name	Feo Aladag
birth place	Vienna, Austria
years active	1995 – present
occupation	film director, film actor, screenwriter, producer }}

Feo Aladag is an Austrian film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor.

Early life and acting

Aladag was born in Vienna, Austria in 1972. She began her film career as an actress, completing her training in London and Vienna from 1990-1995. While studying acting she also completed a masters in Psychology and Journalism, continuing on to receive her Doctorate of Philosophy in 2000. She acted in numerous film and television productions while attending master-classes and directing seminars at the European Film Academy and the German Film and Television Academy. During this time she also maintained a career as a successful scriptwriter and commercial film director; directing various spots for Amnesty International and writing scripts for the German television series Tatort.

Her 2010 film ''When We Leave'' was selected as the German entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards, but didn't make the final shortlist.

Independent Artists

In 2005 Aladag founded Independent Artists Filmproduktion together with fellow director Züli Aladag.

References

External links

Feo Aladag on IMDB

Category:1972 births Category:Austrian film directors Category:Austrian actors Category:Living people

de:Feo Aladağ tr:Feo Aladağ

Name	Lucy Lawless
Birth name	Lucille Frances Ryan
Birth date	March 29, 1968
Birth place	Mount Albert, Auckland,New Zealand
Other names	Lucy Tapert
Occupation	Actress/Singer
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Garth Lawless(1988–1995)Robert Tapert(1998–present) }}

Lucy Lawless, MNZM (born Lucille Frances Ryan; 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and singer. She is best known for playing the title character of the internationally successful television series ''Xena: Warrior Princess'', which ran from 1995 to 2001. She is also known for the role of D'anna Biers (Number Three) on the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica''. Most recently she appeared on the television series ''Spartacus: Blood and Sand'' and its prequel ''Spartacus: Gods of the Arena'', playing the major character Lucretia.

Early life

Born in the Mount Albert suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, Lucy is the daughter of Julie, a teacher, and Frank Ryan, who was a banker and Mount Albert mayor. The fifth of seven children, she has five brothers and one sister.

Lawless began acting in secondary school. During her adolescence, Lucy suffered from bulimia, but was able to overcome the illness in college, the Auckland University. There she studied foreign languages for a year, including German, Italian, and French, and she also studied opera for three years. But soon after, after learning that opera required changes in her lifestyle she was not ready to make, she gave up on both and moved herself to a course of violin and jazz.

Marriages

At 19, Lawless became pregnant with Garth Lawless' child. The couple married in Kalgoorlie, Australia in 1988. They returned to New Zealand and had a daughter, Daisy Lawless (born 15 July 1988). The couple divorced in 1995. On 28 March 1998, Lawless married Robert Tapert. They have two sons, Julius Robert Bay Tapert (born 16 October 1999) and Judah Miro Tapert (born 7 May 2002).

Acting career

In 1994, Lawless appeared in "Hercules and the Amazon Women," a Pacific Renaissance Pictures made-for-television film that became the television pilot for ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.'' In that episode, she played a man-hating Amazon named Lysia. She went on to play another character, Lyla, in the first season episode "As Darkness Falls." But her key role was given to her when she was asked to play a villainous warrior woman named Xena in the episode "The Warrior Princess," which aired in March 1995. (R. J. Stewart, one of Pacific Renaissance Pictures' in-house writers, had dramatised the teleplay from a story that Robert G. "Rob" Tapert had commissioned John Schulian to write.) Vanessa Angel had originally been cast in the role, but fell ill and was unable to travel to New Zealand for shooting. To differentiate between Xena and the similar Lysia, Lawless' hair, naturally ash blond, was coloured black. Xena subsequently returned in two more episodes of the first season of ''Hercules,'' which portrayed her turn from villainess to good character.

The character was popular enough that a spin-off series was created for her. ''Xena: Warrior Princess'' debuted on 4 September 1995 (although Lawless appeared as Lyla once again, in the second season ''Hercules'' episode "Outcast" – aired in October 1995). ''Xena: Warrior Princess,'' like its parent program, was a hit, lasting six seasons, and Lawless became an international celebrity. Whilst she was taping an appearance on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' in October 1996, Lawless suffered a fractured pelvis when the horse she was riding lost its footing in the studio parking lot. She made a complete recovery, and her absence from the ''Xena'' set ultimately had minimal impact on the show.

