Lucille Ball
Known for
Lucille Ball was an American comedian and actress, the undisputed queen of television comedy and one of the most beloved and influential stars of her country. After years as a model and B-movie actress in the 1940s, she revolutionized the small screen in 1951 with 'I Love Lucy', a sitcom she starred in alongside her husband Desi Arnaz and which laid the foundations of modern comedy. Her physical timing, her grimaces, and her boldness for the gag turned her into a cultural phenomenon, extended in 'The Lucy Show' and 'Here's Lucy'. As a businesswoman she was a pioneer in running the Desilu studio, which produced legendary series. She won multiple Emmy Awards and lifetime honors, leaving an indelible mark on the history of entertainment.
Lucille Ball
91 Movies
10 Series
Lucille Ball was an American comedian and actress, the undisputed queen of television comedy and one of the most beloved and influential stars of her country. After years as a model and B-movie actress in the 1940s, she revolutionized the small screen in 1951 with 'I Love Lucy', a sitcom she starred in alongside her husband Desi Arnaz and which laid the foundations of modern comedy. Her physical timing, her grimaces, and her boldness for the gag turned her into a cultural phenomenon, extended in 'The Lucy Show' and 'Here's Lucy'. As a businesswoman she was a pioneer in running the Desilu studio, which produced legendary series. She won multiple Emmy Awards and lifetime honors, leaving an indelible mark on the history of entertainment.
Movies
Plays Helen North Beardsley
Yours, Mine and Ours
1968
Plays Technical Adviser
A Guide for the Married Man
1967
Plays Bubbles
Dance, Girl, Dance
1940
Plays May Daly / Madame Du Barry
Du Barry Was a Lady
1943
Plays Lucille Ball (segment "Here's to the Ladies")
Ziegfeld Follies
1945
Plays Tacy Collini
The Long, Long Trailer
1954
Plays Mame Dennis
Mame
1974
Plays Judith
Stage Door
1937
Plays Kathleen Stewart
The Dark Corner
1946
Plays Christine Marlowe
Room Service
1938
Plays Sandra Carpenter
Lured
1947
Plays Miriam
Having Wonderful Time
1938
Plays Ellen Grant
Miss Grant Takes Richmond
1949
Plays Margaret Weldon
Her Husband's Affairs
1947
Plays Gloria Lyons
The Big Street
1942
Plays Statue of Liberty (voice)
Swing Out, Sweet Land
1970
Plays Sally Elliot
The Fuller Brush Girl
1950
Plays Kitty Weaver
The Facts of Life
1960
Plays Sandra Sand
That's Right – You're Wrong
1939
Plays Kitty Collins
Follow the Fleet
1936
Plays Carol Meeley
Go Chase Yourself
1938
Plays Lucille Ball
Thousands Cheer
1943
Plays Gladys Benton
Easy to Wed
1946
Plays Angela Ballantine
Critic's Choice
1963
Plays Actress
Dummy Ache
1936
Plays Kitty Trimble
Without Love
1945
Plays Christine Larson
Valley of the Sun
1942
Plays Agatha Floud
Fancy Pants
1950
Plays Susan Vega
Forever, Darling
1956
Plays College Girl
Old Man Rhythm
1935
Plays Gladys O'Neill
Sorrowful Jones
1949
Plays Anne, Lenahan's Secretary
Easy Living
1949
Plays Peggy Nolan
Five Came Back
1939
Plays Annabel Allison
The Affairs of Annabel
1938
Plays Princess Narah
The Magic Carpet
1951
Plays Dot Duncan
A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob
1941
Plays Connie Casey
Too Many Girls
1940
Plays Gwendolyn Dilley
I Dream Too Much
1935
Plays Clara Fields Hinklin
You Can't Fool Your Wife
1940
Plays Julie Patterson
Look Who's Laughing
1941
Plays Kay Williams
Lover Come Back
1946
Plays Julie Hampton
Meet the People
1944
Plays Terry Havalok-Allen
Seven Days' Leave
1942
Plays Bridesmaid
Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back
1934
Plays Bonnie Blakely
The Lucille Ball Comedy Hour
1964
Plays Ricki Woodner
Two Smart People
1946
Plays Salina Garret Pine
Joy of Living
1938
Plays Nancy Crocker Fleming
Next Time I Marry
1938
Plays Cleaning Lady
Cher... and Other Fantasies
1979
Plays Jean Russell
Beauty for the Asking
1939
TV Shows
Plays Lucy Ricardo
I Love Lucy
1951
Plays Lucy Carmichael
The Lucy Show
1962
Director
Plays Lucy Carter
Here's Lucy
1968
Producer
Plays Lucy Ricardo
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour
1957
Plays Lucy Barker
Life with Lucy
1986
Plays Self
What's My Line?
1950
Plays Self
Dinah!
1974
Plays Self - Guest
The Carol Burnett Show
1967
Plays Rachel Revere
The Jack Benny Program
1950
Plays Lucy Ricardo
The Ann Sothern Show
1958
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Happy Anniversary and Goodbye
Full Filmography
Life with Lucy
Lucy Barker · 8 episodes
1986
TV
Dinah!
Self · 4 episodes
1974–1978
TV
What Now, Catherine Curtis?
Catherine Curtis
1976
Film
Mame
Mame Dennis
1974
Film
The Carol Burnett Show
Self - Guest · 4 episodes
1967–1970
TV
Swing Out, Sweet Land
Statue of Liberty (voice)
1970
Film
Here's Lucy
Lucy Carter · 144 episodes
1968–
TV
Yours, Mine and Ours
Helen North Beardsley
1968
Film
Carnival Nights
Self
1968
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lucille Ball still alive?
Lucille Ball passed away on April 26, 1989 at age 77.
What are the most famous roles of Lucille Ball?
Lucille Ball is best known for roles in Top Hat, Yours, Mine and Ours, Stage Door.
How many movies has Lucille Ball been in?
Over a 56-year career (since 1933), Lucille Ball has appeared in 88 movies and 7 TV shows.
What was Lucille Ball's first movie?
The career of Lucille Ball began with The Bowery (1933).
What is Lucille Ball's most recent movie or series?
Lucille Ball's most recent release is A Tribute to Lucy, which premiered on January 1, 1989.
What TV shows has Lucille Ball appeared in?
On television, Lucille Ball has appeared in I Love Lucy, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Carol Burnett Show, The Lucy Show.
Lucille Ball
1911-08-06 · 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.