Raul Julia

At 54 years old, Raul Julia has this physical status:

Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor who received international recognition.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school.

Upon completing his studies, Julia decided to pursue a career in acting.

After performing locally for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson Bean to move and work in New York City.

Julia, who had been bilingual since his childhood, soon gained interest in Broadway and Off-Broadway plays.

He took over the role of Orson in the Off-Broadway hit Your Own Thing, a rock musical updating of Twelfth Night.

He performed in mobile projects, including the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater. Julia was eventually noticed by Joseph Papp, who offered him work in the New York Shakespeare Festival.

After gaining visibility, he received roles in two television series, Love of Life and Sesame Street.

For his performance in Two Gentlemen of Verona, he received a nomination for the Tony Award and won a Drama Desk Award.

Between 1974 and 1982, Julia received Tony Award nominations for Where's Charley?, The Threepenny Opera and Nine.

During the 1980s, he worked in several films, receiving nominations for the Golden Globe Awards, for his performance in Tempest, and Kiss of the Spider Woman, winning the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for the latter. In 1991 and 1993, Julia portrayed Gomez Addams in two film adaptations of The Addams Family.

In 1994, he filmed The Burning Season, for which he won a Golden Globe Best Actor award, and a film adaptation of the Street Fighter video games.

Later that year, Julia suffered several health afflictions, eventually dying after suffering a stroke.

His funeral was held in Puerto Rico, being attended by thousands.

For his work in The Burning Season, Julia won a posthumous Golden Globe, Emmy, and SAG Award.

Early life and education

Juliá was born March 9, 1940, in Floral Park (Hato Rey), a suburb of San Juan, to Olga Arcelay and Raúl Juliá. He was the oldest of four brothers, and sisters Maria Eugenia Juliá and Olga Maria Juliá. His mother was a mezzo-soprano who sang in a church choir before marrying Juliá's father, who was an electrical engineer graduated from Trine University. Juliá's brother, Rafa, died in a car accident when Juliá was 19 years old. Some relatives were also musicians, including his great aunt María González, whom he credited as the inspiration behind his artistic career. The family was Catholic.

Raúl's father was the founder of La Cueva del Chicken Inn, a restaurant in San Juan. The building was originally a gas station and body shop before being remodeled after a similar restaurant in Madrid, Spain, called Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas, which is intended to mimic the structure of a gypsum cave. Juliá's father claimed that he brought pizza to Puerto Rico, after he hired an Italian cook in New York City who could prepare pizza. The restaurant is also supposed to be the first to distribute chicken-in-a-basket within the archipelago, which Miriam Fitts helped him think of.

Juliá was enrolled in the Colegio Espíritu Santo in Hato Rey, a Catholic private school, where most of the personnel spoke exclusively English. There, he participated in his first play in first grade, interpreting the devil, with his performance earning him participation in all subsequent school plays. After witnessing Errol Flynn's performance in The Adventures of Robin Hood, he decided to pursue an acting career.

During his childhood, Juliá's family followed a strict Jesuit practice, often taking homeless children into their household. His mother received recognition from the Catholic University of Ponce for these efforts.

By the seventh grade, Juliá was able to speak English fluently and had gained interest in the works of William Shakespeare. Juliá concluded his secondary education at Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola, where he would organize plays of Julius Caesar, Hamlet, King Lear, and The Tempest. Seeking to please his parents, he continued his education with a year at Fordham University, the well known private Jesuit university in New York City, before returning home to enroll at the University of Puerto Rico, where he joined the Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity.

Juliá continued acting in local plays and nightclubs as he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Juliá eventually realized that he had no interest in pursuing the law career favored by his parents, choosing to act full-time despite having doubts that he could sustain himself working as an actor.

Source

Acting career

Juliá has performed in a number of San Juan plays. He was instrumental in a revival of Macbeth, which was held in one of the municipality's colonial castles in order to recreate the setting. In other performances, Roderigo in Othello appeared in another production. Juliá began delivering addresses at the Ted Mack Amateur Hour, in a similar vein. Despite being refused by his parents, he was recruited by Lillian Hurst to perform alongside her, eventually landing at El Congreso Hotel.

During this time, he began to worry about moving to Europe to take acting lessons. Juliá was approached by Orson Bean, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico, and gave him contact information, requiring him to fly to New York to work there. His parents were shocked by the plan but eventually agreed to accept his decision. Julián's flight was postponed after his younger brother, Rafael, was killed in a traffic accident. He became engaged to Magda Vasallo Molinelli at the time.