In 1997, Lawless was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by ''People Weekly'' Magazine. Days earlier, on 6 May 1997, Lawless had inadvertently exposed a breast as she concluded a performance of the US national anthem at an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, California between the Mighty Ducks and Detroit Red Wings. Lawless was quoted in ''Newsweek'' as saying, "Obviously, I was mortified....It was quite a bit more exposure than I want."

Lawless first appeared on Broadway in September 1997 in the ''Grease'' revival, as the "bad girl" character, Betty Rizzo. She had wanted to play the lead role of Sandy, and later stated her belief that the producers had typecast her to play "bad girls" following her success as Xena. She said the Sandy character was very similar to her sheltered childhood, growing up in New Zealand with many protective older brothers.

Lawless married ''Xena's'' executive producer, Pacific Renaissance Pictures CEO Robert G. "Rob" Tapert, on 28 March 1998. They have two sons: Julius Robert Bay Tapert (born 16 October 1999) and Judah Miro Tapert (born 7 May 2002), who were both born in Auckland, New Zealand.

Lawless became a 'lesbian icon' because of Xena's ambiguous relationship with traveling companion Gabrielle. This reputation has become cemented after her "graphic lesbian sex scenes" in ''Spartacus: Gods of the Arena''. Although Lawless is heterosexual, she has appeared at gay pride events such as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. In a 2003 interview with ''Lesbian News'' magazine, she said that she had come to see Xena and Gabrielle's relationship as gay after viewing the series finale, though she has also stated on several occasions that she was undecided on the nature of the relationship while playing the role.

Lawless became a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List, which entitled her to use the postnominal letters, MNZM.

From 2005 to 2009, she had a recurring role in the television series ''Battlestar Galactica.'' Lawless appeared as D'Anna Biers, a reporter with the Fleet News Service who worked on a critical documentary about the crew of the ''Galactica'' and was later revealed to be a Cylon (Number Three).

She competed as one of the celebrity singers on the reality TV show ''Celebrity Duets'' in 2006, finishing as the runner-up to winner Alfonso Ribeiro. Lawless has also performed as a voice actor in several animated features. In 2007, Lawless guest-starred as herself in the cult HBO comedy series ''Curb Your Enthusiasm''. In a sub-plot of an episode entitled "The TiVo Guy", she met and flirted with Larry David. The dialogue included the subject of David being Jewish, and Lawless commented: "we don't have them where I'm from". The story concluded with Lawless going on a date with David and leaving in disgust, after he mentioned suffering a groin injury and pointed out, presumptuously, that this would preclude them having sex.

Lawless was to appear as one of the leads in the ensemble cast of the ABC television series, ''Football Wives,'' based on the popular British series ''Footballers' Wives,'' in 2007. The series did not continue past the pilot episode, though the network did extend the options on its contracts with Lawless and the other actors slated to star in the series (Gabrielle Union, Kiele Sanchez, Ving Rhames and James Van Der Beek).

Lawless returned to television on 10 November 2008 in a guest-starring role on the hit CBS television series, ''CSI: Miami,'' playing a madam with connections to a murder. She appeared in two episodes of the final season of ''The L Word,'' and also had a role in the Adam Sandler movie, ''Bedtime Stories,'' released Christmas 2008. Also in 2008, Lucy stars with her former ''Xena'' stuntwoman Zoë Bell in Sony (Crackle)'s new web series ''Angel of Death'' written by Ed Brubaker set to debut online in early 2009.

In 2009 Lawless guest-starred in the hit HBO series, ''Flight of the Conchords'' as Paula, assistant to the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Lawless co-starred in the Starz original series ''Spartacus: Blood and Sand.'' The show is based on the life of Spartacus, the famous gladiator, and the slave revolt he led, and is produced by long-time ''Xena'' producers Sam Raimi and "Rob" Tapert (Tapert is also her husband). Lawless played the role of Lucretia, the wife of Lentulus Batiatus, who are both the owners of a gladiator ludus. Lawless reprised her role as Lucretia in "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena", which chronicles life in the Ludus before Spartacus' arrival. Also, despite her character's ambiguous ending in the season one finale, Lawless is set to return in Spartacus Season 2 due to positive fan reaction. Lawless won the 2011 Saturn Award as Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lucretia in Spartacus Blood and Sand.

Lawless provided the voice of Goldmoon for ''Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight,'' a direct-to-DVD animated movie based on the novel of the same name, as well as Wonder Woman in the direct-to-video animated movie ''Justice League: The New Frontier.''

