Raquel Welch is of Spanish descent through her father.
Welch is an American actress. She became well known for her role in Fantastic Voyage, after which she won a contract with 20th Century Fox.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Welch had the feeling to be a performer and entertainer. She started studying ballet at age seven, but after ten years of study, she left the art at seventeen.
Welch graduated with honors from high school in 1958. Seeking an acting career, she entered San Diego State College on a theater arts scholarship.
She won several parts in local theater productions. In 1959, she played the title role in The Ramona Pageant, a yearly outdoor play at Hemet, California, which is based on the novel Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson.
Her rise to stardom in the mid-1960s was partly credited with ending Hollywood’s vigorous promotion of the blonde bombshell.
She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy in 1974 for her performance in The Three Musketeers.
She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Television Film for her performance in the film Right to Die (1987).
In 1995, Welch was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the “100 Sexiest Stars in Film History”. Playboy ranked Welch No. 3 on their “100 Sexiest Stars of the Twentieth Century” list.