Raul Julia

Raul Julia (1940–1994), American film actor, who became popular shortly before his death for his mockingly stylish embodiment of Gomez in two films—The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993)—derived from the Charles Addams cartoons.

Julia was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He started acting in college and subsequently moved to New York. In 1966 he made the first of many appearances in Shakespearean productions by Joseph Papp's New York company. During the 1970s Julia appeared in a range of Broadway productions, including the classics and musicals such as Where's Charley? (1974) and Nine (1982). He became known to a different audience with his appearances on the children's television series Sesame Street, and from 1971 onward had numerous minor film roles.

The first film role in which he made a significant impact was as a jailed political activist in a totalitarian South American state in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985). Julia went on to appear in a number of other films, including The Morning After (1986), Moon Over Parador (1988), and as a defence lawyer for Harrison Ford in Presumed Innocent (1990).