Overview (5)

Mini Bio (1)

The woman who will always be remembered as the crazy, accident-prone, lovable Lucy Ricardo was born Lucille Desiree Ball on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. Her father died before she was four, and her mother worked several jobs, so she and her younger brother were raised by their grandparents. Always willing to take responsibility for her brother and young cousins, she was a restless teenager who yearned to "make some noise". She entered a dramatic school in New York City, but while her classmate Bette Davis received all the raves, she was sent home; "too shy". She found some work modeling for Hattie Carnegie's and, in 1933, she was chosen to be a "Goldwyn Girl" and appear in the film Roman Scandals (1933).



She was put under contract to RKO Radio Pictures and several small roles, including one in Top Hat (1935), followed. Eventually, she received starring roles in B-pictures and, occasionally, a good role in an A-picture, like in Stage Door (1937) or The Big Street (1942). While filming Too Many Girls (1940), she met and fell madly in love with a young Cuban actor-musician named Desi Arnaz. Despite different personalities, lifestyles, religions and ages (he was six years younger), he fell hard, too, and after a passionate romance, they eloped and were married in November 1940. Lucy soon switched to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where she got better roles in films such as Du Barry Was a Lady (1943); Best Foot Forward (1943) and the Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy vehicle Without Love (1945). In 1948, she took a starring role in the radio comedy "My Favorite Husband", in which she played the scatterbrained wife of a Midwestern banker. In 1950, CBS came knocking with the offer of turning it into a television series. After convincing the network brass to let Desi play her husband and to sign over the rights to and creative control over the series to them, work began on the most popular and universally beloved sitcom of all time.



With I Love Lucy (1951), she and Desi promoted the 3-camera technique now the standard in filming sitcoms using 35mm film (the earliest known example of the 3-camera technique is the first Russian feature film, "Defence of Sevastopol" in 1911). Desi syndicated I Love Lucy.



Lucille Desiree Ball was the first woman to own her own studio as the head of Desilu Productions.



Lucille Ball died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, age 77, of an acute aortic aneurysm on April 26, 1989 in Los Angeles, CA.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tommy Peter

Spouse (2)

Trade Mark (5)

Red hair and blue eyes



Famous for her fake wailing when something bad happens to her



Husky voice



Her trademark 'spider face' when something goes wrong for her, accompanied by an "eugh" sound.



Gift for physical comedy



Trivia (70)

Received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award posthumously in 1990.



Originally interred at Forest Lawn (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, CA, Columbarium of Radiant Dawn, Court of Remembrance. In 2003, she was re-interred in the Ball family plot in Lake View Cemetery, Jamestown, NY.





A comment from a member of the preview audience of Follow the Fleet (1936) about bit-player Ball: "You might give the tall gum-chewing blonde more parts and see if she can't make the grade--a good gamble".



Ball and Barbara Pepper met early in their careers when they were both in The Goldwyn Girls and remained lifelong friends.

Was the first woman to own her own film studio when she became the head of Desilu Productions.



Was awarded two Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6436 Hollywood Blvd. and for Television at 6100 Hollywood Blvd.





She signed her first promotional agreement with Max Factor in 1935 and again in 1942. Of all the stars, she had the longest association with the Max Factor company.

Once registered as a voter for the Communist party as a favor to her grandfather Frederick Charles Hunt (July 24, 1865-January 9, 1944).





Ball and her son, Desi Arnaz Jr. , appeared together on the very first cover of "TV Guide" magazine in 1953.



Died the morning of April 26, 1989, the 56th birthday of her friend Carol Burnett . That afternoon Burnett received the flowers that Ball had ordered for her birthday.



During the filming of Roman Scandals (1933), Lucy--playing a slave girl--needed to have her eyebrows entirely shaved off. They never grew back.



Before her movie career she was a model at Hattie Carnegie 's in New York. She mainly modeled heavy fur coats, because she was startlingly thin as a young lady.

She was fired from working at an ice cream store because she kept forgetting to put bananas in banana splits.





She put her Chesterfield cigarettes in a Philip Morris package to please her sponsor (of the I Love Lucy (1951) show).

"TV Guide" picked her as the greatest TV star of all time.





Ball was six years older than first husband Desi Arnaz , and 13 years older than second husband, Gary Morton . For many years, she and Arnaz obscured this by splitting the difference in their ages. She (born in 1911) said she was born in 1914 and he (born in 1917) also said he was born in 1914.

Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2002.





Her last television appearance (and one of her last public appearances) was in 1989 on the 62nd Academy Awards, with Bob Hope , announcing the nominations and winner of Best Picture. She died not long after.

Stricken by rheumatoid arthritis early in her modeling career, she spent two years re-learning how to walk.





