Lucille Ball

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Birthday:

6 August 1911, Jamestown, New York, USA

Birth Name:

Lucille Désirée Ball

Height:

169 cm

The woman who will always be remembered as the crazy, accident-prone, lovable Lucy Ricardo was born Lucille Desiree Ball on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. Her father died before she was four, and her mother worked several jobs, so she and her younger brother were raised by their grandparents. Always willing to take responsibility for her brother and young cousins, she was a restless teenager who yearned to "make some noise". She entered a dramatic school in New York City, but while her classmate Bette Davis received all the raves, she was sent home; "too shy". She found some work modeling for Hattie Carnegie's and, in 1933, she was chosen to be a "Goldwyn Girl" and appear in the film Roman Scandals (1933).She was put under contract to RKO Radio Pictures and several small roles, including one in Top Hat (1935), followed. Eventually, she received starring roles in B-pictures and, occasionally, a good role in an A-picture, like in Stage Door (1937) or The Big Street (1942). While filming Too Many Girls (1940), she met and fell madly in love with a young Cuban actor-musician named Desi Arnaz. Despite different personalities, lifestyles, religions and ages (he was six years younger), he fell hard, too, and after a passionate romance, they eloped and were married in November 1940. Lucy soon switched to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where she got better roles in films such as Du Barry Was a Lady (1943); Best Foot Forward (1943) and the Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy vehicle Without Love (1945). In 1948, she took a starring role in the radio comedy "My Favorite Husband", in which she played the scatterbrained wife of a Midwestern banker. In 1950, CBS came knocking with the offer of turning it into a television series. After convincing the network brass to let Desi play her husband and to sign over the rights to and creative control over the series to them, work began on the most popular and universally beloved sitcom of all time.With I Love Lucy (1951), she and Desi pioneered the 3-camera technique now the standard in filming sitcoms, and the concept of syndicating television programs. She was also the first woman to own her own studio as the head of Desilu Productions. Lucille Ball died at home, age 77, of an acute aortic aneurysm on April 26, 1989 in Beverly Hills, California. Show less «

I think knowing what you cannot do is more important than knowing what you can do. In fact, that's good taste.

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can rest...Show more »

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore faith in yourself. Show less «

I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it, and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work and real...Show more »

I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it, and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't. Show less «

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.

I'm not funny. What I am is brave.

Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead.

I'd rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.

A man who correctly guesses a woman's age may be smart, but he's not very bright.

In life, all good things come hard, but wisdom is the hardest to come by.

[About her meeting Desi Arnaz for the first time]: It wasn't love at first sight. It took a full five minutes.

Desi (Desi Arnaz) was the great love of my life. I will miss him until the day I die.

[About Edith Head]: Edie knew the truth about all of us. She knew who had flat fannies and who didn't -- but she never told.

[on Liza Minnelli] She's a great trouper, Liza, I wish I had her talent. If anybody's going to take over from me, it's her. She's got a mind...Show more »

[on Liza Minnelli] She's a great trouper, Liza, I wish I had her talent. If anybody's going to take over from me, it's her. She's got a mind like a trip hammer and huge vitality. She's great. Show less «

[on Bob Hope] You spell Bob Hope C-L-A-S-S.

[on Audrey Hepburn] She's a tomboy and a fine comedienne. You'd never think of her being able to do my type of comedy. But she can. She has ...Show more »

[on Audrey Hepburn] She's a tomboy and a fine comedienne. You'd never think of her being able to do my type of comedy. But she can. She has great energy, frail as she looks. But, well, she's so beautiful, so ethereal, it would be sacrilege to put her through it. Show less «

You were taken in charge and trained. They have none of that today any place. I regret the passing of the studio system. I was very apprecia...Show more »

You were taken in charge and trained. They have none of that today any place. I regret the passing of the studio system. I was very appreciative of it because I had no talent. Believe me. What could I do? I couldn't dance. I couldn't sing. I could talk. I could barely walk. I had no flair. I wasn't a beauty, that's for sure. Show less «

[on Julie Andrews] I mean, you in Britain have some of the best comediennes. Julie Andrews is a comedienne -- oh yes she is!

