Raúl Juliá

Puerto Rican-born actor and activist

• Born: March 9, 1940
• Birthplace: San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Died: October 24, 1994
• Place of death: Manhasset, New York

Most famous as a Broadway actor, Juliá was a handsome leading man of stage and screen, playing both Latino and non-Latino roles. As a star of both musical theater and dramatic plays, Juliá was an acclaimed performer who often used his work as an avenue to promote social justice.

Early Life

Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay, better known as Raúl Juliá (rah-OOL jool-ee-AH), was born to middle-class parents in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 9, 1940. His mother was a singer, as were other members of his family, which Juliá claimed was a great influence on his decision to become a performer. His father, owner of a fast-food restaurant, introduced pizza to Puerto Rico, making the family financially secure and allowing Juliá to attend private school. His passion for acting began in the first grade when he acted in a school play. This was followed by more performances while in elementary school and leading roles in college productions. Although the family intended Julia to study law or medicine, he graduated from college and embarked on a career as an entertainer.

He performed as a part of an acting and singing troupe in Puerto Rico, as well as hosting game shows and teen programs on Puerto Rican television. He starred at the Tapia Theatre in San Juan performing four different plays in 1963. One night, in 1964, while performing in a night club, he was approached by actor Orson Bean, who urged him to move to New York to broaden his opportunities. So, at age twenty-four, Juliá left Puerto Rico and went to New York City, where he landed his first role in La vida es sueno, a Spanish-language Off-Broadway production.

In 1966, Juliá had his first big break when he was hired by Joe Papp, director of the New York Shakespeare Festival. This began a decades-long relationship between Juliá and Papp. His first role for Papp was in the Spanish-language version of Macbeth in 1966. He performed minor roles and in nonacting jobs for Papp until his breakout performance in Two Gentlemen of Verona in 1971 for Shakespeare in the Park.

During this time, Juliá helped to found the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, an acting troupe that traveled around New York City performing for free in English and Spanish. Juliá also did some television work, appearing in the soap operaLove of Life and as a regular on Sesame Street as Rafael the fix-it man for one year.

Life’s Work

Juliá’s big commercial break occurred when Two Gentlemen of Verona moved to Broadway in 1971 and earned him his first of four Tony Award nominations. The other nominations were for Where’s Charley? (1974), The Threepenny Opera (1976), and Nine (1981).

While establishing himself as a major presence on the Broadway stage, Juliá also appeared in many films. Most notably he starred in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), for which he shared a National Board of Review Best Actor award with costar William Hurt. His performance in this film, in which he played a Marxist political prisoner in a South American jail, was one of many film roles in which Juliá played a Latino leading man, as he did in La gran fiesta (1987), the first film produced solely by the Puerto Rican film industry. He also appeared in the films Florida Straits (1987), about Cuban refugees; Tango Bar (1988), about an expatriate Argentinean who returns to his home after the government is overthrown; and Havana (1990), which takes place on the eve of the Cuban Revolution of the late 1950’s. He continued his commitment to presenting powerful Latino figures in Romero (1989), about the revolutionary El Salvadoran priest Oscar Romero; The Plague (1992), about a breakout of the plague in South America; The Burning Season (1994), a biographical film about Chico Mendes, a Brazilian environmental activist; and Down Came a Blackbird (1995) about the effects of torture in an unnamed Central American country.

However, he did not limit himself to playing only Latino roles because he felt that actors should never be stereotyped. He starred in the films The Morning After (1986), Presumed Innocent (1990), and The Rookie (1990), among others, playing non-Latinos. He also appeared in comic films, such as The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993), in which he played Gomez Addams, and Moon Over Parador (1988). On stage he starred in plays by Anton Chekhov, George Bernard Shaw, and Nöel Coward, proving his versatility. For all his roles, Juliá extensively researched the backgrounds and experiences that shaped his characters’ lives in order to bring authenticity to his portrayals. When playing a hairdresser, for example, he learned to cut hair and spent time in a hair salon so he would be convincing as a hairstylist.

Juliá died on October 24, 1994, the result of complications of a stroke. He was reading scripts for future projects and had just finished filming Street Fighter (1994), based on the video game. Following his wishes, Juliá was buried in San Juan, where thousands turned out to honor him.

Significance

Raúl Juliá was committed to his craft, acting, and to his philanthropic causes, mostly concerned with Latino issues. On stage and on the screen he excelled at playing both Latino and non-Latino characters, never allowing himself to be stereotyped or kept from exploring roles outside of his ethnicity. He helped Latino performers to be perceived as appropriate for all types of roles.

Juliá also used his celebrity to champion philanthropic organizations, such as The Hunger Project, devoted to eradicating global hunger. He was a staunch supporter of Puerto Rican independence and made commercials promoting tourism in Puerto Rico. He helped develop the Latino Playwrights Reading Workshops to encourage Latino writers. He performed using Spanish as well as American and English accents and appeared in both Spanish-language and English-language films.

He was awarded The Hispanic Heritage Award, among other honors, to celebrate his commitment to Hispanic and charitable causes. The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre honored Juliá by naming their actor-teaching division the Raúl Juliá Traveling Unit. He is also honored by having a charter school named for him, The Raúl Juliá Micro Society, in Bronx, New York. He posthumously earned an Emmy Award, a Cable Ace Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award for The Burning Season. The National Endowment for Hispanic Arts named an annual award after him, and his family was honored by being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on his behalf.

Bibliography

Berg, Charles Ramiréz. Latino Images in Film: Stereotypes, Subversion, and Resistance. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002. Looks at the role of Latino actors and their depictions of Latinos in Hollywood films, from stereotypes to the more modern portrayals by actors, like Juliá, who broke away from the stereotypes.

Cruz, Bárbara. Raúl Juliá: Actor and Humanitarian. Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Enslow, 1998. A no-frills, young-adult biography of Juliá focusing on both his career and his philanthropic activities.

Mott, Gordon. “Only as Good as the Memories.” Cigar Aficionado, December 1, 1993. A biographical sketch of and interview with Juliá.

Rodriguez, Clara. Heroes, Lovers, and Others: The Story of Latinos in Hollywood. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Chronicles the history of Latino actors, including Juliá, and their roles in Hollywood films.