Raul Julia

Born: 9 March 1940
Where: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Died: 24 October 1994

Julia arrived in New York in 1964 from Puerto Rico, after graduating from college and giving up plans to become a lawyer.

He studied acting and performed in several Spanish-language productions, and soon became a favourite of the late Joseph Papp, founder and producer of the New York Shakespeare Festival.

At one point when Julia was really down on his luck, he even went to Papp, who employed him for a time as a theatre house manager. His breakthrough came in 1971, when a festival production of a modernized, musicalized Two Gentlemen of Verona moved to Broadway.

His role marked the first of four Tony nominations for Best Actor in a Musical.

He won considerable acclaim as a distinguished and prolific stage actor before branching out into films.

Although he possessed darkly handsome Latino looks, often sported a trim mustache and never completely lost a mellifluous Spanish accent, Julia quickly transcended stereotyping, bringing a remarkable versatility to a broad range of roles.

Although Julia made his feature debut in the hard-hitting study of drug addicts, Panic in Needle Park, and appeared on TV (including a stint on Sesame Street), his career continued to thrive primarily in NY theatre.

Sizable feature roles for Julia really began with The Eyes of Laura Mars in 1978 and Francis Ford Coppola's little-seen film, One from the Heart.

Julia only began appearing regularly in features in 1985 in films like Kiss of the Spider Woman with William Hurt, Compromising Positions, Romero, and Presumed Innocent as Harrison Ford's lawyer.

But most filmgoers will remember Julia for his zany Gomez Addams in The Addams Family and its sequel Addams Family Values.

Julia's sudden death from a stroke at age 54 led to national mourning in his native Puerto Rico.