Celebrities
Looking back at Raquel Welch’s ‘Seinfeld’ appearance
The late actress showed her comedic chops while playing an over-the-top version of herself.
Raquel Welch was known as an international sex symbol and icon in the 1960s and 1970s, playing several roles that are still talked about today.
Her role in the 1966 film ‘Fantastic Voyage’ set her on her way, having landed the role after being spotted in a beauty contest by producer Saul David’s wife.
She made headlines in ‘One Million Years B.C’ despite only having three lines. However, her iconic two-piece deer skin bikini turned into a best-selling poster and helped earn her pin-up girl status.
Welch’s appearance on Seinfield
While Welch made guest appearances on shows like ‘Lois & Clark’, ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’, ‘Seinfeld’, ‘Spin City’ and ‘CSI: Miami’, it was her appearance on ‘Seinfeld’ that really allowed her to show off her comedic charm.
Welch appeared in the Season 8 finale ‘The Summer of George’, which shows George (Jason Alexander), recently fired from the New York Yankees, help Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) with a girlfriend that proves to be too much work for him to handle on his own.
Meanwhile, Kramer (Michael Richards) is forced to fire Welch, who plays an exaggerated version of herself, from her lead role in the fictional Tony-winning musical ‘Scarsdale Surprise’ because she won’t move her arms while tap-dancing in the show’s musical numbers.
This leads to Kramer trying to fire Welch in her dressing room, but he proves no match for the demanding actress, who threatens to feed someone’s genitals to a wolf.
Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) also runs into Welch after a misunderstanding, which results in a “catfight’ in front of some nearby police officers.
Welch loved the role
Welch’s performance as a prima donna poked fun at her reputation for being difficult to work with, and she later admitted she had a great time during her appearance on the show.
“That was so much fun. But I thought of her more as a diva than a villain,” she told Men’s Health in 2012. “It can be cathartic to play such a horrible ball breaker. But it’s also exhausting. I mean, I wouldn’t want to do it every day.”