(CNN) –– Raquel Welch, a veteran actress who rose to fame in the 1960s films “One Million Years BC” and “Fantastic Voyage,” died Wednesday, according to a statement from her manager, Steve Sauer.
He was 82 years old.
Welch died in Los Angeles after a “brief illness,” the statement said.
The actress, with more than 70 film and television credits, got her start as a model on a variety show, “Hollywood Palace,” and had a small role in the Elvis Presley film “Roustabout” in 1964.
His career took off two years later, with the release of the sci-fi film “Fantastic Voyage,” about a team of scientists shrunk and injected into the body of a seriously ill man, and “One Million Years, BC,” a prehistoric drama that gave Welch the role of the caveman Loana. Photos of her in a leather bikini became the basis of the film’s marketing campaign, and made her a worldwide sex symbol. (The poster later became a central element of the critically acclaimed film “The Shawshank Redemption.”)
In the late 1960s, Raquel Welch landed several starring roles, including in the westerns “Bandolero” and “100 Rifles,” the latter notable for its then-controversial interracial love scene with former football star Jim Brown.
Welch has two children, Damon Welch and Tahnee Welch, according to the statement from his representative.
Brian Lowry contributed to this report.
(CNN) –– Raquel Welch, a veteran actress who rose to fame in the 1960s films “One Million Years BC” and “Fantastic Voyage,” died Wednesday, according to a statement from her manager, Steve Sauer.
He was 82 years old.
Welch died in Los Angeles after a “brief illness,” the statement said.
The actress, with more than 70 film and television credits, got her start as a model on a variety show, “Hollywood Palace,” and had a small role in the Elvis Presley film “Roustabout” in 1964.
His career took off two years later, with the release of the sci-fi film “Fantastic Voyage,” about a team of scientists shrunk and injected into the body of a seriously ill man, and “One Million Years, BC,” a prehistoric drama that gave Welch the role of the caveman Loana. Photos of her in a leather bikini became the basis of the film’s marketing campaign, and made her a worldwide sex symbol. (The poster later became a central element of the critically acclaimed film “The Shawshank Redemption.”)
In the late 1960s, Raquel Welch landed several starring roles, including in the westerns “Bandolero” and “100 Rifles,” the latter notable for its then-controversial interracial love scene with former football star Jim Brown.
Welch has two children, Damon Welch and Tahnee Welch, according to the statement from his representative.
Brian Lowry contributed to this report.
