United Kingdom, March 8 -- Raquel Welch was encouraged by people in Hollywood to downplay her Hispanic roots.

The actress - who passed away in February 2023, aged 82 - is the focus of a new CW documentary, titled 'I am Raquel Welch', which reveals how she was urged to hide her Bolivian ancestry.

Gregory Nava, a director who worked with the actress on 'American Family: Journey of Dreams', the TV drama series, said: "She was saying they wanted to change her hair, her look, her name.

"Her manager at the time was saying, 'No, you don't want to come off as being Hispanic.' They wanted to change her first name from Raquel to, I think, Debbie Welch. Very much in the Sandra Dee, Doris Day tradition, you know. But she refused."

The movie star'...