Welch was born as Jo Raquel Tejada on September 5, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois. 2.3 1980–present day: subsequent to current projects.2.1 1964–1966: Early works and breakthrough.2 in its "Hottest Women of All Time" list. 3 on their "100 Sexiest Stars of the Twentieth Century" list. In 1995, Welch was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History". She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Television Film for her performance in the film Right to Die (1987). She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical or Comedy in 1974 for her performance in The Three Musketeers. Her rise to stardom in the mid-1960s was partly credited with ending Hollywood's vigorous promotion of the blonde bombshell. Through her portrayal of strong female characters, which helped in her breaking the mold of the traditional sex symbol, Welch developed a unique film persona that made her an icon of the 1960s and 1970s. She made several television variety specials. She later starred in Bedazzled (1967), Bandolero! (1968), 100 Rifles (1969), Myra Breckinridge (1970) and Hannie Caulder (1971). Although she had only three lines of dialogue in the film, images of her in the doe-skin bikini became best-selling posters that turned her into an international sex symbol. They lent her contract to the British studio Hammer Film Productions, for whom she made One Million Years B.C. She first won attention for her role in Fantastic Voyage (1966), after which she won a contract with 20th Century Fox. Raquel Welch (born Jo Raquel Tejada September 5, 1940) is an American actress.