Other appearances include:

on-stage in the ''Vagina Monologues'';

guest starring in episodes of ''The Simpsons,'' ''The X-Files,'' ''Just Shoot Me!,'' ''Veronica Mars,'' ''Burn Notice,'' ''Less Than Perfect, ''No Ordinary Family,'' '' and ''bro'Town'';

starring in the short-lived television series ''Tarzan.''

cameo appearances in the movies ''EuroTrip,'' ''Spider-Man,'' and ''Boogeyman'' (2005)

the TV movie ''Locusts!'' and its sequel, ''Vampire Bats''.

Charity

Lawless is a member of the board of trustees of the ''StarShip Foundation,'' the charity arm of the Starship Children's Health (hospital) which is part of the Auckland District Health Board. It is set up to provide additional equipment, support and help to staff, patients and families. She devotes much time and energy to fundraising for the organization. She recently sat for the New Zealand television series ''The Sitting,'' an arts series where celebrity portraits are produced during an interview session with the portraits later auctioned for charity. Lucy attended the auction where her portrait fetched the top price, with the whole event raising $39,000 for Starship. Lawless has often raised money for concerts and events, donates part of her salary in favor of the institution, and has sold some Xena costumes to contribute funds. Friday 21 September is "Lucy Lawless Feel the Love Day." The day, organised by the Official Lucy Lawless Fan Club, begins a week of charitable acts and donations by fans in honor and support of Lucy.

In May 2009, Lucy Lawless became a 'climate ambassador' for the Greenpeace 'Sign On' campaign.

Astronomy

Astronomer Mike Brown nicknamed his newly discovered dwarf planet "Xena" - finding this name more convenient to use than the then-official designation, 2003 UB313. When this object was determined to be larger than Pluto, it gained international attention and forced a year-long debate among astronomers as to the definition of a planet.

The object's nickname "Xena" was used in the press. ''New Scientist'' magazine polled the public on their preferred final name for the so-called tenth planet, "Xena" ranked no. 4. Lawless rang Mike Brown in December 2005 to thank him for his "senseless act of beauty," and claimed that she "never dared hope [the name] would stick." But eventually, both it and Pluto were deemed not to be planets, and were instead classified as dwarf planets.

Although "Xena" is now officially known as Eris, Brown made an indirect tribute to Lawless by naming Eris' moon Dysnomia after the Greek goddess of lawlessness, although for a time that particular moon was named "Gabrielle."

Singing career

Lawless has a background in musical theater and she appeared on Broadway in a production of ''Grease,'' as the character of Betty Rizzo, in 1997. She has continued to pursue a career in singing after being a contestant on ''Celebrity Duets.'' She made her onstage debut at the Roxy in Hollywood on 13 January 2007. Lawless had a sold-out crowd for back-to-back concerts.

;Concerts

13–14 January 2007 - The Roxy Theater; Los Angeles

31 May - 2 June 2007 - The Canal Room; New York City

5–6 October 2007 - Buddy Guy's Legends; Chicago

25–26 January 2008 - The Roxy Theater; Los Angeles

3–4 May 2008 - Carling Academy Islington; London

;Albums

''Come 2 Me''

''Come To Mama: Lucy Lawless In Concert: The Roxy Theater In Hollywood''

;Concert DVDs

''Come To Mama: Lucy Lawless In Concert: The Roxy Theater In Hollywood''

''Gimme Some, Sugar: Lawless, NYC''

''Lucy Lawless Live In Chicago: Still Got The Blues''

;Other songs

"Little Child" on ''Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars''

Filmography

Films

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Title	Role	Notes
	''Within the Law''	Verity
''A Bitter Song''	Nurse 1
1991	''The End of the Golden Weather''	Joe's Girl
1992		The Rainbow Warrior (film)>''The Rainbow Warrior''	Jane Redmond
1993	''Typhon's People''	Mink Tertius
1994	''Hercules and the Amazon Women''	Lysia	Made for TV.
1995		Peach
1997	''Hercules & Xena: Wizards of the Screen''	Xena
1998	''Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus''	Xena
2000		Announcer on School's PA System
2002		Punk Rock Girl
2004	''EuroTrip''	Madame Vandersexxx
		Mary Jensen
''Locusts''	Maddy Rierdon	Made for TV.
	Maddy Rierdon	Made for TV.
2006	''The Darkroom''	Cheryl
2007	''Football Wives''	Tanya Austin	Made for TV.
	''Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight''	Goldmoon
''Justice League: The New Frontier''	Wonder Woman	voice
	Aspen
	''Bitch Slap''	Mother Superior
	Vera

