[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LEGACY OF RAUL JULIA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LUIS V. GUTIERREZ

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2003

  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce legislation to honor 
the achievements of the late Raul Julia by awarding his family the 
Congressional Gold Medal. I am pleased that 31 of my colleagues have 
joined me as original cosponsors of this important resolution.
  Whether he played Edmund in Shakespeare's King Lear, or Valentin in 
The Kiss of the Spiderwoman, or Rafael the fix-it-man on Sesame Street, 
the passion and talent that Raul Julia exhibited in his work made him 
an inspiration for actors of all backgrounds. Raul Julia took risks in 
the projects he chose and the success of these risks was an inspiration 
of aspiring actors everywhere and especially in his native Puerto Rico.
  Raul Julia often chose to forgo traditional plays and Hollywood 
blockbusters for such innovative roles as a Fellini-esque filmmaker in 
the Broadway musical Nine or as slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar 
Romero in the movie Romero. Best known for his roles as Gomez Addams in 
The Addams Family and as Chico Mendez in The Burning Season, he was 
nominated for four Tony awards in 10 years, and posthumously received 
the Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award and the Screen Actors' Guild award.
  In addition to his talents on the stage and screen, Raul Julia was an 
activist on both local and global levels. He was a spokesperson for the 
Hunger Project, a nonprofit organization committed to the eradication 
of world hunger, and was also involved in La Familia, a New York City 
outreach program for Latino families in need. Raul Julia's immense 
success did not diminish the immense generosity of his spirit and 
dedication to helping actors from Puerto Rico and elsewhere. His long-
standing association with the New York Public Theater and the New York 
Shakespeare Festival opened doors to nontraditional parts for Hispanic 
actors. He co-founded the Latino Playwrights Reading Workshops and was 
instrumental in the creation of the Puerto Rico Traveling Theater, 
which showcases bilingual plays and Hispanic playwrights and actors, 
while bringing theater to those who cannot ordinarily afford it.
  In 1994, thirty years after he made his Broadway debut in Spanish 
playwright Calderon de la Barca's Life is a Dream, Raul Julia's life 
and career were cut short by a fatal stroke. He was given a state 
funeral in Puerto Rico, where thousands of people attended as a 
testimony to his many lasting achievements.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in finally 
recognizing and honoring Raul Julia's great contributions to the Latino 
community and to the performing by cosponsoring this legislation.

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