Raquel Welch Biography

Fast Facts

• Has won the Miss La Jolla and Miss San Diego beauty pageants
• Originally studied ballet, but gave it up at the age of 17
• Worked as a weather forecaster at a local station in San Diego
• Quote: "(On her iconic bikini costume) "There was never just one bikini․ They made several of them․ They were created by this wonderful costume designer, Carl Toms, and he had to do it in triplicate․․․They had to have several versions of the same costume, and they all had to be form-fitting․ So he literally designed it around me․ Carl just draped me in doe-skin, and I stood there while he worked on it with scissors․""
• Quote: "Once you get rid of the idea that you must please other people before you please yourself, and you begin to follow your own instincts - only then can you be successful․ You become more satisfied, and when you are, other people will tend to be satisfied by what you do․"
• Film executives wanted her to change her name of Debbie because they thought Raquel was "too ethnic," but she refused
• Is a descendant of one of the passengers aboard The Mayflower