Gwen Welles, born Gwen Goldberg on March 4, 1951, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was an American actress known for her versatile performances in both film and television. She was the daughter of clothing designer Rebecca Welles and Barton Goldberg, and she had two sisters, Elizabeth (Betsy) Goldberg Welles and Lori Yarom.

She attended Vassar College and worked as a dress salesperson when she was 17. Her career in acting began in 1969 with a role in the TV series "Ironside."

Her film debut came in 1971 with the movie "A Safe Place." She spent three years in France in the early 1970s, where she acted in two films for director Roger Vadim. She is best remembered for her role as Sueleen Gay, an untalented singer, in Robert Altman's 1975 film "Nashville," for which she was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She also appeared in Altman's "California Split" (1974) and several films directed by Henry Jaglom, including "New Year's Day" (1989) and "Eating" (1990).

In her personal life, she was an advocate of yoga and meditation, usually meditating 20-30 minutes twice a day. During her time in France, she lived with Roger Vadim and posed for a set of nude photographs to earn money. She married actor Harris Yulin in 1975.

She was injured in an automobile accident during her time in Paris. She passed away on October 13, 1993, at the age of 42 from bowel cancer. A documentary about her illness, "An Angel On My Shoulder," directed by Donna Deitch, was released in 1998.