Trivia

Revealed that her first marriage was the best of her four.

She was a cousin of Lidia Gueiler, who was President of Bolivia, from 1979 to 1980, and was the country's first female head of state; and of general Luis García Meza, who was the subsequent President of Bolivia, from 1980 to 1981. She was also a niece of economist and politician José Luis Tejada Sorzano, another Bolivian president.

Raquel Welch kicks men in the groin in 15 of her films, more than any other living actress.

She was crowned Miss La Jolla and Miss Southern California before dropping out of college in San Diego, California where she had an acting scholarship, to get married to her high-school sweetheart, James Welch, at age 18.

Her impressive figure gave the impression that she was rather tall and statuesque. She was actually about 5' 6".

Dated football player Joe Namath; Paramount executive Robert Evans; actors Warren Beatty, Richard Burton, Sean Connery and Freddie Prinze; musicians Bob Dylan and Alice Cooper; and costume designers Bob Moore Jr. and Ron Talsky.

Had a notorious backstage feud with the indomitable Mae West on the set of Myra Breckinridge (1970).

Worked as a cocktail waitress, TV weather girl and fashion model before acting.

Was considered for the lead in Barbarella (1968) - that eventually went to Jane Fonda.

Broke her wrist in a Los Angeles car crash. (August 30, 2003)

Was promoted as a sex symbol by her then-husband Patrick Curtis, a film producer and Hollywood press agent formerly engaged to Linda Evans.

Among her many beauty contest titles were "Miss Photogenic", "Miss Contour" and "Miss Maid of California" - all won while she was in her teens.

20th Century Fox wanted her to change her name to Debbie Welch, because they thought Raquel was too difficult to pronounce.

After Welch starred in Un million d'années avant J.C. (1966) for Hammer Films, they planned a vehicle for her called Mistress of the Seas, a biopic of 18th century pirate Anne Bonney, "The true story of Anne Bonney who slashed her way to fame and fortune alongside the most dreaded scourges of the Caribbean!" This was canned for financial reasons. Surviving poster artwork depicts Welch with a pistol in one hand and a cutlass in the other, very scantily clad.

Has appeared with Christopher Lee in four films: Un Beatle au paradis (1969), Un colt pour 3 salopards (1971), Les trois mousquetaires (1973) and On l'appelait Milady (1974).

Was considered for the title role in Norma Rae (1979) but Sally Field was cast instead (she went on to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her performance and won).

Auditioned for the role of Mary Ann on L'île aux naufragés (1964).

Second husband, producer Patrick Curtis, reportedly was one of several infants who took turns playing the baby of Olivia de Havilland in Autant en emporte le vent (1939).

Dated champion boxer Gary Stretch when she was 56 and he was 31. Gary was younger than her two children, Damon Welch and Tahnee Welch. Raquel was also born the same year as Gary's father, Ron Stretch. Their brief romance ended because of their age difference. (1996)

In 1970, she accepted the Oscar for "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" on behalf of Goldie Hawn, who wasn't present at the awards ceremony.

She was fired from Rue de la sardine (1982) and replaced by Debra Winger. She then sued Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and won a $10 million judgment.

She was the daughter of Josephine Sarah (Hall) and Armando Carlos Tejada-Urquizo. Her father was from La Paz, Bolivia, with Spanish ancestry. Her mother was from Chicago, and was mostly of English heritage, with deep roots in New England, and ancestry from the Mayflower.

Is the 21st great-granddaughter of King Edward I.

As of 2013, celebrity spokesperson for Foster Grant sunglasses since the 1960s.

She was one of the pin-ups on the cell in Les Évadés (1994). The other two were Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe.

Kept her heritage under wraps until she was established.

Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Ten months after the large age gap brought her relationship with Gary Stretch to an end, she hooked up with Los Angeles restaurateur Richie Palmer, who is 14 years her junior. Richard left his fiancée, actress Cathy Moriarty for Raquel after they met in October 1997 at Ago, the West Hollywood restaurant owned by Robert De Niro.

Has a younger brother, James Stanford Tejada, and a younger sister, Gayle Carole Tejada, an ovarian cancer survivor.

Turned down roles in La Vallée des poupées (1967), Alice n'est plus ici (1974), Lenny (1974), La tour infernale (1974), and Héros (1977).

Was named "The Worst Actress of All Time" in Harry Medved and Michael Medved's 1980 book "The Golden Turkey Awards", beating out Candice Bergen, Mamie Van Doren, and even Vera Ralston. Interestingly, her co-star in Barbe-bleue (1972), Richard Burton, was named "The Worst Actor of All Time" in the same book.

Her grunting in Un million d'années avant J.C. (1966) was dubbed by Nikki Van der Zyl.

Partly credited with ending Hollywood's run in the late 1960s of promoting the "Blonde Bombshell".

Graduated from La Jolla High School, La Jolla, California. (June 1958)

Has appeared with Sybil Danning in four films: Barbe-bleue (1972), Les trois mousquetaires (1973), On l'appelait Milady (1974) and Le prince et le pauvre (1977).

Mentioned in the song "Glory of the '80s" by Tori Amos, and in John Lennon's "We're All Water".

Her favorite fashion designer was Bob Mackie who had worked with her for over 50 years.

In 2010 she started a relationship with American Idol: The Search for a Superstar (2002) producer Nigel Lythgoe following Lythgoe's split from Priscilla Presley, who was linked to Raquel's ex-husband, Richie Palmer, that same year.

Former flame Ron Talsky designed her clothes for the films Kansas City Bomber (1972) and Les Invitations dangereuses (1973).

Is one of 23 actresses who did not receive an Oscar nomination for their Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical Golden Globe-winning performance; hers being for Les trois mousquetaires (1973). The others, in chronological order, are: June Allyson for Too Young to Kiss (1951), Ethel Merman for Appelez-moi madame (1953), Jean Simmons for Blanches colombes et vilains messieurs (1955), Taina Elg and Kay Kendall for Les Girls (1957), Marilyn Monroe for Certains l'aiment chaud (1959), Rosalind Russell for A Majority of One (1961) and Gypsy, vénus de Broadway (1962), Patty Duke for Moi Nathalie (1969), Twiggy for The Boy Friend (1971), Barbra Streisand for Une étoile est née (1976), Bernadette Peters for Tout l'or du ciel (1981), Kathleen Turner for À la poursuite du diamant vert (1984) and L'honneur des Prizzi (1985), Miranda Richardson for Avril enchanté (1991), Jamie Lee Curtis for True Lies : Le Caméléon (1994), Nicole Kidman for Prête à tout (1995), Madonna for Evita (1996), Renée Zellweger for Nurse Betty (2000), Sally Hawkins for Be Happy (2008), Amy Adams for Big Eyes (2014), Awkwafina for L'Adieu (2019), Rosamund Pike for I Care a Lot (2020) and Rachel Zegler for West Side Story (2021).

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#18). (1995)

Suffered a mid-trimester miscarriage in February 1983. The baby was due in August.

Her third ex-husband, André Weinfeld, had a property on the private island of Mustique.

Miss Fairest of the Fair, San Diego, Ca. (1957)

Met André Weinfeld, who became her third husband when she was filming L'animal (1977) in Paris.

Son Damon Welch married the daughter of England and Yorkshire cricket legend Fred Trueman.

Estranged husband Richie Palmer owns the Mulberry Street Pizzeria in Beverly Hills.

Mentioned in the theme song of the 1980s television series L'homme qui tombe à pic (1981).

Born at 2:04pm-CDT.

Has a stepson, Richie Palmer Jr., born 1989.