Cast

Lucille Ball

Acting

Cast

Lucille Ball

Known for

Acting

Born

1911-08-06

From

Jamestown, New York, USA

Died

1989-04-26

Also known as Lucille Désirée Ball, Lucy, The Queen of the B's

Biography

Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy. One of the most popular and influential stars in America during her lifetime, with one of Hollywood's longest careers, especially on television, Ball began acting in the 1930s, becoming both a radio actress and B-movie star in the 1940s, and then a television star during the 1950s. She was still making films in the 1960s and 1970s. Ball received thirteen Emmy Award nominations and four wins. In 1977 Ball was among the first recipients of the Women in Film Crystal Award. She was the recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1979, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986 and the Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1989. In 1929, Ball landed work as a model and later began her performing career on Broadway using the stage name Dianne Belmont. She appeared in many small movie roles in the 1930s as a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures. Ball was labeled as the "Queen of the Bs" (referring to her many roles in B-films). In 1951, Ball was pivotal in the creation of the television series I Love Lucy. The show co-starred her then husband, Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo and Vivian Vance and William Frawley as Ethel and Fred Mertz, the Ricardos' landlords and friends. The show ended in 1957 after 180 episodes. They then changed the format a little - lengthening the time of the show from 30 minutes to 60 minutes (the first one went 75 mins), adding some characters, altering the storyline somewhat, and renaming the show from "I Love Lucy" to "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour", which ran for three seasons (1957–1960) and 13 episodes. Ball went on to star in two more successful television series: The Lucy Show, which ran on CBS from 1962 to 1968 (156 Episodes), and Here's Lucy from 1968 to 1974 (144 episodes). Her last attempt at a television series was a 1986 show called Life with Lucy - which failed miserably after 8 episodes aired although 13 were produced. Ball met and eloped with Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz in 1940. On July 17, 1951, almost 40 years old, Ball gave birth to their first child, Lucie Désirée Arnaz. A year and a half later, Ball gave birth to their second child, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV, known as Desi Arnaz, Jr. Ball and Arnaz divorced on May 4, 1960. On April 26, 1989, Ball died of a dissecting aortic aneurysm at age 77. At the time of her death she had been married to her second husband, standup comedian and business partner Gary Morton, for twenty-eight years.

Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball

Biography

Room Service

Yours, Mine and Ours

Stone Pillow

Carol + 2

Du Barry Was a Lady

That's Entertainment! III

My Darling Vivian

Dance, Girl, Dance

Night of 100 Stars II

The Long, Long Trailer

Mame

Top Hat

Bob Hope's World of Comedy

Stage Door

Ziegfeld Follies

Swing It

Judy Garland: By Myself

NBC: The First Fifty Years

That's Dancing!

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story

A Guide for the Married Man

The Fuller Brush Girl

A Grammy Celebration of Latin Music

Fugitive Lady

The Dark Corner

This Is Bob Hope...

The Big Street

Her Husband's Affairs

The Whole Town's Talking

Dummy Ache

The Affairs of Cellini

The Magic Carpet

Lured

Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored

Broadway Bill

Five Came Back

The Bowery

Pioneers of Primetime

The Three Musketeers

Go Chase Yourself

Lucy and Desi

The Time Element

Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution

Sorrowful Jones

Television: The First Fifty Years

Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy

Critic's Choice

Fancy Pants

Easy Living

Salute to Stan Laurel

Twelve Crowded Hours

A Woman of Distinction

Follow the Fleet

Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood

Murder at the Vanities

Without Love

Don't Tell the Wife

Miss Grant Takes Richmond

The Big Parade of Comedy

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood

Kid Millions

Having Wonderful Time

Forever, Darling

The Fabulous Allan Carr

Roberta

Annabel Takes a Tour

Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie

The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender

The Affairs of Annabel

Thousands Cheer

Swing Out, Sweet Land

Winterset

Showbiz Goes to War

Joy of Living

Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers

Bottoms Up