Lucille Desiree Ball was born on August 3, 1911, in Jamestown, New York. Her father died when she was three years old. Lucille moved to New York City and began her career as a model. For a short time she used the stage name Diane Belmont. Her big break came when producer Sam Goldwyn chose her to be one of his "Goldwyn Girls". Lucille started getting small roles in movies like Stage Door and Room Service. While making the comedy Too Many Girls she met bandleader Desi Arnaz and they were married in 1940. To get more attention in Hollywood Lucille dyed her brown hair red. In 1943 she signed a contract with MGM where she was nicknamed "Techinicolor Tessie". She worked with Bob Hope in Fancy Pants and with Van Johnson in Easy To Wed but she was unhappy with the roles she was given.
Lucille suffered several miscarriages before becoming a mother at age thirty-nine. In 1951 she teamed up with Desi to star in and produce the television series I Love Lucy. The show was a big success and they became the most popular couple on television. Even the birth of their son in 1953 became national news. Unfortunately Desi's drinking and affairs caused problems in their marriage. Lucille divorced him and married comedian Gary Morton in 1961. She would star in two more long-running television series making her a comedy legend . Her final public appearance would be at the 1989 Academy Awards. She died on April 26, 1989 from an aortic aneurysm. Lucille was cremated and her ashes were buried in Los Angeles but in 2002 her family moved them to Lake View Cemetery in Jamestown, New York.
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