In 1964, he was 24 years old, and landed in New York in the midst of a winter storm. Juliá, who had a residence in Manhattan, spent his money in a variety of odd jobs before deciding to attend sales training (provided by a reseller) in the proper way to sell pens. Hurst visited him at a Broadway show, which culminated in a surprise for him—that it was actually possible to work as an actor full time. Juliá also started looking for roles in both Broadway and Off-Broadway plays. He wanted to develop his acting skills, he took lessons from Wynn Handman, who was recommended by Bean; his class included future fellow Christopher Walken.

He was first active in Pedro Calderón de la Barca's Life Is a Dream, in which he appeared as Astolfo, thus making him eligible for his Actors Equity card from the Actors' Equity Association. Juliá received an allowance from his parents at the start, but after hiring Jeff Hunter, he was hired in a production of Bye Bye Birdie, but later ended up decreasing further financial assistance. He started performing with Phoebe Brand's mobile theatre, presenting plays in New York's low-income neighborhoods. He married Vasallo Molinelli in 1965.

Juliá appeared in Macduff in a Spanish-language translation of Macbeth, as well as in The Ox Cart (La Cara), a stage play written by Puerto Rican playwright René Marqués in 1966. Miriam Colón Valle, a participant in La Carpe, founded the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, where he appeared. Joseph Papp, the founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival (NYSF), attended a performance at Delacorte Theatre, where Juliá was reading patriotic Puerto Rican poetry. Papp offered Demetrius the role of Demetrius in a Titus Andronicus staging. After this play concluded, he contacted Papp, who gave him the opportunity to be stage manager in NYSF's Hamlet. Juliá also appeared in some of the plays while doing this role.

Juliá debuted in his first Broadway performance in September 1968, after auditioning four times for the role. He was cast in Arthur Kopit's Indians' production the following year. He and Vasallo Molinelli were divorced during this period. Juliá, who was in charge of Paco Montoya in the Castro Complex in 1970, received largely lauded remarks. He met Merel Poloway and began a friendship with her while rehearsing for an Off-Broadway performance.

Juliá was cast in two television series, Love of Life and Sesame Street, as he rose to fame on Broadway. He disliked his appearance in Love of Life, although he appeared on the program for a brief period of time. Rafael the Fix-It Man, a recurring character on Sesame Street during the show's third season, was Rafael the Fix-It Man. Emilio Delgado's character Luis, who appeared with Juliá in the debut and went on to a long career on the show, was Raphael the Fix-It Man's partner at the Fix-It Shop. Juliá appeared in three films, including The Panic in Needle Park, and a film version of Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me.

Julia was called by Papp, who gave him the role of Proseus in Two Gentlemen of Verona while working on Sesame Street. Juliá received his first nomination for a Tony Award for his work in this play and was named for Outstanding Performance in 1972. He interpreted Edmund in King Lear in 1973 and then in As You Like It. Juliá wrote that he adored the roles he performed in these Shakespeare plays, particularly the rhythm, music, and poetry present in them. He appeared in Via Galactica's limited performance on Broadway and portrayed Jerry's brother in Jerry's "Oh, Brother" episode of The Bob Newhart Show on television, as well as on television.

Juliá was cast as Charley Wykeham in the film Where's Charley? in 1974, he received his second Tony Award nomination for his performance. He joined Werner Erhard Erhard's Erhard Seminars Training or "est," an association that promotes self-motivation by attending its seminars. Juliá played Mack the Knife in The Threepenny Opera in 1976, interpreting the dialogue with a distinct British accent. He was given his third Tony Award nomination thanks to his appearance. In The Gumball Rally, Franco Bertollini, an Italian car racer, was then back to film as Franco Bertollini.

Juliá married Poloway in the Catskill Mountains that year. Swami Muktananda led the ceremony as part of a spiritual retreat. Both were introduced to the Swami through Erhard. Erhard founded The Hunger Project after going to India, feeling inspired to found a non-profit group to eliminate world hunger by philanthropic galas. Juliá joined the initiative right from the beginning, achieving the group's personal goal of raising one million dollars. His interpretation of the lead role in Dracula's 1924 theatrical version was well received.

Juliá, who appeared as Dracula in The Taming of the Shrew, also appeared in Petruchio. At first, his encounter with co-star Meryl Strobeep was tense, before the relationship developed into a close one. Juliá completed his two-duty stage appearance with a role in a film adaptation of The Tempest, spending several months in Italy to explore its culture. During this period, he received the script for Nine, the play that would win him his fourth Tony Award nomination. Juliá moved to London for a short time in preparation for his role in Harold Pinter's Betrayal, employing a dialect coach to prepare him in British pronunciation. Juliá's film work, including Presumed Innocent, The Addams Family films, and Street Fighter, will use a British or Trans-Atlantic accent for the majority of his film work, including Presumed Innocent, The Addams Family films.

