Lucille Desiree Ball was born on August 3, 1911, in Jamestown, New York. Her father died when she was three years old. Lucille began her career as a model. She briefly used the stage name Diane Belmont. Lucille decided to try acting and was chosen by producer Sam Goldwyn to be one of his "Goldwyn Girls". She got small roles in movies like Stage Door and Room Service. While making the comedy Too Many Girls she met bandleader Desi Arnaz. They were married in November 1940. To get more attention in Hollywood Lucille dyed her brown hair red. In 1943 Lucille signed a contract with MGM. Lucille worked with Bob Hope in Fancy Pants and with Esther Williams in Easy To Wed. She was nicknamed "Technicolor Tessie". In 1951 Lucille teamed up with Desi to star in and produce the television series I Love Lucy.

The show was a big success and Lucille became one of the most popular women on television. She won two Emmy Awards for her work on I Love Lucy. Lucille and Desi also costarred in the hit 1954 film The Long, Long Trailer. They had two children together - Lucie in 1951 and Desi Jr in 1953. Lucille and Desi's marriage was tumultuous. Desi had a drinking problem and he was unfaithful. She divorced him and married comedian Gary Morton in 1961. Lucille continued to work in movies and on television for the next three decades. She also starred on Broadway in the musical Wildcat. Lucille died on April 26, 1989 from an aortic aneurysm. She was cremated and her ashes were buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. In 2002 Lucille's family moved her ashes to Lake View Cemetery in Jamestown, New York.