Lucille Ball
Lucille Desiree Ball (1911-1989) was an American actress, and has been called America's greatest television comedienne.
She began studying drama at the age of 15, but initially could get no work. A modelling job as the Chesterfield Cigarette Girl in 1933 attracted attention and led to a series of bit parts in films. Her first major role was in Stage Door (1937).
In 1941, she married Desi Arnaz. Dissatisfied with her film career, she tried radio and had great success as a satterbrained housewife in My Favorite Husband. She was to reprise this type of role many times.
She starred with her husband in I Love Lucy (1951-7), one of the most successful TV comedy series in history. He basically played himself, a Cuban bandleader in America, while she played his scatterbrained wife. To produce the series, they set up Desilu Productions. They divorced in 1960. Arnaz sold his interests in Desilu to Lucille Ball, who eventually sold the whole company to Gulf and Western.
Without Arnaz, she continued to make TV series: The Lucy Show (1962-8), Here's Lucy (1968-74) and Life with Lucy (1986). Her co-star in the first two was Gale Gordon; the second also starred her two children, Lucy Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr.
Whle naturally brown-haired, she always dyed her hair red.