Lucille Ball 1911 – 1989

Biography

Lucille Ball was an American actress, comedian, and pioneering television producer, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in American comedy. Born August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York, she began as a model and chorus girl before building a film career in the 1930s and 40s. In 1951 she launched I Love Lucy with her husband Desi Arnaz, a sitcom that revolutionized television with the multi-camera format, the live studio audience, and rerun syndication, all pioneered at their Desilu studio. The show made her a household name as the irrepressible Lucy Ricardo. Desilu later produced Star Trek and Mission: Impossible, making Ball the first woman to head a major television studio. She died on April 26, 1989 in Los Angeles at age 77. She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.