AMAZING! So successful without....

Like it or not, Raquel Welch will always be Raquel Welch and she has outlasted younger sex symbols. Other think she's untalented but a lot believe she's survived the sex symbol image and is hailed worldwide as a talented actress. After all,it doesn't take luck to last as long as Raquel has, especially in a field where youth is an obsession and actresses her age have very little roles to play.

As for the feuds, a lot of stars don't get along with each other but the difference is nobody talks about it today. A star wouldn't be a star if she or he isn't demanding or difficult and they are in various ways, especially today.

Part of Raquel's appeal is that she's "difficult" which just adds to her mystique.

It takes talent to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress (twice nominated), to have a top Cabaret Act that received great reviews which would eventually lead to her winning over some of New York's toughest critics and breaking box office records on Broadway in "Woman of the Year". This lady is a multitalented Survivor and a smart business woman in my mind (period.)

Are you saying that when you watch and hear her in a film, you sense a good actress? Do you really mean that?

And Broadway is different....perhaps her singing and dancing did impress people,but I am referring to true acting ability.
(Pia Zadora impressed critics too...for awhile)

You're right, Pia Zadora impressed critics for a while. That doesn't make her like Raquel because Raquel has been around for quite a long while. I know you don't like Lauren Bacall too but women with strong personalities have what it takes to have a long career. People unfortunately have to step on a lot of toes to get to be a success, especially in showbusiness.It's even worse for women.As Raquel once said about Bacall, she is what she is and you can take it or leave it.

"No discernible talent"? Give me a break! Raquel IMO has talent, the problem is that too often it got wasted in a lot of wrong choice film parts, or scripts that didn't tap into her talent. In "Fathom" for instance, Raquel should have been made more kick-ass independent, and not having to be rescued by Tony Franciosa, because she has the presence to be believable as someone who could totally hold her own in a big spot. Unfortuantely, too many of the film roles I've seen her in, post OMYBC like "Fathom", "Flareup", or some of the westerns, never allowed her to show this potential.

At the other end of the spectrum, Raquel has had a great touch for light comedy that has also not been properly utilized over the years because the kind of fluffy light comedies that the young Jane Fonda for instance did in her early career ("Sunday In New York", "Any Wednesday" etc.) or most of the films Marilyn Monroe did in her day, were out of vogue with movie audiences by the end of the 60s and early 70s. When she's gotten a chance to show it in "Bedazzled" or "Three Musketeers" she's ended up demonstrating that she has a lot more going for her overall.

Luck had very little to do with it. Raquel's drive, work ethic and talent have kept her going strong for more than four decades. Raquel was also very smart about using her sex goddess image to her advantage without allowing anyone in the business to compromise her principles. She has pretty much done what she felt was right for her vs. what was expected of her. That's where her personal strength and toughness have served her well. While she may not have endeared herself to everyone in Hollywood, she has demonstrated versatility and staying power. Even if she never gets an Oscar, a Tony or an Emmy she has given many good performances in film, television and on stage.

In the beginning, LUCK had alot to do with it; there was nobody that looked like her. She was beautiful and unique.

No, I do not like Lauren Bacall(thanks for remembering), but for a different reason: her personality, not to do with her talent.

(But, isn't what catapulted Farrah Fawcett to fame,luck & beauty?
Critics still do not Fawcett to be a good actress, but mediocre.)

Then perhaps, Welch would be best in a situation comedy, then.
When I watch her in a dramatic role, I do not believe the words she is saying-- I don't fell there is anything behind it.

Once you acheive box-office appeal, there is no stopping you,regardless of talent or lack thereof.