Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz (born March 2, 1917 in Santiago de Cuba , † December 2, 1986 in Del Mar , California ; actually Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha, III ) was a Cuban musician , conductor , actor , comedian and television producer who primarily celebrated great success in the USA .
biography
Arnaz was born in Santiago de Cuba , the second largest city in Cuba , to a wealthy family. His ancestors were among the beneficiaries of the Spanish land allotment in the 18th century and his father was the youngest mayor of Santiago.
After the revolution in 1933, Desi Arnaz fled to Miami , Florida with his parents .
In 1936 Arnaz began his music career as a guitarist and percussionist in an orchestra for Latin American music . Shortly thereafter, he accepted a cut in wages in order to work in New York City for Xavier Cugat , who became his mentor. 6 months later, Arnaz returned to Miami and founded his own combo , with which he contributed significantly to the spread of the Cuban conga and its rapidly increasing popularity in the USA. Arnaz formed his own orchestra and went to New York City again. He had one of his greatest successes in 1946 with Babalu by Margarita Lecuona .
In 1939 he appeared in the hit musical Too Many Girls on Broadway . He then moved to Hollywood , where he was seen in the 1940 film adaptation of the musical. While filming, he met Lucille Ball . They married that same year. Divorce proceedings were initiated in 1944, but the couple broke off before it became final.
In the 1940s, Arnaz appeared in a number of feature films. The most famous became Bataan (1943). Shortly before he was drafted into the military, he injured his knee. He then did basic training, but was subsequently relieved of many responsibilities and eventually led entertainment programs in a military hospital. After his service, he founded a new orchestra that became very successful with live performances and recordings; The band singer was Jane Harvey in 1946 . At the same time, he was hired by television and produced the series I Love Lucy , in which he played a fictional version of himself by the name of Ricky Ricardo . Ricky Ricardo's wife was played by Arnaz's wife Lucille Ball.
Together with his wife he founded Desilu Productions . At the time, most of the television shows were live, and because New York City was the largest market, most of the other broadcasters only received recordings. Most of these recordings were made with cameras in front of a television screen and were therefore of poor quality. Arnaz developed a new production style and, together with the famous cameraman Karl Freund, made good shots for the whole country.
As a producer, Arnaz has been responsible for a number of major television episodes , including The Texan and the pilot of The Untouchables .
His two stars on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood dedicated, one in the film category, one in the television category.
The two children of Arnaz and Ball also became famous actors: Lucie Arnaz (* 1951) and Desi Arnaz junior (* 1953).
Filmography
As an actor
- 1940: Too Many Girls
- 1941: Father Takes a Wife
- 1942: Four Jacks and a Jill
- 1942: The fleet breaks through (The Navy Comes Through)
- 1943: Bataan
- 1946: Cuban Pete
- 1949: Holiday in Havana
- 1951–1957: I Love Lucy (TV series, 180 episodes)
- 1954: Villa with 100 HP ( The Long Long Trailer )
- 1955: My Angel and I ( Forever, Darling )
- 1957–1960: The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (TV series, 13 episodes)
- 1970: The People at Shiloh Ranch ( The Virginian ; TV series, 1 episode)
- 1974: The Boss ( Ironside ; TV series, 1 episode)
- 1982: The Escape Artist
Web links
- Desi Arnaz in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Desi Arnaz in the database of Find a Grave (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Arnaz, Desi |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha, III (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Cuban musician, actor, comedian and television producer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 2, 1917 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Santiago de Cuba |
| DATE OF DEATH | 2nd December 1986 |
| Place of death | Del Mar (California) |