She was born in San Diego, California, the daughter of actress Raquel Welch and her first husband, James Welch. She appeared in Time magazine in a photo with her mother.

Her film career began in Italy starring opposite Virna Lisi. Returning to the U.S. she starred in Ron Howard's blockbuster Cocoon and its sequel, Cocoon: The Return, in which she portrayed a beautiful alien. Returning to Europe she continued working mostly in Italian and German film and television productions. She has also appeared in American indie pictures I Shot Andy Warhol, Sue and Search And Destroy. She also portrayed the role of Catherine Powell in the 1996 video game Ripper.

She posed for a nude pictorial in the November 1995 edition of Playboy Magazine[citation needed] as well as posing in a handbra on its cover. Welch appeared in American Vogue, Italian Vogue, British GQ, Interview, French Marie Claire, Italian Moda, and German Bunte magazines.