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	''Funny Business''	Various Characters
1990	''Shark in the Park''		"Double or Quits"
1991	''For the Love of Mike''	Helen	Episode 1.06
1992	''The Ray Bradbury Theatre''	Liddy Barton	6.13 "Fee Fie Foe Fum"
1993	''The Black Stallion''	Sarah McFee	3.16 "Riding the Volcano"
1994	''High Tide''	Undercover Policewoman	1.08 "Shanghied"
		Lyla	1.06 "As Darkness Falls"; 2.05 "Outcast"
Xena	6 episodes (1995–1998)
''Xena: Warrior Princess''	Xena	Series Lead (1995–2001)
''High Tide''	Sharon List	1.17 "Dead in the Water"
	''Just Shoot Me!''	Stacy	5.14 "The Auction"
''The X Files''	Shannon McMahon	9.01 & 9.02 "Nothing Important Happened Today Parts 1 & 2"
2002	''The Bernie Mac Show''	Herself	2.1 "Keep It on the Short Grass"
2003		Kathleen Clayton	7 episodes
2004	''Less Than Perfect''	Tracy Fletcher	3.04 "Ignoring Lydia"
	''Two and a Half Men''	Pamela	2.18 "It was Mame, Mom"
		(2005–2009) 16 episodes
2006	''Veronica Mars''	Agent Morris	2.11 "Donut Run"
2007	''Burn Notice''	Evelyn	1.10 "False Flag"
2007	''Curb Your Enthusiasm''	Herself	6.07 "The TiVo Guy"
2008	''CSI: Miami''	Audrey Yates	7.07 "Cheating Death"
		Paula	2.08 "NewZealandTown"
''The L Word''	Sgt. Marybeth Duffy	6.01 "Long Night's Journey Into Day"; 6.08 "Last Word"
2010	''Spartacus: Blood and Sand''	Lucretia	All 13 Episodes of Season 1
2011	''Spartacus: Gods of the Arena''	Lucretia	All 6 Episodes of Mini-series
2011	''No Ordinary Family''	Helen Burton	4 episodes
2012	''Spartacus: Vengeance''	Lucretia

References

External links

Xena film Locations at Loyaltoxena.com

Lucy Lawless Fansite at Lotolux.com

Lucy Lawless at the Xena and Hercules Wiki.

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit Category:New Zealand female singers Category:New Zealand film actors Category:New Zealand television actors Category:People from Auckland

az:Lüsi Lauless be-x-old:Люсі Лоўлэс bs:Lucy Lawless bg:Люси Лоулес ca:Lucy Lawless cs:Lucy Lawlessová cy:Lucy Lawless da:Lucy Lawless de:Lucy Lawless et:Lucy Lawless es:Lucy Lawless eo:Lucy Lawless eu:Lucy Lawless fr:Lucy Lawless ga:Lucy Lawless gl:Lucy Lawless hsb:Lucy Lawless hr:Lucy Lawless io:Lucy Lawless id:Lucy Lawless is:Lucy Lawless it:Lucy Lawless he:לוסי לולס csb:Lucy Lawless sw:Lucy Lawless la:Lucia Lawless lv:Lūsija Lolesa hu:Lucy Lawless ms:Lucy Lawless nl:Lucy Lawless ja:ルーシー・ローレス no:Lucy Lawless oc:Lucy Lawless pl:Lucy Lawless pt:Lucy Lawless ro:Lucy Lawless ru:Лоулесс, Люси sc:Lucy Lawless sq:Lucy Lawless simple:Lucy Lawless sk:Lucy Lawlessová sr:Луси Лолес fi:Lucy Lawless sv:Lucy Lawless tr:Lucy Lawless uk:Люсі Лоулес vi:Lucy Lawless bat-smg:Lucy Lawless zh:露西·勞倫斯

:''for the daughter of Senator John P. Hale, see Lucy Lambert Hale''.

birth name	Karen Lucille Hale
birth date	June 14, 1989
birth place	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
occupation	Actress, singer, model
yearsactive	2003–present
website	www.lucyhale.com }}

Karen Lucille Hale (born June 14, 1989), better known as Lucy Hale, is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Becca Sommers in ''Bionic Woman'', Rose Baker in ''Privileged'', Sherrie in the horror film ''Scream 4'', and as Aria Montgomery on the hit ''ABC Family'' series ''Pretty Little Liars''. She is also known for her appearance on the reality show ''American Juniors''.

Life and career

Hale was born in Memphis, Tennessee. She first appeared on the reality show ''American Juniors'' in 2003. She was part of the vocal quintet formed with the top 5 finishers.

