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Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball

Acting · Production · Crew · Directing

Born August 6, 1911, Jamestown, New York, USA

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.

Filmography

Appearances as themselves (75)
  • 2024Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
  • 2023Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story — Self (archive footage)
  • 2023Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed — Self (archive footage)
  • 2022Lucy and Desi — Self (archive footage)
  • 2020My Darling Vivian — Self (archive footage)
  • 2017The Fabulous Allan Carr — Self (archive footage)
  • 2017This Is Bob Hope... — Self (archive footage)
  • 2004Judy Garland: By Myself — Self (archive footage)
  • 2003Biography: Bob Hope: America's Entertainer — Self (archive footage)
  • 2003Cher: The Farewell Tour — Self (archive footage)
  • 2001The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 1 — Self (archive footage)
  • 2001The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 2 — Self (archive footage)
  • 2000Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy — Self (archive footage)
  • 1999Television: The First Fifty Years — Self / Lucy Ricardo (archive footage)
  • 1998The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts — Self - Roastee (archive footage)
  • 1997The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender — Self (archive footage)
  • Intimate Portrait — Self (archive footage)
  • 1993Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie — Self
  • 1993The Best Of Danny Kaye - The Television Years — Self (archive footage)
  • 1988Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC — Self
  • 1987A Beverly Hills Christmas — Self
  • 1987Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood — Self
  • The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood — Self
  • 1986All Star Party for Clint Eastwood — Self
  • 1985Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers — Self (archive footage)
  • 1985Night of 100 Stars II — Self
  • 1985That's Dancing! — Self (archive footage)
  • 1984All Star Party for Lucille Ball — Self
  • Body Language — Self
  • 1983Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
  • 1982Showbiz Goes to War — Self (archive footage)
  • 1982Women I Love: Beautiful But Funny — Self
  • 1981A Love Letter to Jack Benny — Herself
  • Entertainment Tonight — Self
  • 1980Lucy Moves to NBC — Self
  • The Kennedy Center Honors — Self
  • 1976Bob Hope's World of Comedy — Self
  • 1976CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years — Self
  • Donny & Marie — Self
  • 1976Shirley MacLaine: Gypsy in My Soul — Self
  • Dinah! — Self
  • The American Film Institute Salute to ... — Self
  • The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts — Self
  • The Pearl Bailey Show — Self
  • The Flip Wilson Show — Self
  • 1969Ann-Margret: From Hollywood with Love — Self
  • The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour — Self
  • 1969The Jack Benny Birthday Special — Self
  • 1968Carnival Nights — Self
  • 1968The Dean Martin Christmas Show — Self - Guest (uncredited)
  • The Dick Cavett Show — Self - Guest
  • The Carol Burnett Show — Self - Guest
  • 1966Carol + 2 — Self
  • 1965Salute to Stan Laurel — Self
  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre — Self
  • 1963General Foods Opening Night — Self
  • The Danny Kaye Show — Self
  • The Merv Griffin Show — Self
  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
  • The Mike Douglas Show — Self - Guest, Self - Co-Hostess
  • Treffpunkt New York — Self
  • 1960Hedda Hopper's Hollywood — Self
  • Tonight Starring Jack Paar — Self
  • MGM Parade — Self
  • 1954A Star Is Born World Premiere — Self
  • This Is Your Life — Self
  • 1950A Woman of Distinction — Self (uncredited)
  • The Bob Hope Show — Self
  • What's My Line? — Self
  • The Ed Wynn Show — Self
  • The Emmy Awards — Self
  • The Ed Sullivan Show — Self
  • 1945Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood — Self (uncredited)
  • 1944G.I. Journal — Self
  • The Time Element — Self
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