On March 3, 1960, Ball filed for a divorce from husband Desi Arnaz , the day following the last day of filming The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957). The couple divided their $20-million television empire equally, each retaining 25% Desilu stock (282,800 shares), she got the homes in Beverly Hills and Rancho Mirage, and Desi got the beach house in Del Mar, California and the horse ranch in Corona. In addition, they agreed to joint custody of their children, for which she received $450/month child support. In 1962, she purchased Desi Arnaz 's holdings in Desilu holdings for $3 million, as he wanted to retire to his horse ranch and lead a more stress-free life.

Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. pg. 35-37. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387.





Felt that she did not deserve the title of "Queen of Comedy" and felt that it belonged to her idol, Carole Lombard



While still contemplating whether to do the I Love Lucy (1951) shows, she claimed that in her dream, Carole Lombard came to her and told her to "Give it a whirl".



A first cousin of Cleo Morgan (although they were raised as sisters), Ball was also a second cousin of Suzan Ball

The children of a telephone lineman, Henry Durrell Ball (who died in 1915 from typhoid fever), and Désirée Hunt, Lucy and Fred Ball were of Irish, Scottish, French, and English descent. She was proud of her family and heritage. Her genealogy can be traced back to the earliest settlers in the colonies. One direct ancestor, William Sprague (1609-75), left England on the ship "Lyon's Whelp" for Plymouth/Salem (Massachusetts). They were from Upwey, Dorsetshire, England. William, along with his two brothers, helped to found the city of Charlestown, Massachusetts. Other Sprague relatives became soldiers in the Revolutionary War, and two became governors of the state of Rhode Island.





Ball and Desi Arnaz were married a second time in 1946 in a church because his mother believed that the couple could not have children because had not been married in the Catholic Church. (She suffered three miscarriages with husband Desi Arnaz , in 1942, 1949, and 1950.) Their first marriage ceremony, in 1940, was at the Byram River Beagle Club in Connecticut. She filed for divorce from Desi Arnaz in the 1940s but didn't go through with it because they reconciled.



Not long after the Arnazes bought their house on 1000 North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills, CA, it was first featured in I Love Lucy: The Tour (1955). Richard Widmark guest-starred and she climbs over the fence to pick a grapefruit from his backyard.

As a young model for, among other products, Chesterfield cigarettes, and was known as the "Chesterfield Girl". She called herself Diane (or Dianne) Belmont after the Belmont racetrack in New York.





The day she first met Desi Arnaz , she had a black eye and a torn dress from filming a fight scene for Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) and he didn't find her at all attractive until they met again later in the day when she had changed into her own clothes and makeup. His oft-quoted first impression of her extraordinary beauty was "That's a hunk o' woman".



The original Desilu was Ball and Arnaz's ranch in Chatsworth, California. They used the same method of naming it that Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford had done when they named their estate "Pickfair".



When they were first married in 1940, Desi Arnaz had to give her a ring from a drugstore because all jewelry stores were closed. She wore it for the rest of their marriage.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 63-66. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.





Her younger brother, Fred Ball (1915-2007), moved from their hometown of Jamestown, New York to join her in Hollywood in the 1930s. He often accompanied his brother-in-law (Desi Arnaz)'s band on tour during the 1940s and 1950s, and was also on the Board of Directors of Desilu Productions. In later years, Fred and his wife Zo operated a motel in Cottonwood, Arizona, where he died, survived by four children. Fred Ball shared the same birthday as his niece, Lucie Arnaz

In 1966 it was reported in an annual stockholder's meeting that her salary as President of Desilu Productions (1962-67) was $100,000. Her acting fees for 1966 were $130,172.



In July 1967 she sold Desilu Productions, consisting of 36 sound stages, 2000 employees and 62 acres adjacent to Paramount, to Gulf+Western Industries for $17 million. She received $10 million in Gulf+Western stock for her 60% of Desilu, the remaining $7 million being distributed to 3878 stockholders. In 1968, after the sale of Desilu, she was reported to be the richest woman in television, having earned an estimated $30 million.



Profiled in "Killer Tomatoes: Fifteen Tough Film Dames" by Ray Hagen and Laura Wagner (McFarland, 2004).





In 1958 in order to raise funds for their various investments, she and Desi Arnaz took Desilu public on the NYSE at $10 per share. They each retained 25% of the company, with each selling 25%. She took her $2.5-million windfall, paid $600,000 in capital gains taxes and, always frugal, invested the remainder in bonds and securities.



When she and Desi Arnaz moved to 1000 North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills, CA, Jack Benny , was their next-door neighbor, residing at 1002 North Roxbury Drive.



Offered the role of Angel in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), she was forced to turn it down due to pregnancy. Gloria Grahame was later cast instead.



