• ACTRESS & STUDIO EXECUTIVE
• Regarded by many as the 20th century's MOST SUCCESSFUL female entertainer
• Originally worked as a model before landing a part in the 1933 film Roman Scandals
• Married Desi Arnaz in 1940, and costarred opposite her husband in the 1951 television series I Love Lucy
• I Love Lucy was tremendously successful, ranking in the TOP TEN national ratings throughout its entire six-year run
• The show was the FIRST to feature an interracial couple, and the FIRST to show a pregnant woman onscreen -- on the same day that real Lucy gave birth to her second child, 44 million people watched TV Lucy "give birth" to Little Ricky
• Won four Emmy Awards
• Cofounded the production company Desilu with her husband; Ball was in charge of the shows she was in, while Arnaz managed the majority of Desilu's other operations
• Divorced Arnaz in 1960, and bought out his share of Desilu two years later, becoming the FIRST woman to head a major television company
• Backed two of the most successful TV series produced by Desilu​: Star Trek (the FIRST show to feature a Black woman as a lead character) and Mission: Impossible
• Served as inspiration for future comedians, both male and female

Feminist Icon?

When the women's liberation movement began in the late sixties and seventies, Ball openly rejected it. However, as an inarguably talented entertainer and successful business executive, she was still cited by many as a prime example of the feminist ideology: that women were equipped to perform jobs that were stereotypically perceived as belonging to men. Not all feminists viewed her as a good example, however, accusing I Love Lucy of reinforcing domestic stereotypes.

Bibliography: Hallett, Hilary A. "Ball, Lucille." The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, Vol. 1, Oxford University Press, 2008, 195-196.
Marciniak, Kristin. Women in Arts and Entertainment. Minneapolis: Abdo Publishing, 2017. Print.
Shen, Ann. Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2016. Print.

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