Raul Julia

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Juliá and the second or maternal family name is Arcelay.

Raul Julia
Julia as Dracula (1977)
Born
Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay

(1940-03-09)March 9, 1940
Floral Park, San Juan, Puerto Rico
DiedOctober 24, 1994(1994-10-24) (aged 54)
Manhasset, New York, U.S.
Resting placeBuxeda Memorial Park Cemetery, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Education
Occupations
  • Actor
  • humanitarian
Years active1963–1994
Spouses
Magda Vasallo Molinelli
​
​
(m. 1965; div. 1969)​
Merel Poloway
​
(m. 1976)​
Children2
Signature
Raúl Juliá signature

Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. He was known for his intense and varied roles on stage and screen. He started his career in the Public Theatre before transitioning to film. He received numerous accolades including a Drama Desk Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and nominations for four Tony Awards. In 2017, The Daily Telegraph named him one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.[1]

Born in San Juan, Julia took an interest in acting while in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After performing locally for some time, he was convinced by the actor and entertainment personality Orson Bean to move to New York City.[2] Julia, who had been bilingual since childhood, soon gained interest in Broadway and Off-Broadway plays. He performed in mobile projects, including the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater. Julia was eventually noticed by producer Joseph Papp, who offered him work in the New York Shakespeare Festival.[2]

In 1978, Julia starred alongside Meryl Streep in a revival of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew at the Delacorte Theater.[3] He received four Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical nominations for Two Gentlemen of Verona (1972), Where's Charley? (1975), The Threepenny Opera (1977), and Nine (1982). Julia starred in the original Broadway production of Harold Pinter's Betrayal (1979). He also starred in revivals of Design for Living (1984), Othello (1991), and his final Broadway role Man of La Mancha (1994).[4][5]

Julia gained prominence for his role as Gomez Addams in two film adaptations of The Addams Family.[6] He received Golden Globe Award nominations for Tempest (1982), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), and Moon Over Parador (1988). He is also known for his film roles in The Panic in Needle Park (1971), One from the Heart (1982), The Morning After (1986), Romero (1989) and Presumed Innocent (1990). In 1994, Julia suffered several health afflictions, eventually dying after suffering a stroke. For his work in The Burning Season he was posthumously awarded a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries, or Television Film.[7][8][9]

  1. ^ Robey, Tim (February 1, 2016). "20 great actors who've never been nominated for an Oscar". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference pbs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Raúl Juliá and Meryl Streep Go Head-to-Head". PBS.org. September 9, 2019. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  4. ^ "Raul Juliá - Timelines". PBS. September 3, 2019. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "Design for Living - Broadway". IBDB.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference PBSTimeline was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Widow Accepts Emmy for Late Raul Juliá". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  8. ^ "Winners & Nominees - Raul Juliá". goldenglobes.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  9. ^ "THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE". Chicago Tribune. March 27, 1995. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.