Pictured on a 34¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, issued 6 August 2001. In 2009, she and Vivian Vance (as Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz in a scene from I Love Lucy: Job Switching (1952)) were pictured on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Early Television Memories issue, which was issued 11 August 2009.



Profiled in by Stephen M. Silverman 's 1999 book "Funny Ladies: 100 Years of Great Comediannes".



Though starring in many successful 1940s musical comedies for MGM, her contract allowed her to honor her prior commitments. She starred in two film classics, The Dark Corner (1946) for 20th Century-Fox and the independently produced Lured (1947).

In the early part of her career she claimed she was born in Butte, MT, where her father died. Because of that she was nicknamed "Montana".





She had a bungalow office suite east of the main Desilu Production offices located on Gower St. (main reception entrance on Gower St.). Cleo Morgan , her first cousin, was her secretary, responsible for scheduling meetings, dealing with clients and agents for Lucy in her capacity as CEO of Desilu. Cleo remained with the Desilu management team the entire period of operation. Bud Brooks was in charge of the Desilu Productions Art department, located in the top floor of the main entrance building.



Gave birth to her first child, Lucie Desiree Arnaz ( Lucie Arnaz ) at age 39 on July 17, 1951, via Caesarean section.



Gave birth to her second child, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV ( Desi Arnaz Jr. ) at age 41 on January 19, 1953, via Caesarean section.



She and Broderick Crawford announced their engagement in 1936. They never got as far as the altar. It was claimed that RKO fronted this story to cover her affair with studio producer Pandro S. Berman , who was married.



Contrary to their respective I Love Lucy (1951) personas, in real life Ball was the frugal one while Desi Arnaz was the spendthrift.

Ball and Arnaz were mentioned, along with many other celebrities, in Bette Midler's list song, Samedi et Vendredi, on her 1976 album, "Songs for the New Depression".



Few people recognize her role in the dawn of Star Trek. As head of Desilu, she decided to go ahead with the project against the advice of her advisers. They told her the project would bankrupt her, and -- in the end -- they were right. The cost of Star Trek was a major reason she was forced to sell the company.



Took piano lessons at the Chautauqua Institution.





Author Mike Sims wrote a series of books called the Vickie Audiobook: English (2017) series. In interviews was asked who inspired his Vickie character and he has stated; "I was inspired by a number of powerful ladies and one that stands out is Lucille Ball. She is smart, tough and if it was not for her resolve we would have missed out on Star Trek and a number of TV shows.".



Ball often credited film great Marion Davies as a major influence on her style of comedy. In one of her memoirs, Ball claimed to have appeared as an extra in the silent comedy Tillie the Toiler (1927), which starred Davies. However, as Ball would have been only 16 years old and the film was shot in Hollywood, this seems doubtful.

From the mid to late 1950s, she was the celebrity spokeswomen for the Paper Mate Pen Company.





Had five grandchildren; granddaughters Julia (b. July 7, 1969) and Haley (b. December 17, 1976) via son Desi Arnaz Jr. , and grandsons Simon (b. December 9, 1980) and Joseph (b. December 31, 1982) and granddaughter Katharine (b. January 11, 1985) via daughter Lucie Arnaz



Appeared in two films nominated for Best Picture Oscar: Top Hat (1935) and Stage Door (1937).

Personal Quotes (46)

I think knowing what you cannot do is more important than knowing what you can do. In fact, that's good taste.



One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore faith in yourself.



I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it, and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't.



The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.



I'm not funny. What I am is brave.



Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead.



I'd rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.



A man who correctly guesses a woman's age may be smart, but he's not very bright.



In life, all good things come hard, but wisdom is the hardest to come by.





[About her meeting Desi Arnaz for the first time]: It wasn't love at first sight. It took a full five minutes.



Desi ( Desi Arnaz ) was the great love of my life. I will miss him until the day I die.



[About Edith Head ]: Edie knew the truth about all of us. She knew who had flat fannies and who didn't -- but she never told.



[on Liza Minnelli ] She's a great trouper, Liza, I wish I had her talent. If anybody's going to take over from me, it's her. She's got a mind like a trip hammer and huge vitality. She's great.



[on Audrey Hepburn ] She's a tomboy and a fine comedienne. You'd never think of her being able to do my type of comedy. But she can. She has great energy, frail as she looks. But, well, she's so beautiful, so ethereal, it would be sacrilege to put her through it.

You were taken in charge and trained. They have none of that today any place. I regret the passing of the studio system. I was very appreciative of it because I had no talent. Believe me. What could I do? I couldn't dance. I couldn't sing. I could talk. I could barely walk. I had no flair. I wasn't a beauty, that's for sure.





[on Julie Andrews ] I mean, you in Britain have some of the best comediennes. Julie Andrews is a comedienne -- oh yes she is!



