美国国家公共电台 NPR--Raquel Welch, actress and Hollywood sex symbol, dead at 82

Raquel Welch, actress and Hollywood sex symbol, dead at 82

Transcript¹

Raquel Welch, who rose to fame as a sex symbol in the 1960s, has died. She was 82.

Welch's son, Damon, confirmed she died Wednesday at her home in Los Angeles after a brief illness.

"She passed away with no pain," he said. "I'm very proud about what she contributed to society and her career and everything. I'm most proud of her doing the U.S.O tours with Bob Hope during the late 60s and early 70s. We missed Christmas with her for three years while she was doing that. She said that was the hardest thing."

Welch's career started in the 1960s with appearances on TV shows such as The Virginian, McHale's Navy and Bewitched. That paved the way for back-to-back roles in Fantastic Voyage, and One Million Years B.C. That latter role catapulted her to sex symbol status. Welch would go on to star in several films, including 1970's Myra Breckinridge, where she played a trans actress, and The Three Musketeers, which earned her a Golden Globe in 1974 for best actress in a motion picture comedy or musical.

She leaves behind her two children, her son Damon Welch and her daughter, Tahnee Welch.

Welch was born Jo-Raquel Tejada in Chicago, Illinois to a Bolivian father and an American mother.

Though she didn't often discuss her identity in the early years of her career, the actress embraced her Latinidad in the early 2000s, both by speaking openly about her background and by playing Latina roles like Aunt Dora in the PBS show American Family and Hortensia in the film Tortilla Soup.

"Raquel Welch was a screen legend during a time when Latinos rarely were given any work in Hollywood (unless it was a stereotype)," said film critic and Entertainment Weekly editor Yolanda Machado. "She had to hide her identity to succeed, and despite what a heavy weight that may have been to conceal², she triumphed in memorable³ performances that stand as a portal into an entire generation."

Welch told the New York Times in 2002 that though she didn't try to intentionally⁴ cover up her Bolivian heritage, it wasn't a significant part of her culture at home because of her father's attempts to assimilate as much as possible.

"Those people who wanted to make it in the American system found it necessary and desirable to kind of suppress their Latino quality," she explained. "He never spoke⁵ any Spanish in the home, so as not to have us have an accent. We never were in a neighborhood where there were other Latinos around. I didn't know any Latin people."

Welch went on to say that though she partially⁶ resented his erasure⁷ of their background, she understood he was trying to protect the family from facing prejudice and discrimination.

But 40 years into her career, as Latinos made more strides for inclusivity in Hollywood, so did Welch.

"Latinos are here to stay," she said at a National Press Club Luncheon⁸ in 2002. "As citizen Raquel, I'm proud to be Latina."

Political cartoonist and TV writer Lalo Alcaraz said that though Welch's background might have come as a surprise to many, he's honored Latinos can say she belongs to the community.

"We don't have that many stars," Alcaraz said. "Raquel Welch is viewed as one of our stars, and I'm happy and proud about that."

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

3 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

4 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

7 erasure   

n.擦掉，删去；删掉的词；消音；抹音

参考例句：

• The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth. 过去给人擦拭个干净，擦拭的行为又忘了个干净，于是，谎言就变成了真理。 来自英汉文学
• The inspection, modification, replacement or erasure of part of file's contents. 检查、修改、代替或擦去文档内容一部分的过程。 来自互联网

8 luncheon   

n.午宴，午餐，便宴

参考例句：

• We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。
• I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。