Lucille Ball

Biography

Lucille Ball was an American comedian, actress and producer, and later a studio executive, born in Jamestown, New York. She started out as a model in 1929, moved into Broadway choruses as Diane Belmont, and became a contract player at RKO Radio Pictures, where she played chorus girls, leads in B movies and supporting parts in bigger pictures, among them Roman Scandals (1933), Top Hat (1935), Stage Door (1937) and Dance, Girl, Dance (1940). She moved into television, and I Love Lucy, which she created with Desi Arnaz, ran on CBS from 1951 to 1957, followed by The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy. In 1962 she took over Desilu Productions, becoming the first woman to head a major television studio, and it produced Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. Her later work included the drama Stone Pillow (1985). She won five of thirteen Primetime Emmy nominations and received a Kennedy Center Honor.

77years old at death

Born August 6, 1911Jamestown
Died April 26, 1989Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
Lucille Désirée Ball (birth name)Also credited as Lucille Ball Morton, Diane Belmont, Lucille Ball Arnaz, Queen of the B Movies, and Lucille Desiree Ball

Movie Career

Films: 33
Career span: 90 years1933 to 2023

Genres

Comedy64%, 21 films
Romance39%, 13 films
Drama30%, 10 films
Musical21%, 7 films
Documentary15%, 5 films

First and latest

Photos

Did you know?!

About the name
Ball started acting on Broadway under the stage name Diane Belmont, which was also spelled Dianne. She used that name shortly after the start of her performing career.
A role that slipped away
Earl Carroll hired Ball for his Vanities, then let her go soon after. Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. also hired her for a touring company of Rio Rita and fired her quickly.
A change of course
Ball taught a comedy workshop lasting 32 weeks at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute. She said that comedy cannot be taught, adding that a person either has it or does not.
A change of course
Ball had a career beyond acting. In 1979, she took a position as an assistant professor at California State University, Northridge.

Lucille Ball movies on Netflix

Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed2023IMDb rating 7.3as Himself
Lucy and Desi2022IMDb rating 7.7as Himself
That's Entertainment! III1994IMDb rating 7.5
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood1987IMDb rating 6.7as Himself
Stone Pillow1985IMDb rating 7.4as Florabelle
CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years1976IMDb rating 7.2as Himself
Mame1974IMDb rating 5.9as Mame Dennis
Yours, Mine and Ours1968IMDb rating 7.1as Helen North Beardsley
A Guide for the Married Man1967IMDb rating 6.6as Technical Adviser
The Facts of Life1960IMDb rating 6.3as Kitty Weaver
Forever, Darling1956IMDb rating 6.0as Susan Vega
The Long, Long Trailer1954IMDb rating 7.0as Tacy Collini
Easy Living1949IMDb rating 6.3as Anne, Lenahan's Secretary
Lured1947IMDb rating 7.0as Sandra Carpenter
The Dark Corner1946IMDb rating 7.1as Kathleen Stewart
Without Love1945IMDb rating 6.6as Kitty Trimble
Ziegfeld Follies1945IMDb rating 6.4as Lucille Ball ('Here's to the Ladies')
Best Foot Forward1943IMDb rating 6.4as Lucille Ball
Thousands Cheer1943IMDb rating 6.2as Lucille Ball
Seven Days' Leave1942IMDb rating 5.9as Terry Havalok-Allen
The Big Street1942IMDb rating 6.4as Gloria Lyons
Dance, Girl, Dance1940IMDb rating 6.8as Bubbles
You Can't Fool Your Wife1940IMDb rating 5.6as Clara Fields Hinklin
Five Came Back1939IMDb rating 7.1as Peggy Nolan
Room Service1938IMDb rating 6.6as Christine Marlowe
Stage Door1937IMDb rating 7.7as Judith
Follow the Fleet1936IMDb rating 7.1as Kitty Collins
Roberta1935IMDb rating 7.0as Fashion Model
The Whole Town's Talking1935IMDb rating 7.3as Bank Employee
Top Hat1935IMDb rating 7.7as Flower Shop Clerk
Three Little Pigskins1934IMDb rating 7.4as Daisy Simms
Roman Scandals1933IMDb rating 6.6as Goldwyn Girl
The Bowery1933IMDb rating 6.8as Blonde

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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Yours, Mine and Ours1968 Comedy, Familyas Helen North Beardsley
IMDb rating 7.111K votes
The Long, Long Trailer1954 Comedy, Romanceas Tacy Collini
IMDb rating 7.06.3K votes
The Dark Corner1946as Kathleen Stewart
IMDb rating 7.15.8K votes
Lured1947as Sandra Carpenter
IMDb rating 7.05.9K votes
Mame1974as Mame Dennis
IMDb rating 5.93.8K votes
Room Service1938as Christine Marlowe
IMDb rating 6.66.0K votes
Ziegfeld Follies1945as Lucille Ball ('Here's to the Ladies')
IMDb rating 6.44.1K votes
Dance, Girl, Dance1940as Bubbles
IMDb rating 6.83.6K votes

Most often with

Mark Sandrich directed two of these films, William A. Seiter two and Ray McCarey two. Fred Astaire appears in five of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Fred Astaire

Ginger Rogers

Desi Arnaz

Gene Kelly

Carol Burnett

June AllysonMark SandrichDirector, 2 films William A. SeiterDirector, 2 films Ray McCareyDirector, 2 films

