Merel Poloway- IsRaul Julia's wife still alive?

May 2024 · 4 minute read

Who is Merel Poloway?

Merel Poloway is an actress and is also popular for being the wife of Raul Julia. As an actress she is known for Baby It’s You (1983), American Masters (1985), and The 47th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1995) according to her IMDB profile.

Merel Poloway’s husband Raul Julia was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued a career upon completion of his studies. After performing locally for some time, he was convinced by actor and entertainment personality Orson Bean to move and work in New York City. Juliá, who had been bilingual since his childhood, soon gained interest in Broadway and Off-Broadway plays.

He took over the role of Orson in the Off-Broadway hit Your Own Thing, a rock musical update of Twelfth Night. He performed in mobile projects, including the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater.

How old is Merel Poloway?

Poloway’s late husband was born on March 9, 1940, he was 54 years old at the time of his death. The age and date of birth of Merel Poloway are unknown. She hasn’t made this information known to the public. However, many people believe she will be in the same age bracket as his late husband.

How did Raul Julia and his wife, Merel Poloway meet?

How did the two love birds, fall in love, and get married? While rehearsing for an Off-Broadway play, Raul met his wife, Merel Poloway. The two started dating. In 1976, Juliá played Mack the Knife in The Threepenny Opera, interpreting the dialogue with a marked British accent. The performance earned him a third Tony Award nomination. He followed this performance with a turn as Italian car racer Franco Bertollini in The Gumball Rally.

Raul Juliá and Merel Poloway’s children

That same year, Merel Poloway and her husband, Juliá got married in the Catskill Mountains. The ceremony was led by Swami Muktananda as part of a spiritual retreat. In 1983, his first son with Poloway, Raúl Sigmund Juliá, was born. In 1987 Merel Poloway and her husband had their second son, Benjamín Rafael Juliá.

ALSO, READ; Raul Sigmund Julia- Where is Raul Julia’s son now?

Merel Poloway and her husband who was Jewish decided not to raise their children in any particular religious way, believing that they should make their own decision after growing older.

On October 16, 1994, Juliá and Poloway attended the Metropolitan Opera in New York; afterward, Juliá 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.

ALSO, READ; Benjamín Rafael Juliá- Who is Raúl Juliá’s son?

 On the night of October 20, Merel Poloway’s husband, Juliá suffered a stroke, fell into a coma, and was put on life support. Four days later, on October 24, 1994, Juliá died at the age of 54 from complications of the stroke, having never regained consciousness.

In accordance with the husband, Juliá’s instructions, his body was transported to Puerto Rico. A state funeral was held in San Juan on October 27, 1994, with Juliá being escorted to the building of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, where a funeral ceremony was held. The service was attended by thousands of Puerto Ricans, with plena being played in the background.

The burial ceremony of Poloway’s husband was also attended by thousands, with “La Borinqueña” being sung by Lucecita Benítez prior to the procession. After stopping at San Ignacio de Loyola Church, the procession advanced to Buxeda Cemetery, where Rubén Berríos offered the final words. As Juliá’s coffin was lowered, a load of carnations was dropped from a helicopter while the crowd shouted “¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!” Juliá was a lifelong supporter of the Puerto Rican independence movement; on one occasion, he convinced his agent to allow him to do an advertising campaign on behalf of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.

Merel Poloway’s son got married in 2013

Merel Poloway’s first child Raul Sigmund Julia got married to Betsy Lippitt on Aug. 31, 2013. Merel was among the 200 guests who attended the beautiful union of the couple. The ceremony was held at the Julia retreat, though work had to be done: the barn was overstuffed and a pair of antique buggies parked in a meadow had been giving in to nature as reported by the Nytimes.

Is Merel Poloway still alive?

Much has not been heard from Merel Poloway since the husband passed away. Raul Julia’s wife has been out of the limelight ever since. However, the widow of Raul and her son Benjamín Rafael Juliá and Raul Sigmund Julia 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.  It is unclear if Poloway ever remarried. We hope she is okay and doing well.

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