Desi Arnaz

Lore & Background

Arnaz was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, to Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Alberni II and Dolores 'Lolita' de Acha y de Socias. His father was a medical doctor, Santiago's youngest mayor, and served in the Cuban House of Representatives. His maternal grandfather was Alberto de Acha, an executive at Bacardi & Co. Arnaz was of Spanish, Irish and French descent. A descendant of Cuban nobility, he was a great-great-great-grandson of José Joaquín, a mayor of Santiago de Cuba. The Cuban Revolution of 1933 forced Arnaz and his family to lose everything and flee Cuba. A mob attacked and destroyed the family's houses, property, and livestock. Arnaz narrowly escaped the attack because he was able to hop in a car driving away. His father was jailed and all of his property was confiscated; he was released after six months when his father-in-law intervened. The family fled to Miami, where Desi attended high school. He initially lived in Miami with only his father, with his mother coming later and the parents divorcing. Arnaz's family came to the U.S. with no money and he lived with his father in a garage infested with rats and roaches. In summer 1934, he attended Saint Leo Prep to improve his English. His first jobs included working at Woolworth's and cleaning canary cages. He then went into the tile business with his father before turning to show business.

Reader's Guide

After high school, Arnaz joined the Siboney Septet and was hired by Xavier Cugat for his touring orchestra. He started his own band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, and became a hit in New York City's club scene, introducing the conga line to the U.S. Rodgers and Hart cast him in the 1939 Broadway musical Too Many Girls; RKO bought the movie rights. Arnaz went to Hollywood in 1940 for the film version, where he met and eloped with Lucille Ball on November 30, 1940. He appeared in movies including Bataan (1943). He received his draft notice on April 27, 1943, as a Cuban citizen, later became a naturalized U.S. citizen, and changed his legal name to Desi Arnaz. He was disqualified from overseas service due to hypertension and knee injuries. He served in the U.S. Army directing USO programs at Birmingham General Army Hospital, bringing celebrities to visit wounded soldiers. He served two years, seven months, and four days, and was discharged as a staff sergeant on September 30, 1945. After the war, he formed another orchestra and was bandleader on Bob Hope's radio show for the 1946–47 season. In 1951, he hosted the CBS Radio game show Your Tropical Trip. He co-starred in I Love Lucy from October 15, 1951, playing Ricky Ricardo. With Ball, he founded Desilu Productions in 1950, originally to market I Love Lucy. After I Love Lucy ended, he produced other series including The Ann Sothern Show and The Untouchables.

Did You Know?

• Arnaz narrowly escaped the Cuban Revolution of 1933 by hopping into a car as a mob attacked his family's property.
• Arnaz and Ball are credited as the innovators of the syndicated rerun, which they pioneered with the I Love Lucy series.
• Arnaz was known for playing conga drums and popularized the conga line in the United States.