Are you a fan of Raquel Welch? Without a doubt, she’s one of the
greatest actresses of her generation and she remains a sex symbol to this day. She
was lauded not just for her acting but also for her incredible beauty.
So, which are the best films you can watch to see Raquel
Welch’s incredible acting skills as well as her ravishing beauty?
And how exactly did Raquel Welch start her career in show business and what’s
her legacy today? Her life and career have been incredible and there’s much for us to learn.
Join FactsVerse to learn about the Raquel Welch movies where her beauty is on full display…
RAQUEL’S EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Jo Raquel Tejada was born in Chicago on September 5,
1940. Her father was an immigrant from Bolivia and her name, Raquel, maybe in
commonplace in the United States today but was unique and perhaps even exotic in those days.
When she was only 2 her family moved to California which is where she grew up.
During her teens, she realized she wanted to pursue a career in show business.
While she grew up in San Diego, perhaps the closeness to Los Angeles piqued her
interest in working in the entertainment industry.
She began taking dance classes and as she got a bit older,
she began participating in beauty contests – winning several of them. She later
studied theater at San Diego State College as she hoped to become a Hollywood actress.
She eventually began acting in local theater productions. She
also found a full-time job working as a weather forecaster at KFMB.
It was also during this time that she married her husband James Welch and took on his name.
They had two children together before they separated. Later,
Raquel moved around the country, spending a lot of time in Dallas, Texas.
However, in 1963, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career full-time.
She soon started getting small roles in TV shows and films.
It wasn’t long until the world got to see Raquel Welch – starlet and sex symbol.
Before we tell you more about Raquel Welch’s life and some of her best films where her beauty was on
full display, please like this video and subscribe to FactsVerse for more interesting stories
about pop culture and your favorite celebrities. Now, back to the video…
HANNIE CAULDER
Arguably, one of Raquel Welch’s best films is Hannie Caulder – which was released in 1971.
This was a British Western film that follows a woman, named Hannie Caulder who faces a tragedy
in her life. Her husband gets killed and she gets brutally attacked by the men who killed him.
She doesn’t decide to just move on from this tragic incident, however. She decides to
take revenge on the men. This is perhaps one of the most underrated Western films
ever but is a huge hit among Raquel Welch fans.
It’s one where you’ll see her incredible beauty on full display but also see her being a powerful
actress. In fact, this was one of the many films that inspired Quentin Tarantino to make the Kill
Bill films. It wasn’t lauded by critics, but it became a huge hit in both the UK and the USA.
Raquel’s character remains an inspiration for today’s actresses who want to show off
their beauty and femininity, but also want a great role that exposes their toughness.
Hannie Caulder is a great film for Raquel Welch fans and a
great introduction if you’ve never seen her films before. It’s one of the films
where her beauty is on full display and her acting skills are top-notch.
100 RIFLES
100 Rifles was another Western film that Raquel Welch appeared in. This
was released in 1969 before Hannie Caulder and seems to have been overshadowed by it.
She has a supporting role as Sarita working alongside Burt Reynolds and Jim Brown. The
film was a huge flop for its time and is still dismissed by many fans. But,
we think it’s a classic film and we should certainly revisit it.
The film follows a half-white half-indigenous bank robber
played by Burt Reynolds being chased by an Arizona lawman played by Jim Brown.
The character of Sarita allowed Raquel Welch to show off her ravishing beauty once again.
She put on an effective Spanish accent which we might dismiss today as being painfully inaccurate.
But this is still a fun film to watch and is great for anyone who’s fallen in love with Raquel Welch.
Raquel Welch herself didn’t have the best experience with working on the film. She
and Jim Brown clashed a few times and its perhaps not one of her personal favorites.
Nevertheless, we’d still recommend it to anyone discovering Raquel Welch for the first time.
FANTASTIC VOYAGE
Fantastic Voyage is a science fiction film that was recently revealed in 1966. Raquel Welch was
part of an all-star cast alongside Stephen Boyd, Donald Pleasance, and Edmond O’Brien.
Raquel’s role was as Cora Peterson, a technical assistant – and a gorgeous one at that. This was
one of Raquel’s biggest hits and is easily one of the most popular sci-fi films of the 1960s.
This was one of Raquel Welch’s favorite films of her own and is easily one of her best films.
The film had positive reviews from the critics and was loved by audiences
all over. This was still very early on in Raquel’s career and was one of
the films that were instrumental in crafting her to a sex symbol.
The film inspired a novelization, similar films,
and several TV shows that were inspired by the film’s theme. While this film exploited Raquel
Welch’s excellent acting skills it didn’t shy away of showing her beauty on full display.
If you’re a huge fan of Raquel Welch’s you’ve likely seen this film and should
watch it again. If you’re a newcomer, look it up – after you finish this video!
ONE MILLION YEARS BC
Also released in 1966, One Million Years BC was an adventure film set during
the early stages of humanity in which Raquel Welch tries to survive against
dinosaurs – yes, the film showed humans and dinosaurs living in the same era!
She played the lead role of Loana and became
famous due to the skimpy outfits that she wore throughout the film.
One of the most famous outfits was the fur bikini. Photos of Raquel Welch wearing the fur bikini was
used in the publicity of the film and these images are what helped make Raquel Welch a sex symbol.
The poster of the film where we see Raquel Welch in the fur bikini is where her beauty
I on full display. To this day, it’s one of the most popular photos to identify Raquel Welch.
If you’ve seen the film The Shawshank Redemption,
you’ll also remember that this image was mentioned in the film.
Raquel Welch remembers the film fondly and despite the fact that it has an absurd storyline,
it’s still one of the best films of her career. If you want to see her
raw beauty as well as her unique style of acting, this is the film you want to see.
FUZZ
This is a 1972 action and comedy film which was written by Evan Hunter and based on his novel,
which he wrote under his pen name Ed McBain.
She plays 1 of 4 detectives on a team part of the 87th precinct.
They’re working together to investigate a slew of murders of public officials. This
film was a huge hit and was loved by critics and audiences alike.
This is also considered to be one of Raquel Welch’s best acting roles.
If you want to see her at the pinnacle of her acting talents then you’ll find them here. But,
of course, you’ll also see her beauty on full display.
She remembers this as one of her favorite films and it’s a
great introduction to her film career if you’re a new fan. If you’re a seasoned
fan, then you’ve likely watched Fuzz and if you haven’t – then now’s the time.
But before you do, let’s wrap up by talking about one more film…
FATHOM
Fathom was released in 1967 and was one of the early films that launched
Raquel Welch to stardom. It’s a British spy film in which Raquel plays Fathom
Harvill a skydiver who gets involved with a man claiming to be an agent for NATO.
This film was a flop and even received 0 stars from the late Roger Ebert! But even so, this is a
fun film to watch and there are many scenes where you’ll see Raquel Welch’s beauty on full display.
It’s a really fun film to watch and is great for watching on a Sunday
evening. Perhaps not the best as an introduction to Raquel Welch,
but if you’re a fan of hers, make sure you check the film out if you haven’t already!
While her career has had its ups and downs, Raquel Welch has been a starlet and a sex symbol since
the 1960s. As recently as the 2010s, she received roles in major films and even in her eighties,
she’s still one of the most beautiful women whose ever graced the cinema screen.
OUTRO
So, now let’s hear from you:
Are you a fan of Raquel Welch? Are you a fan of any of the movies in this list?
Here’s what we’d like to know from you:
Do you think that Raquel Welch is still famous today among newer generations?
Or has she been replaced by today’s starlets and sex symbols?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
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