[on Buster Keaton ] He taught me most of what I know about timing, how to fall and how to handle props and animals.



[Defending her "singing" performance in the film Mame (1974)] Mame stayed up all night and drank champagne! What did you expect her to sound like? Julie Andrews

I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line.





[About her friend Maureen O'Hara ] Maureen O'Hara is one of the people I love the most out all the people I know.

Give yourself first and everything else will fall into line.





[on Vivian Vance ] I find that now I usually spend my time looking at Viv. Viv was sensational. And back then, there were things I had to do-I was in the projection room for some reason, and I just couldn't concentrate on it. But now I can. And I enjoy every move that Viv made. She was something.

Life takes guts.



I dyed my hair this crazy red to bid for attention. It has become a trademark and I've got to keep it this way.



[About her drama school experience in 1926] I was a tongue-tied teenager spellbound by the schools star pupil - Bette Davis.



I'm grateful for what motion pictures did for me even though, except for on or two pictures, I've never done any I liked.





[on Arnold Schwarzenegger ] I take full credit for this man. He's going to become a big star.

[on Hollywood] When they say no, you hear yes. Someone says we can't do this movie, hug them and say thank you for believing in me.



In many ways, marrying Desi was one of the boldest things I ever did. I had always gone with older men. I had also achieved some kind of stability in Hollywood, and Desi with his beautiful girls and good times seemed headed in another direction.



Yet I sensed in Desi a great need. Beneath the dazzling charm was a homeless boy who had no one to care for him, worry about him, love him. And I wanted him and only him as the father of my children.



It's so hard to believe he is gone. I'm the only one left now. I remember the very last time I spoke with him. It was November 30th, our anniversary and he was in Del Mar with Lucie. He was very weak. Lucie held the phone up to his ear, and we said I love you over and over again to each other. On December 2nd, 1986 I was in the car coming home from taping an episode of Password when I heard Desi died. I could not stop crying. I felt lost, and like my own life had come to some kind of end. Lucie arranged the funeral and Danny Thomas gave the eulogy. It was funny and touching, but so very hard for me to sit through. With Desi's passing I lost my youth, my great success and the only man I ever wanted to be father of my children. Besides Dede, Fred & Cleo, he was the one person who had been in my life the longest and made the greatest impact. I didn't want to even consider what my life would've been without him.



I hate failure. And that divorce was the number one failure in my eyes. It was the worst period of my life. Neither Desi nor I have been the same since physically or mentally.



If you don't believe he's a great producer, I got two little Arnaz's at home to prove it.



I knew there was nobody in the world for me but Desi. We may have our ups and downs just as many people have. I would rather quarrel and make up with him more than anyone else in the world.



[on Desi Arnaz] Life with Desi is crazy and exciting, but our love is deep and changeless.



I'm not sure that I want to be without some lack of confidence. If you are too sure of yourself, you don't grow. You may feel confident in some things, but other fields come up as a challenge. And if you don't anticipate trouble, you will be in trouble.



[on Desi Arnaz] He did make me happy, and I really want people to know that.



The best time of my marriage was when I was pregnant. That was the kind of marriage that I've always hoped for.



After the short ceremony, we ate our wedding breakfast in front of a bright fire in the club's lounge. Outside a fresh mantel of snow hung on the pine trees. After all the indecision we'd been through, Desi and I were dazed with happiness. We kissed each other and the marriage certificate again and again. It still has my lipstick marks on it. I'm going to keep this forever and ever. I told Desi. Clutching it to my black wool covered bosom. This marriage had to work. I would do anything, sacrifice anything to make Desi happy.



We had it all, Desi and I we had it all.



Desi was singing. His dark eyes were shining, his face radiant, but his hands I noticed were shaking. In Greenwhich, we spent a harried two hours seeing a judge about waving the five day wedding period and getting the necessary health examination. Desi had planned to marry me at the office of Justice of the Peace John J. O'Brien. He had forgotten only one thing, a wedding ring. Desi's business manager ran into Woolworth's and bought me a brass one. Although, Desi later gave me a platinum ring, that little discolored brass ring rest among the diamonds and emeralds in my jewel case for years.



There would be no Lucy without Desi.



I had never met a Latin before. In fact, up to this time, I hadn't had much fun. I'd gone out with lots of guys and it had been in the papers, that I was engaged to this one and that one, but now I think back on it, they all seem pretty ordinary. But this I can say for myself and this is the truth. I never wanted to marry anybody until I met Desi.



People always expect me to be funny. I was never funny; the writers were funny. Do you know who was really funny? Judy Garland. Judy Garland was naturally funny...the funniest lady in Hollywood. She made me look like a mortician.



I have no desire to play Shakespeare or Chekhov or anything that serious.



Salary (19)