Lucille Ball know from the most popular sitcom, I Love Lucy, made its television debut in 1951. Known as Lucy in these popular series, she became known as one of America’s top comedians for her iconic role on the show, which had stories around marital issues and women in the workforce.
She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Lucille Desiree Ball was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, NY. Her father, Henry, died when she was three years old, so she was raised by her mother, Desiree, a concert pianist, and her maternal grandparents. Her grandparents instilled in her both a commitment to hard work and a love for the theater. She began performing in school plays as a child and decided to pursue a show business career at age 15. As a blonde and under the stage name, Diane Belmont, she tried her luck as a Broadway chorus girl during the 1920s. She had some brief luck in this endeavor but was ultimately fired from four different shows. She was repeatedly told by people in the industry and acting coaches that she should give up because she did not have enough talent. This did not deter her, however, and after illness prohibited her from working for a period of two to three years, she returned to New York City, looking for work under her own name. She took various jobs modeling in department stores, which eventually landed her a Cigarette Girl gig in Chesterfield Cigarette’s national advertising posters in 1933.
Aside from being one of the first pregnant characters on television, Lucille Ball portrayed Lucy in ways in which women had not been before seen on television. Lucy is a housewife who in every episode resists domestic life and/or a wife’s dependence on her husband, often to her husband’s disliking. Ball’s talent for both verbal and slapstick comedy paved the way for future television women. In addition to opening new doors for women in front of the camera, Ball was also a powerful female figure behind the scenes. As co-owner of Desilu, she became the first woman to head a production studio.