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Lucille Ball Biography

Birth Name:
Lucille Desiree Ball
Birth Place:
Celoron, New York, United States
Profession
Actor, dancer, producer, model, studio executive

Fast Facts

  • Was one of the original "Goldwyn Girls," which included Betty Grable and Paulette Goddard
  • Formed Desilu Productions with husband Desi Arnaz in 1950 and, with her buyout in 1962, became the first woman to head a major Hollywood studio
  • Shaved her eyebrows for her role as a slave girl in 1933's Roman Scandals
  • They never grew back
  • In 1953, Lucy and her newborn son, Desi Arnaz Jr
  • , appeared on the first cover of TV GUIDE magazine; 50 years later, the magazine selected her TV's Greatest Star (Johnny Carson was second)
  • During the six-year run of I Love Lucy, it never ranked lower than third; it was the first show to be filmed before an audience; and Ball and husband Desi Arnaz pioneered the three-camera production technique that is now standard for sitcoms
  • A few years after her 1989 death, the manuscript to her long-lost autobiography was found in a filing cabinet
  • Love, Lucy, which covered her life into the '60s, was published in 1996

Awards

  • 1975Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: nominated
  • 1972Golden Globe-Actress in a Leading Role - Musical or Comedy Series or Television Movie: nominated
  • 1971Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy: nominated
  • 1970Golden Globe-Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy: nominated
  • 1969Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: nominated
  • 1968Emmy-Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series: winner
  • 1968Golden Globe-Actress in a Television Series: nominated
  • 1967Emmy-Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series: winner
  • 1966Emmy-Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series: nominated
  • 1963Emmy-Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series: nominated
  • 1961Golden Globe-Actress in a Leading Role - Musical or Comedy: nominated
  • 1958Emmy-Best Continuing Performance (Female) in a Series by a Comedienne, Singer, Hostess, Dancer, M.C., Announcer, Narrator, Panelist, or any Person who Essentially Plays Herself: nominated
  • 1957Emmy-Best Continuing Performance by a Comedienne in a Series: nominated
  • 1956Emmy-Best Actress - Continuing Performance: winner
  • 1955Emmy-Best Actress Starring in a Regular Series: nominated
  • 1954Emmy-Best Female Star of a Regular Series: nominated

Relationships