This was followed by guest roles on shows such as ''Drake & Josh'', ''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide'', ''The O.C.'', and ''How I Met Your Mother''. She appeared in two episodes of the Disney show ''Wizards of Waverly Place'', which led to her dating co-star David Henrie for a short time.

Hale appeared in "NBC's" short-lived re-imagining of the ''Bionic Woman'' as Becca Sommers, younger sister to title character Jaime Sommers (played by Michelle Ryan). In ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2'', she portrayed Effie, the younger sister of Lena Kaligaris.

Hale then co-starred in the ''CW'' TV show ''Privileged'' as Rose Baker, with Ashley Newbrough and Joanna Garcia. She also starred in the ''Lifetime'' TV movie ''Sorority Wars''.

In December 2009, Hale was cast as Aria Montgomery in the TV series ''Pretty Little Liars'', based on the book series by Sara Shepard. Hale won a 2010 Teen Choice Award ("Choice Summer TV Star: Female") for her portrayal of Aria on the show.

In January 2010, Hale guest-starred on the ''CSI: Miami'' episode "Show Stopper". In August 2010, Hale was cast in a small cameo in ''Scream 4''.

In February 2011, Lucy started tweeting pictures of her on set of a movie called Another Cinderella Story. On March 3, 2011, Popstar Magazine announced that they were on set of ''A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song''.

Hale has been reported to star alongside Hayden Panettiere and Nikki Reed in the upcoming 2012 film Downers Grove. She is also set to star in Halloween 3D as Hannah and is in the 2011 film Ten Year.

Filmography

''Secrets of a Small Town'' ''Drake & Josh'' ''The O.C.'' ''American Family'' ''How I Met Your Mother'' ''Bionic Woman (2007 TV series) ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' ''< ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2'' ''Privileged (TV series) ''Fear Island'' >2009 ''Sorority Wars'' ''Private Practice (TV series) ''CSI: Miami'' ''Pretty Little Liars (TV series) ''Scream 4'' ''Ten Year'' ''A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song''

Year	Notes
2005	''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide''	Amy Cassidy
2006	|	Tisha Steele	Episode: "Pilot"
2006	|	Hazel	List of Drake & Josh episodes#Season 3: 2005–2006>Theater Thug"
2006	|	Hadley Hawthorne	The Man of the Year (The O.C. episode)>The Man of the Year"
2007	|	Brittany Jane	TV movie
2007	|	Katie Scherbatsky	Episode: "First Time in New York"
2007	Bionic Woman'' ||	Becca Sommers	8 episodes
2007 to 2008	|	Miranda Hampson	2 episodes: "[[Wizards of Waverly Place (season 1)#First Kiss
2008	''	|	Rachel Rydell	TV movie
2008	|	Effie
2008 to 2009	Privileged'' ||	List of Privileged characters#Main characters>Rose Baker	18 episodes (Credited as Lucy Kate Hale)
2009	|	Megan	TV movie
|	''Ruby & The Rockits''	Kristen	Ruby and the Rockits#Episodes>Smells Like Teen Drama"
2009	|	Katie Parker	TV movie
2009	Private Practice'' ||	Danielle	Private Practice (season 3)#Episode list>Pushing the Limits"
2010	|	Phoebe Nichols / Vanessa Patton	CSI: Miami (season 8)#Episodes>Show Stopper"
2010 to present	Pretty Little Liars'' ||	Aria Montgomery
2011	|	Sherrie	Cameo
2011	|	Allison	''Completed''
2011	|	Katie Gibbs	''Completed''

; Other

Herself ''An American Idol Christmas'' ''Jonas Brothers: Living The Dream'' ''Entertainment Tonight'' ''Made In Hollywood: Teen Edition'' ''Good Day L.A.'' ''Teen Choice Awards'' ''Teen Choice Awards''

Year	Notes
2003	''American Juniors''	|	17 episodes	Sang "Call Me", "I'm Gonna Make you love me"
2003	|	Herself
2008	|	Herself
2008	|	Herself
2010	|	Herself	Behind The Screen: Pretty Little Liars
2010	|	Herself	Guest
2010	|	Herself
2011	|	Herself

Discography

; Singles

2011: "Run This Town"

2011: "Make You Believe"

2011: "Bless Myself"

Awards

Choice Summer TV Star: FemaleTeen Choice Awards

Year !! Award !! Category !! Work nominated !! Result
2010	Teen Choice Awards	|	Pretty Little Liars (TV series)>''Pretty Little Liars''
2011	|	Choice Summer TV Star: Female	Pretty Little Liars (TV series)>''Pretty Little Liars''

