In the '80s and '90s, Tahnee Welch appeared in big films like Cocoon — then
she disappeared. So what has Raquel Welch's daughter been up to lately?
Tahnee Welch may be the child of a Hollywood icon, but she's an accomplished actress in her own
right. Appearing in both Cocoon and its sequel, Cocoon: The Return, back in the '80s, Welch went
on to star in several projects throughout the years, including I Shot Andy Warhol in 1996.
While Welch's later roles never quite managed to capture the public's attention
the way the two earlier films did, she did tackle a fair share of modeling work,
popping up in major publications like Vogue, Marie Claire, and Interview, among others. And
while she might not have earned the bombshell reputation that her mother achieved, Welch did
pose for the November 1995 edition of Playboy, something her mother also did back in 1979.
Tahnee Welch may have been busy throughout the '80s and '90s with work in the entertainment
industry, but she's seemingly been selective about the jobs she's taken on in recent years.
Her only credit past 1999 is her role in the 2016 sci-fi/thriller 2 Lava 2 Lantula! – the sequel
to 2015's Lavalantula. Welch plays herself in the TV movie alongside Steve Guttenberg,
who the actress first worked with on Cocoon back in 1985.
While her mother Raquel Welch was still spotted out and about by paparazzi every now and then
until her death, a Tahnee sighting is relatively rare these days. And not much is known about how
she's filling her time now that she's no longer gracing the silver screen. During
the early 1990s, Welch was linked to I Shot Andy Warhol co-star Jared Harris,
but the current status of her love life is unknown. So what has she been up to lately?
First, let's go back to the beginning. Tahnee Welch was born on December 26,
1961. Raquel Welch's role as a new mom coincided with her burgeoning career. She
drew recognition with her performances in the 1966 films Fantastic Voyage
and One Million Years B.C. The latter film marked a major turning point for Raquel. She
played a cavewoman in the film, donning a fur bikini and quickly becoming a media sensation.
But it was tough balancing motherhood and work. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey,
Raquel talked about the challenges of being a mother in the entertainment industry. She said,
"When I'm running around the world and being Miss Sex Symbol and having this big career in
film and everything and I'm running from place to place, I couldn't always be with my children
when I wanted to be. Eventually, I could see that this was taking its toll on my kids."
"I was so tired I didn't know who I was or what I was."
Yet, over the years, she focused on mending her relationship with her kids. She noted
that she took more initiative towards having a closer relationship with them,
and it certainly helped. Raquel told Oprah,
"Little by little, the disappointment or the lack of confidence they had in me melted away."
On multiple occasions, Raquel Welch has discussed her close dynamic with her kids,
Damon and Tahnee. In an excerpt from her memoir Beyond the Cleavage, she wrote,
"Fortunately, my children and I have a good relationship,
and they're still my great joy. My son, Damon, became a computer consultant engineer,
and my daughter, Tahnee, a talented actress known for her role in 'Cocoon.'"
She also called her children "a source of pride and hope" in the book, adding,
"Now if they'll just give me grandchildren,
I'll be complete. That's an ambition of mine only they can fulfill."
Raquel's dreams to be a grandparent were not fulfilled, as neither Damon or Tahnee
had kids of their own. However, the actor did have a daughter-in-law at one point. In 1990,
Damon tied the knot with Rebecca Trueman, daughter of famous British cricket player
Fred Trueman. They split after two years of marriage. On the other hand,
Tahnee never got married. In addition to her romantic ties with Jared Harris,
she also dated actor Luca Palanca in the '90s. Tahnee was employed at Palanca's family
restaurant, Joe & Joe's Pizzeria, which is where she was introduced to Palanca.