[on Buster Keaton] He taught me most of what I know about timing, how to fall and how to handle props and animals.

[Defending her "singing" performance in the film Mame (1974)] Mame stayed up all night and drank champagne! What did you expect her to sound...Show more »

[Defending her "singing" performance in the film Mame (1974)] Mame stayed up all night and drank champagne! What did you expect her to sound like? Julie Andrews? Show less «

I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line.

[About her friend Maureen O'Hara] Maureen O'Hara is one of the people I love the most out all the people I know.

Give yourself first and everything else will fall into line.

[on Vivian Vance] I find that now I usually spend my time looking at Viv. Viv was sensational. And back then, there were things I had to do-...Show more »

[on Vivian Vance] I find that now I usually spend my time looking at Viv. Viv was sensational. And back then, there were things I had to do-I was in the projection room for some reason, and I just couldn't concentrate on it. But now I can. And I enjoy every move that Viv made. She was something. Show less «

Life takes guts.

I died my hair this crazy red to bid for attention. It has become a trademark and I've got to keep it this way.

[About her drama school experience in 1926] I was a tongue-tied teenager spellbound by the schools star pupil - Bette Davis.

I'm grateful for what motion pictures did for me even though, except for on or two pictures, I've never done any I liked.

[on Arnold Schwarzenegger] I take full credit for this man. He's going to become a big star.

[on Hollywood] When they say no, you hear yes. Someone says we can't do this movie, hug them and say thank you for believing in me.

In many ways, marrying Desi was one of the boldest things I ever did. I had always gone with older men. I had also achieved some kind of sta...Show more »

In many ways, marrying Desi was one of the boldest things I ever did. I had always gone with older men. I had also achieved some kind of stability in Hollywood, and Desi with his beautiful girls and good times seemed headed in another direction. Show less «

Yet I sensed in Desi a great need. Beneath the dazzling charm was a homeless boy who had no one to care for him, worry about him, love him. ...Show more »

Yet I sensed in Desi a great need. Beneath the dazzling charm was a homeless boy who had no one to care for him, worry about him, love him. And I wanted him and only him as the father of my children. Show less «

It's so hard to believe he is gone. I'm the only one left now. I remember the very last time I spoke with him. It was November 30th, our ann...Show more »

It's so hard to believe he is gone. I'm the only one left now. I remember the very last time I spoke with him. It was November 30th, our anniversary and he was in Del Mar with Lucie. He was very weak. Lucie held the phone up to his ear, and we said I love you over and over again to each other. On December 2nd, 1986 I was in the car coming home from taping an episode of Password when I heard Desi died. I could not stop crying. I felt lost, and like my own life had come to some kind of end. Lucie arranged the funeral and Danny Thomas gave the eulogy. It was funny and touching, but so very hard for me to sit through. With Desi's passing I lost my youth, my great success and the only man I ever wanted to be father of my children. Besides Dede, Fred & Cleo, he was the one person who had been in my life the longest and made the greatest impact. I didn't want to even consider what my life would've been without him. Show less «

I hate failure. And that divorce was the number one failure in my eyes. Desi and I have never been the same since.

If you don't believe he's a great producer, I got two little Arnaz's at home to prove it.

I knew there was nobody in the world for me but Desi. We may have our ups and downs just as many people have. I would rather quarrel and mak...Show more »

I knew there was nobody in the world for me but Desi. We may have our ups and downs just as many people have. I would rather quarrel and make up with him more than anyone else in the world. Show less «

[on Desi Arnaz] Life with Desi is crazy and exciting, but our love is deep and changeless.

I'm not sure that I want to be without some lack of confidence. If you are too sure of yourself, you don't grow. You may feel confident in s...Show more »

I'm not sure that I want to be without some lack of confidence. If you are too sure of yourself, you don't grow. You may feel confident in some things, but other fields come up as a challenge. And if you don't anticipate trouble, you will be in trouble. Show less «

[on Desi Arnaz] He did make me happy, and I really want people to know that.