style.
Raquel Welch.
Raquel Welch.
Raquel Welch.
Raquel Welch in the film ‘Hannie Caulder’ in 1971.
Raquel Welch in the film ‘Hannie Caulder’ in 1971.
Raquel Welch in the film ‘Hannie Caulder’ in 1971.
Raquel Welch in the film ‘The last of Sheila’ in 1973.
Raquel Welch in the film ‘The last of Sheila’ in 1973. Photo by Everett Collection.
Raquel Welch in a bikini in the film ‘The last of Sheila’ in 1973.
Raquel Welch in a bikini in the film ‘The last of Sheila’ in 1973.
Raquel Welch in a bikini in the film ‘The last of Sheila’ in 1973.
Raquel Welch.
Raquel Welch on the set of the film ‘The three Musketeers’ in 1973.
American actress Raquel Welch in a bikini on a beach in the Côte d'Azur in June 1974. Photo by Giancarlo Botti / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
Raquel Welch on a carousel in the Côte d'Azur in June 1974. Photo by Giancarlo Botti / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
Raquel Welch on a carousel in the Côte d'Azur in June 1974. Photo by Giancarlo Botti / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
Raquel Welch on a carousel in the Côte d'Azur in June 1974. Photo by Giancarlo Botti / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
American actress Raquel Welch in Paris, France, in February 1976. Photo by Giancarlo Botti / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
American actress Raquel Welch in Paris, France, in February 1976. Photo by Giancarlo Botti / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
American actress Raquel Welch in France in February 1976. Photo by Giancarlo Botti / Getty Images.
American actress Raquel Welch in France in February 1976. Photo by Giancarlo Botti / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
American actress Raquel Welch in France in February 1976. Photo by Giancarlo Botti / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
American actress Raquel Welch in France in February 1976. Photo by Giancarlo Botti / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
Actress Raquel Welch with a white one-piece swimsuit in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on 01 June 1980.
Actress Raquel Welch with a black one-piece swimsuit in Cannes, France, in 1980s.
American actress Raquel Welch does gymnastics on 01 September 1981. Photo by Tony Kent / Sygma via Getty Images.
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