![]() Īrnaz appeared in several movies in the 1940s such as Bataan, starring Robert Taylor (1943). Arnaz and Ball fell in love during the film's production and eloped on November 30, 1940. Īrnaz went to Hollywood the next year to appear in the show's movie version at RKO, which also starred Lucille Ball. The show was a hit and RKO Pictures bought the movie rights. He came to the attention of Rodgers and Hart who, in 1939, cast him in their Broadway musical Too Many Girls. Īrnaz and his orchestra became a hit in New York City's club scene, including a club named La Conga, where he is credited with introducing the concept of conga line dancing to the United States. Becoming a star attraction encouraged him to start his own band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra. Xavier Cugat, after seeing Arnaz perform, hired him for his touring orchestra, playing the conga drum and singing. Professional career Musician and actor Īfter finishing high school, Arnaz formed a band, the Siboney Septet, and began making a name for himself in Miami. He then went into the tile business with his father before turning to show business full time. His first jobs included working at Woolworth's and cleaning canary cages in Miami. In the summer of 1934, he attended Saint Leo Prep (near Tampa) to improve his English. ![]() They came to the United States with no money and Desi had to live with his father in a garage that was infested with rats and roaches. The family then fled to Miami, where Desi attended high school. He was released after six months when his father-in-law Alberto de Acha intervened on his behalf. His father, Alberto Arnaz, was jailed and all of his property was confiscated. Arnaz narrowly escaped the attack because he was able to hop in a car getting away. A mob attacked and destroyed the family's houses, property, and livestock. The Cuban Revolution of 1933 forced Arnaz and his family to lose everything and flee Cuba. Ī descendant of Cuban nobility, Arnaz was a great-great-great-grandson of José Joaquín. ![]() His maternal grandfather was Alberto de Acha, an executive at rum producer Bacardi & Co. His father was Santiago's youngest mayor and also served in the Cuban House of Representatives. Early life Īrnaz was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, to Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Alberni II (Ma– May 31, 1973) and Dolores "Lolita" de Acha y de Socias (Ap– October 24, 1988). He was known for playing conga drums and popularized the conga line in the United States. ![]() He was also the bandleader of his Latin group, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra. After I Love Lucy ended, Arnaz went on to produce several other television series, at first with Desilu Productions, and later independently, including The Ann Sothern Show and The Untouchables. Īrnaz and Lucille Ball co-founded and ran the television production company called Desilu Productions, originally to market I Love Lucy to television networks. Arnaz and Ball are credited as the innovators of the syndicated rerun, which they pioneered with the I Love Lucy series. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy, in which he co-starred with his wife Lucille Ball. Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Alberni IIĭesiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (Ma– December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer.
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