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Raúl Juliá

Acting Born Mar 9, 1940 San Juan, Puerto Rico 24 credits

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.

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Known for

Film

Very Bad Things

as Edmund
Film

Stealth

as Self - Narrator (voice)
Film

Addams Family Values

as Gomez Addams
Film

Street Fighter

as Bison
Film

Disclosure

as Valentin Arregui (archive footage)

Stripperella

as Dr. Victor Frankenstein

Full filmography

  • Great Performances (1971) as Edmund
  • The Oscars (1953) as Self
  • McCloud (1970) as Father Augusto Nieves
  • The Bob Newhart Show (1972) as Dr. Greg Robinson
  • Reading Rainbow (1983) as Self - Narrator (voice)
  • The Addams Family (1991) as Gomez Addams
  • Addams Family Values (1993) as Gomez Addams
  • American Playhouse (1982) as Fingal / Rick
  • Street Fighter (1994) as Bison
  • Presumed Innocent (1990) as Sandy Stern
  • Disclosure (2020) as Valentin Arregui (archive footage)
  • Frankenstein Unbound (1990) as Dr. Victor Frankenstein
  • The Rookie (1990) as Strom
  • The Panic in Needle Park (1971) as Marco
  • Tequila Sunrise (1988) as Commandante Xavier Escalante
  • Mussolini: The Untold Story (1985) as Count Galeazzo Ciano
  • Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) as Michael Reisler
  • One from the Heart (1982) as Ray
  • Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) as Valentin Arregui
  • Romero (1989) as Archbishop Oscar Romero
  • The Organization (1971) as Juan Mendoza
  • The Gumball Rally (1976) as Franco
  • The Morning After (1986) as Joaquin "Jackie" Manero
  • Havana (1990) as Arturo Duran (uncredited)