Merel Poloway is a dancer, actress, teacher, and the widow of Puerto Rican actor Raúl Juliá. They met through theater in 1968 and married in 1976. They had two sons, Raúl Sigmund and Benjamín Rafael. Poloway had her own stage career before and during the marriage. She also worked with Juliá on The Hunger Project and later helped keep his life and work in public memory.
In this article, you’ll learn about Merel Poloway’s early years in dance, Broadway work, marriage, sons, charity work, and the part she played in Raúl Juliá’s legacy.
A Childhood Built Around Dance
Dance came first for Poloway.
She grew up in Philadelphia and began dancing at age three. As a child, she was shy, but she still liked to perform. That mix stayed with her as she grew older.
She later moved to New York and trained with Martha Graham. Graham helped shape modern dance in the United States, so the training placed Poloway in a serious arts world.
An El Nuevo Día family profile, based on an interview with Poloway and material from the Juliá family archive, describes her as a teacher, dancer, and actress. The same profile says she moved into Broadway work after coming to New York.
This was her world before she became known as Raúl Juliá’s wife. She knew long rehearsals, touring, stage work, and the hard pace of a life in the arts.
Theater Brings Two Performers Together
Theater brought the couple together.
Poloway met Juliá in 1968 while both were part of a touring production of Illya Darling. He was still building his New York career. She was working as a dancer.
Their bond grew over the next several years. Juliá won larger stage roles, while Poloway kept working in dance and theater.
They did not marry right away. Family material later shared by El Nuevo Día says they married eight years after they met.
That long courtship gave them a shared life before Juliá became a movie star. Poloway knew him first as a working actor, not as Gomez Addams or a Hollywood name.
Her Own Broadway Credits
Poloway had a real Broadway record of her own.
Playbill lists her as a swing in the original 1973 Broadway run of Seesaw. A swing learns several parts and must be ready to step in when needed. It takes skill, memory, and quick changes.
In 1976, she joined the ensemble of Rockabye Hamlet. The show was a rock take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet and opened on Broadway that February.
Her Broadway list is short, but it gives a clear picture. She was not only married to a stage actor. She had worked on Broadway herself.
She also took a film role. The American Film Institute catalog credits her as Miss Katz in the 1983 John Sayles film Baby It’s You.
That screen part was small, but it adds another piece to her arts career.
A Wedding That Blended Two Traditions
Poloway and Juliá married in 1976.
Family photos later shared by El Nuevo Día show that Hindu guru Baba Muktananda led the wedding. The ceremony fit a couple who came from different faiths and were open to new ideas.
Juliá grew up Catholic in Puerto Rico. Poloway came from a Jewish family.
They built a home together in New York. Their life mixed theater, travel, family, faith, Puerto Rican culture, and city life.
The couple had two sons, Raúl Sigmund and Benjamín Rafael.
Raising Raúl Sigmund and Benjamín Rafael
Juliá’s career grew fast after the wedding. Broadway led to more film work, and the family often traveled with him.
Poloway later said the boys learned to feel at ease while traveling because they started so young. The family spent time abroad when Juliá worked on movies.
She also remembered him as a warm and present father. He was with her during the births of both boys and took joy in being a dad.
The sons grew up around sets and theaters, but family life stayed important.
Raúl Sigmund later worked in acting and theater. Benjamín also took part in family projects about his father’s life.
Their memories would become more important after 1994.
A Cause They Shared Offstage
Art was only one part of the marriage.
Poloway and Juliá were active in The Hunger Project, a group built around the goal of ending hunger.
The Washington Post noted their shared work with the group when it reported Juliá’s death in 1994.
For Juliá, the cause became a major part of his public service. Poloway shared that work with him.
A later family profile also shows how much the cause meant inside their home. She remembered his deep care for the issue and the time he gave to it.
Their partnership reached past stage and screen. They shared art, family, travel, and a wish to help others.
The Loss That Changed the Family
The family’s life changed in October 1994.
Juliá suffered a stroke and died on October 24 at age 54. He left behind Poloway and their two sons.
His death came while he was still working at a high level. By then, he had moved between Broadway and film for years. Movies such as The Addams Family had made him known to a much wider crowd.
For fans, the loss was public. For Poloway and the boys, it was the loss of a husband and father.
The family went to Puerto Rico for his funeral. The island had always been a key part of Juliá’s life and sense of home.
Poloway then had to guide two young sons through life after a sudden loss.
Stepping Forward for His Honors
The year after Juliá died, Poloway appeared at major award events in his name.
In 1995, she and her sons attended the Hispanic Heritage Awards, where Juliá received a special tribute. She also accepted his Golden Globe for The Burning Season.
Those moments put her in a new role. She was no longer sharing life with an active actor. She was helping carry his work, values, and memory forward.
She did not turn that role into a fame project of her own. Her public appearances stayed tied to family and Juliá’s legacy.
The Family Returns to His Story
In 2019, Poloway and her sons took part in the American Masters film Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage.
The film used family photos, home video, old clips, and new interviews. It looked at Juliá as an actor, father, Puerto Rican artist, and public voice.
PBS described his widow and sons remembering him as a devoted father.
That family view gave the film a side of Juliá that old reviews could not show. It brought the story back to the home he shared with Poloway and their boys.
It also placed her own memories inside the public record of his life.
Her Public Life in Later Years
Poloway’s later public work has stayed close to family history and Juliá’s legacy.
She has spoken about their marriage, sons, travel, art, and charity work. Family archives have also helped tell the story through photos, scripts, awards, and home memories.
Her own career remains an important part of that story. She trained in dance, worked on Broadway, acted on film, taught, raised two sons, and shared a long marriage with one of Puerto Rico’s best-known actors.
She did not need a large public profile to have a full life in the arts.
More Than a Famous Actor’s Wife
Merel Poloway is often introduced as Raúl Juliá’s wife. That is true, but it is only the start.
She came to New York through dance. She trained with Martha Graham. She worked on Broadway. She acted on film. She met Juliá through theater, not through celebrity life.
Their marriage lasted from 1976 until his death in 1994. Together, they raised two sons and worked on a cause that mattered to both of them.
After his death, Poloway became one of the people who could tell the private side of a public man. Her memories helped show the father, husband, artist, and activist behind the famous roles.
Her place in that story is not just beside Raúl Juliá. It is inside the creative life, family life, and values they built together.
For another Tozy story about a woman who built a life beside a famous actor while keeping her own identity, read our profile of Marie De Narde, Jack Lord’s wife and longtime partner.
