Sunday, October 24, 2010

Remembering... Raúl Juliá

Born in Puerto Rico in March 1940, Raúl Juliá was both a gifted dramatic and comedic actor; married since 1976 to Meryl Poloway, he was the father of two sons (Raul, born in 1983, and Benjamin, born in 1987).

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketHis breakthrough dramatic role was in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), opposite William Hurt and Sonia Braga; it was his comedic turn as Gomez Addams in The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993), though, that made him a household name - at least around this household!.

Diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1991, Juliá went out of his way to conceal his illness; in fact, for his fans - myself included - the news that he'd suffered a stroke 8 days before he died (on this day in 1994) was nearly as much a shock as his death itself, even though his illness had been apparent for some time, and was the subject of much speculation by tabloid television.
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2 comments:

lcdseattle said...

I loved Raul's work. A great guy. It's too bad that his last move 1994's Street Fighter was such a joke.

michael sean morris said...

That is often the way. Bette Davis' last movie was called "Wicked Stepmother", and it really stunk up the place.