Juliá played Calibanos in Mazursky's Tempest and Ray's 1982 performance of the musical One from the Heart. Ral Sigmund Juliá, his first son with Poloway, was born in 1983. That year, he appeared in the public television film Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, which attracted a poor reception and was satirized on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Juliá played Valentn, a political prisoner who had not appeared in a film for two years, in an adaptation of Manuel Puig's "Knight of the Spider Woman." Valentn's cellmate is a flamboyant homosexual (William Hurt), who is imprisoned in Brazil for immoral conduct, and who passes the time by describing scenes from his favorite romantic film to Valent; gradually, the two develop a close friendship based on mutual understanding and admiration. Juliá decided to film before receiving his paycheck and heading to South America, where he interviewed rebels and ex-prisoners to familiarize himself with their lives and beliefs. Kiss of the Spider Woman was a commercial and critical success from its inception. Juliá was nominated for the Golden Globe Award and received the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Award for best actor, as well as co-lead actor William Hurt.

He appeared in his first Puerto Rican film, La Gran Fiesta, in which he had a monologue near the end of the film. In 1985, he appeared in Arms and the Man as Major Sergius Saranoff. This was followed by David Suárez's role in the romantic comedy Compromising Positions. In 1986, Julián Manero, a hairdresser, appeared in The Morning After. He took cosmetology lessons and worked at a hair salon for a while following his normal process of practical preparation for a career.

Juliá was the leading role in The Penitent in 1987. Benjamn Rafael Juliá, his second son with Poloway, was born later this year. Juliá played a corrupt official in Paul Mazursky's comedy Moon over Parador, which received critical praise. In Onassis: The Richest Man in the World, a biographical film focusing the life of Aristotle Onassis, he co-starred with Anthony Quinn for the next year. In the biographical film Romero, Juliá was cast as San Salvadoran Archbishop scar Romero in 1989. Romero had been a ardent supporter of human rights throughout his life, often denouncing abuses of these human rights, which culminated in his assassination at a mass. Juliá accepted the position based on its political philosophy, hoping to bring attention to the problems facing Central America's Central America region. He read Romero's diary and autobiography, as well as listening to or watching recordings of his sermons and masses, which prompted him to re-enter the Catholic Church. He and Poloway, a Jew, decided not to raise their children in a particular faith, feeling that they should make their own decisions after adulthood. The government of El Salvador refused to allow the film to be distributed due to the film's content, so the film was only permitted to be circulated in clandestine theaters. Juliá was ranked first in the Variety article "List of Busiest Hollywood Actors" because of his appearances between 1987 and 1989. Juliá later appeared in the 1989 film version of The Threepenny Opera, recreating Macheath's role in the film, which was renamed Mack the Knife for its American release.

In 1990, he was introduced as a prosecutor in Presumed Innocent, earning raves for his work. Juliá spent time in courtrooms and investigated the court system before filming. He appeared opposite Robert Redford in Havana in 1990 but left uncredited because the director, Sydney Pollack, refused to give him above-the-line credit. Juliá said in 1991, when Joseph Papp died, that the director was specifically responsible for finding him roles other than those of "stereotypical Latinos," such as the "Latin lover." In an adaptation of The Addams Family, Juliá was selected to portray Gomez Addams. He was attracted to the role due to the character's irreverent portrayal, including the comment that "even his depressions are divine." Since his earlier recollections of the role were of the Spanish-dubbed version of the first television series, he had to adapt the role mainly from Charles Addams' original cartoons, winning a Saturn Award. Juliá appeared in 1982's The Escape Artist, with Jackie Coogan, who portrayed Fester Addams in the 1964-1966 television series The Addams Family.

Juliá appeared in a revival of Man of La Mancha starring Sheena Easton, a Broadway musical interpretation of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote. The play originated in 1965, with Richard Kiley as the main character; José Ferrer, one of his favorite actors, having been considered for the title role at the time. Juliá played this role eight times a week. Gomez Addams in Addams Family Values was reprised by the actor later in life. Juliá played Chico Mendes in HBO's The Burning Season in 1994, for which he received acclaim. He familiarized himself with the role by reviewing interviews and footage from Mendes' Xapuri Rubber Tappers Union.

Despite his poor health, which began three years before his death, he completed The Burning Season and was eager to face M. Bison in Street Fighter, which would be shot in Australia in the fall. Juliá thought that this film would allow him to spend more time with his children, who were avid gamers of the video game franchise and aided him in preparing for the role. He received his second Saturn Award nomination for his appearance, which was widely circulated in the otherwise poorly received motion picture. This will be his last film appearance in a major film, with his most notable role in Down Came a Blackbird, which was shot in Toronto, Ontario, between September and October 1994. His poor health was evident in these last three films due to his weight loss.

Source