Raúl Juliá
Born: 1940-03-09 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Died: 1994-10-24
Known For: Acting
Biography
Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. His film career peaked in the US in the early 1990s. Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing in the local scene for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson Bean to move and work in New York City. Juliá, who had been bilingual since his childhood, soon gained interest in Broadway and "Off Broadway" plays. He performed in mobile projects, including the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre. Juliá was eventually noticed by Joseph Papp, who offered him work in the New York Shakespeare Festival. After gaining notoriety, 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, Juliá 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, Juliá portrayed "Gomez Addams" in two film adaptations of The Addams Family. In 1994, he filmed The Burning Season and a film adaptation of the Street Fighter video games. Later that year, Juliá 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, Juliá won a posthumous Golden Globe and Emmy Award.
Filmography
2020
- Babenco: Tell Me When I Die as Self (archive footage)
- Disclosure as Valentin Arregui (archive footage)
2008
2004
- The Dream Studio as self
1995
- Down Came a Blackbird as Tomas Ramirez
1994
- Street Fighter as Bison
- The Burning Season as Chico Mendes
1993
- Addams Family Values as Gomez Addams
1992
- The Plague as Cottard
1991
- The Addams Family as Gomez Addams
1990
- Havana as Arturo Duran (uncredited)
- Presumed Innocent as Sandy Stern
- Frankenstein Unbound as Dr. Victor Frankenstein
- The Rookie as Strom
- The Monkey People as Narrator (voice)
- Un Recorrido de la Isla de Puerto Rico as Narrator
1989
- Romero as Archbishop Oscar Romero
- Mack the Knife as MacHeath
1988
- Moon Over Parador as Roberto Strausmann
- Onassis: The Richest Man in the World as Aristotle Onassis
- Tequila Sunrise as Commandante Xavier Escalante
- Trading Hearts as Vinnie Iacona
- The Penitent as Ramon Guerola
1987
- The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory as General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
- Tango Bar as Ricardo Padín
1986
- The Morning After as Joaquin "Jackie" Manero
- Florida Straits as Carlos Jayne
- Cuba: In the Shadow of Doubt
- La gran fiesta as Adolfo
1985
- Kiss of the Spider Woman as Valentin Arregui
- Compromising Positions as David Suarez
- Mussolini: The Untold Story as Count Galeazzo Ciano
1984
- Overdrawn at the Memory Bank as Aram Fingal / Rick Blaine
1983
- Reading Rainbow as Self - Narrator (voice)
1982
- One from the Heart as Ray
- The Making of 'One from the Heart' as Self
- American Playhouse as Fingal / Rick
- Tempest as Kalibanos
- The Escape Artist as Stu Quiñones
1981
- Strong Medicine
- Kiss Me, Petruchio as Petruchio
1979
- Life of Sin as Paulo
1978
- Eyes of Laura Mars as Michael Reisler
1976
- The Gumball Rally as Franco
1975
- Death Scream as Detective Nick Rodriguez
1974
- King Lear as Edmund
1972
1971
- Great Performances as Edmund
- The Panic in Needle Park as Marco
- Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me as Juan Carlos Rosenbloom
- The Organization as Juan Mendoza
1970
- McCloud as Father Augusto Nieves
1969
- Stiletto as Party Guest (Uncredited)
1953
- The Oscars as Self