Lucille Ball's Real Name: Lucille Désirée Ball

Quick answer: Lucille Ball's documented full name is Lucille Désirée Ball. She was born on August 6, 1911, in Jamestown, New York, and died on April 26, 1989, in Los Angeles, at 77. She starred in I Love Lucy and later became a major television executive (Britannica; Biography).

Real name and early life

Britannica gives her name in full as Lucille Désirée Ball. Biography.com lists the same full name and says she was born on August 6, 1911, in Jamestown, New York, to Henry "Had" Durrell Ball and Desiree "DeDe" Evelyn Ball. The Library of Congress heading is "Ball, Lucille, 1911-1989"; an ECIP galley in that record also uses Lucille Desirée Ball, born August 6, 1911, in Jamestown. Biography.com says she later worked as a model and, in the early 1930s, moved to Hollywood, including a stint as one of the Goldwyn Girls promoting Roman Scandals (1933). In 1937 she had a sizable part in Stage Door, with Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers.

Career highlights

In 1950 Ball and her husband, Desi Arnaz, formed Desilu Productions, Britannica says. I Love Lucy premiered in October 1951, with the couple as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, and remained a leading comedy through 1957, continuing under the title The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour from 1957 to 1960. Biography.com notes that they married in 1940 and divorced in 1960; they had two children, Lucie and Desi Jr. After the divorce she starred on Broadway in Wildcat (1960–61) and returned to television in The Lucy Show (1962–68). In 1967 she sold Desilu and formed Lucille Ball Productions, which produced Here's Lucy (1968–74). Later credits include the films Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) and Mame (1974), the television film Stone Pillow (1985), in which she played a Manhattan bag lady, and a short-lived 1986 series, Life with Lucy. Britannica lists Emmy Awards, a 1979 Cecil B. DeMille Award, 1986 Kennedy Center Honors, and induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984.

Death

Britannica and Biography.com say she died on April 26, 1989, in Los Angeles, at 77. Some Library of Congress notes give Los Angeles; one lists Beverly Hills.

Name notes for searchers

Lucille Désirée Ball is the documented full name; she was universally known as Lucille Ball, or Lucy. Diane Belmont appears in some records as an early professional name. Married forms including Lucille Ball Arnaz also appear in Library of Congress variants. She should not be confused with her daughter, Lucie Arnaz.