Who is Benjamín Rafael Juliá?
Benjamín Rafael Juliá is popular for being the son of Raúl Juliá and his wife, Merel Poloway. Benjamín Rafael’s father was a Puerto Rican actor who dominated films in the 1980s. For his contribution to the industry, he received two nominations for the Golden Globe Awards, for his performances in Tempest and Kiss of the Spider Woman; he won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for the latter.
Benjamín Rafael Juliá : Bio Summary
Full Name | Benjamín Rafael Juliá |
Famous as | Son of Raúl Juliá |
Age | 37 years old as of 2023 |
Date of Birth | 1987 |
Place of Birth | United States of America |
Parents | Mother- Merel Poloway Father – Raúl Juliá |
Sibling | Raul Sigmund Julia |
How old is Benjamín Rafael Juliá?
Benjamín Rafael Juliá is the second child of actor Raúl Juliá and his wife Merel Poloway. Benjamín Rafael was born in 1987. As of 2024, he is 37 years old. As the second child, his elder brother is Raul Sigmund Julia who is four years older than him. Benjamin Rafael’s parents met while rehearsing for an Off-Broadway play. The Senior Julia started a relationship with Merel Poloway and the two later got married in 1976.
Benjamín’s mother Merel also an actress is known for her appearances in Baby It’s You (1983), American Masters (1985), and The 47th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1995).
ALSO, READ; Raul Sigmund Julia- Where is Raul Julia’s son now?
Juliá and Poloway remained together until the death of Juliá father in 1994. They were married for 18 years. Rafael Juliá also lost his uncle, Rafa, who died in a car accident when his father was just 19 years old. Most of their relatives were musicians, including his great grand aunt María González, whom his father credited as the inspiration behind his artistic career. The Juliá family was Catholic.
In 1964, when Benjamín Rafael Juliá’s father was 24 years old, he traveled to New York, arriving in the middle of a winter storm. After establishing residence in Manhattan, Juliá had to do several odd jobs to pay for his expenses, going as far as receiving training on the proper way to sell pens for a distributor. When Hurst visited him, both attended a Broadway play, and the fact that he could work as an actor full-time surprised him. As a result of this, Raul began seeking employment in both Broadway and “Off-Broadway” plays. Seeking to further improve his acting, he took lessons from Wynn Handman, who was recommended by Bean; his class included future fellow star Christopher Walken.
Benjamín Rafael Juliá’s father’s first work was in a production of Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s Life Is a Dream, where he played Astolfo. This allowed him to receive his Actors Equity card from the Actors’ Equity Association. Initially, Juliá received an allowance from his parents, but after contracting Jeff Hunter as manager, he was able to perform in a staging of Bye Bye Birdie, declining further donations.
He began performing with Phoebe Brand’s mobile theatre, presenting plays in poor areas of New York. In 1965, he married Vasallo Molinelli. The two later divorced in 1969 before he married Benjamín Rafael Juliá’s Poloway.
ALSO, READ; Magda Vasallo: Is Raul Julia’s Ex-wife Still Alive?
Benjamín Rafael Juliá’s father had battled stomach cancer for three years prior to his death and had undergone surgery without the knowledge of his fans also the public. In early 1994, during the filming of The Burning Season in Mexico, he contracted food poisoning after consuming sushi. The actor was airlifted to a hospital in Los Angeles so he could receive medical attention, recovered, and returned to Mexico to finish the film. He had lost some weight and was physically weakened by his condition.
On October 16, 1994, Juliá and Poloway attended the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and afterward, Benjamín Rafael Juliá’s father began feeling intense abdominal pain and was taken by ambulance to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Long Island. At first, he did not appear worried by his condition and was seen reviewing the script for his intended role in Desperado from his hospital bed, but his condition gradually worsened.
On the night of October 20, Benjamín Rafael Juliá’s father suffered a stroke, fell into a coma, and was put on life support. Four days later, on October 24, 1994, He died at the age of 54 from complications of the stroke having never regained consciousness. According to idolNetworth, Benjamín Rafael Juliá’s father Raul had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death.
ALSO, READ; Merel Poloway- Is Raul Julia’s wife still alive?
Where is Benjamín Rafael Juliá now
Though Benjamín Rafael Juliá is the son of a popular Hollywood personality, he has been living a very private life away from the public lens. He has not made many public appearances in recent years. However, he attended the premiere of a documentary about the life of his father. Benjamín Rafael Juliá, his brother Raul Sigmund Julia and his mother Merel Poloway were present during the prelude to the premiere of the documentary Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage (Raúl Juliá: The world is a stage), which took place on September 9, 2019, at the Tapia Theater in Old San Juan.
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