Raquel Welch: Hollywood star dies at the age of 82

The US actor became a worldwide sex symbol after appearing in a deerskin bikini in "One Million Years BC" in the 1960s. Her manager said she died peacefully after "a brief illness."

American actor Raquel Welch who skyrocketed to fame as an international sex symbol following an appearance in a deerskin bikini in the film "One Million Years BC" passed away Wednesday at the age of 82, her manager said.

Though she had but a few lines of dialogue, images of her in the bikini made her an internationally renowned pin-up.

Welch was born Jo Raquel Tejada on September 5, 1940 in Chicago to a Bolivian aeronautical engineer and his American wife.

The career of Raquel Welch

Welch began her career with brief parts in minor films, including the 1964 musical feature "Roustabout" starring Elvis Presley. She went on to star in over 30 films including "Fantastic Voyage" and "The Three Musketeers," which earned her a Golden Globe.

She worked with Hollywood legends including James Stewart, Frank Sinatra, John Huston and Burt Reynolds.

The New York Times described her in 1967 as "a marvelous breathing monument to womankind" while Playboy magazine said she was "the most desired woman of the 1970s."

In her 2010 autobiography, Beyond the Cleavage, she wrote that "all else would be eclipsed by this bigger-than-life sex symbol."

Welch on TV and Broadway

She was also nominated for a Globe in 1988 for the TV movie "Right to Die." She appeared in 50 television shows in a career that spanned half a century.

In addition to acting, Welch was a singer and dancer. She surprised many critics and won positive reviews when she starred in the 1981 musical "Woman of the Year" on Broadway, replacing a vacationing Lauren Bacall. 

A lover of yoga, Welch also launched herself into the business of wellbeing, publishing her "Total Beauty and Fitness" program in 1984.

(Source: DW)