Films together

Fred Astaire5 films together, 1935 to 1994
Fred Astaire's page
- That's Entertainment! III1994IMDb rating 7.5
- Ziegfeld Follies1945IMDb rating 6.4Ball as Lucille Ball ('Here's to the Ladies')Astaire as Fred Astaire ('Here's to the Ladies') / Raffles ('This Heart of Mine') / Tai Long ('Limehouse Blues') / Gentleman ('The Babbit and the Bromide')
- Follow the Fleet1936IMDb rating 7.1Ball as Kitty CollinsAstaire as Bake Baker
- Roberta1935IMDb rating 7.0Ball as Fashion ModelAstaire as Huck Haines
- Top Hat1935IMDb rating 7.7Ball as Flower Shop ClerkAstaire as Jerry Travers
Ginger Rogers4 films together, 1935 to 1937
Ginger Rogers's page
- Stage Door1937IMDb rating 7.7Ball as JudithRogers as Jean Maitland
- Follow the Fleet1936IMDb rating 7.1Ball as Kitty CollinsRogers as Sherry Martin
- Roberta1935IMDb rating 7.0Ball as Fashion ModelRogers as Scharwenka
- Top Hat1935IMDb rating 7.7Ball as Flower Shop ClerkRogers as Dale Tremont
Desi Arnaz4 films together, 1954 to 2022
Desi Arnaz's page
- Lucy and Desi2022IMDb rating 7.7Ball as HimselfArnaz as Himself
- CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years1976IMDb rating 7.2Ball as HimselfArnaz as Himself
- Forever, Darling1956IMDb rating 6.0Ball as Susan VegaArnaz as Lorenzo Xavier Vega
- The Long, Long Trailer1954IMDb rating 7.0Ball as Tacy ColliniArnaz as Nicholas Collini
Gene Kelly3 films together, 1943 to 1994
Gene Kelly's page
- That's Entertainment! III1994IMDb rating 7.5Kelly as Self - Host
- Ziegfeld Follies1945IMDb rating 6.4Ball as Lucille Ball ('Here's to the Ladies')Kelly as Gentleman ('The Babbit and the Bromide')
- Thousands Cheer1943IMDb rating 6.2Ball as Lucille BallKelly as Eddie Marsh
Carol Burnett3 films together, 1976 to 2022
Carol Burnett's page
- Lucy and Desi2022IMDb rating 7.7Ball as HimselfBurnett as Himself
- Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood1987IMDb rating 6.7Ball as HimselfBurnett as Himself
- CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years1976IMDb rating 7.2Ball as HimselfBurnett as Himself
June Allyson3 films together, 1943 to 1994
June Allyson's page
- That's Entertainment! III1994IMDb rating 7.5Allyson as Self - Host
- Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood1987IMDb rating 6.7Ball as HimselfAllyson as Himself
- Best Foot Forward1943IMDb rating 6.4Ball as Lucille BallAllyson as Ethel
Mark SandrichDirector, 2 films, 1935 to 1936
All films by Mark Sandrich
- Follow the Fleet1936IMDb rating 7.1Ball as Kitty Collins
- Top Hat1935IMDb rating 7.7Ball as Flower Shop Clerk
William A. SeiterDirector, 2 films, 1935 to 1938
All films by William A. Seiter
- Room Service1938IMDb rating 6.6Ball as Christine Marlowe
- Roberta1935IMDb rating 7.0Ball as Fashion Model
Ray McCareyDirector, 2 films, 1934 to 1940
All films by Ray McCarey
- You Can't Fool Your Wife1940IMDb rating 5.6Ball as Clara Fields Hinklin
- Three Little Pigskins1934IMDb rating 7.4Ball as Daisy Simms
Also three films together2 more actors
- Ann MillerThat's Entertainment! III (1994), Room Service (1938) and Stage Door (1937)
- Bea ArthurRock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (2023), Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood (1987) and Mame (1974)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.

Box office

What Lucille Ball's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$27.5 million

8 of the 33 films have a worldwide figure.

8Worldwide figure
2US gross only
5Never in cinemas
18Figure not found

Top grosser

Mame1974Mame Dennis$6.5 million

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

1
Mame1974as Mame Dennis
$6.5M23.6% of the total
2
Ziegfeld Follies1945as Lucille Ball ('Here's to the Ladies')
$5.3M19.4% of the total
3
A Guide for the Married Man1967as Technical Adviser
$5.0M18.2% of the total
4
Top Hat1935as Flower Shop Clerk
$3.2M11.6% of the total
5
Follow the Fleet1936as Kitty Collins
$2.7M9.9% of the total
6
Best Foot Forward1943as Lucille Ball
$2.7M9.8% of the total
7
Stage Door1937as Judith
$1.8M6.4% of the total
8
That's Entertainment! III1994
$280K1.0% of the total

Awards

Nine awards and honors from 1967 to 2001, two of them major.

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Lucille Ball's awards and nominations, grouped by award
Year	Award	Film	Result
Emmy Awards
1968	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	The Lucy Show	Won
1967	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	The Lucy Show	Won
Other honors
2001	National Women's Hall of Fame (posthumous)		Won
1989	Presidential Medal of Freedom		Won
1988	Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year		Won
1977	Crystal Award		Won
	Kennedy Center Honors		Won
	Los Angeles Times Women of the Year Silver Cup		Won
	Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame		Honored

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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