Lucille Desiree Ball was born August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, NY. At age 15 she began taking acting lessons but was sent home by her teachers because in their estimation she had no talent as an actress. Refusing to give up her dream of acting, she started her career as a model and made her first film appearance in the musical Roman Scandals. She later moved to larger roles working with Kathrine Hepburn, the Marx Brothers, and Ginger Rodgers, but her greatest claim to fame is the "I Love Lucy" show which she performed in and produced with her husband Desi Arnaz until Desi's work with Desilu Studios began to interfere with their marriage. Her bright red hair and nasal whine have become an icon of 1950's television and even after her death in 1989, Lucille Ball has numerous dedicated fans.
America may have loved Lucy but she made the FBI suspicious when she registered
with the Communist Party in 1936 at the insistence of her grandfather. Although
the House Committee on Un-American Activities began their investigation in 1953,
no evidence was ever shown that she had supported the Communist Party and her
registration appeared to be only for the sake of pleasing her grandfather.