References

External links

Category:1989 births Category:Actors from Tennessee Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American female singers Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Tennessee Category:People from Memphis, Tennessee

ca:Lucy Hale de:Lucy Hale es:Lucy Hale fr:Lucy Hale hr:Lucy Hale it:Lucy Hale he:לוסי הייל nl:Lucy Hale pt:Lucy Hale fi:Lucy Hale sv:Lucy Hale

Name	Smokey Robinson
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	William Robinson, Jr.
Born	February 19, 1940
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Instrument	Vocals, piano
Genre	R&B;, soul
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive
Years active	1955–1972 (Groups)1972–present (Solo)
Label	Motown, Universal, SBK, Liquid 8
Website
Associated acts	The Miracles, The Temptations, Mary Wells }}

William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B; singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy. Robinson's consistent commercial success and creative contributions to the label have earned him the title "King of Motown." As an original member of Motown Records' first vocal group The Miracles and as a solo artist, Robinson delivered many U.S. and U.K. Top 40 hits for Motown between 1960 and 1987. He also served as the company's vice president from 1961 to 1988.

Biography

Early years and formation of The Miracles

Robinson was born and raised in the North End neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan.

According to ''Entertainment Weekly'', "when he was 6 or 7, his Uncle Claude christened him "Smokey Joe," which the young William, a Western-movie enthusiast, at first assumed to be "his cowboy name for me." Some time later, he learned the deeper significance of his nickname: It derived from ''smokey,'' a pejorative term for dark-skinned blacks. "I'm doing this," his uncle told the light-skinned boy, "so you won't ever forget that you're black."

In his teens, "Smokey Joe" was shortened to "Smokey." In an interview, Robinson claimed to be friends with fellow Motown legend Diana Ross since she was eight years old. Around this time Robinson began listening to Nolan Strong & The Diablos, a Fortune Records recording artist. Strong's high tenor voice would be a primary influence on Robinson. In a 2008 interview with Goldmine, Robinson said: "There was a guy who lived in Detroit and had a group called The Diablos. His name was Nolan Strong. They were my favorite vocalists at that time."

In 1955, Robinson co-founded a vocal group called The Five Chimes with his best friend Ronald White, and Northern High School classmates Pete Moore, Clarence Dawson, and James Grice. By 1957, the group was renamed the Matadors and included cousins Emerson and Bobby Rogers in place of Dawson and Grice. Emerson was replaced by his sister Claudette Rogers, who later married Robinson. Guitarist Marv Tarplin joined the group in 1958. With Robinson as lead singer, the Matadors began touring Detroit venues.

Motown and The Miracles

After finishing high school Robinson made plans to attend college, with his studies to begin in January 1959. However, in August 1958, Robinson met songwriter Berry Gordy and, as he awaited his enrollment in school, Robinson pursued his musical career with Gordy, who co-wrote for the Miracles the single "Got a Job," an answer song to the Silhouettes' hit single "Get a Job." The group renamed itself the Miracles, and began recording with Gordy on the End Records label in November 1958.

Robinson has said that he did, in fact, enroll in college and began classes that January, studying electrical engineering. However, The Miracles' first record was released a few weeks later and Robinson left school shortly thereafter, his college career having lasted approximately two months.

The Miracles would go on to issue singles on both End Records and Chess Records, and Robinson suggested to Gordy that he start a label of his own.

In 1959, Gordy founded Tamla Records, which he soon reincorporated as Motown. The Miracles were among the label's first signees. Gordy and Robinson had a synergistic relationship, with Robinson providing a foundation for Motown's hit-making success and Gordy acting as a mentor for the budding singer and songwriter. By 1961, Gordy had appointed Robinson vice-president of Motown Records, a title Robinson held for as long as Gordy remained with the company.

The 1960 single "Shop Around" was not only Motown's first number one hit on the R&B; singles chart, but the first major chart success for The Miracles. The song was also Motown's first million-selling hit single.

Besides creating hits for his own group, Robinson wrote and produced singles and album tracks for other Motown artists. Mary Wells had a number one hit with Robinson's song "My Guy" (1964), and Robinson served as The Temptations' primary songwriter and producer from 1963 to 1966, penning such hits as "The Way You Do the Things You Do", "My Girl", "Since I Lost My Baby", and "Get Ready". Among Robinson's other Motown compositions are "Still Water (Love)" by The Four Tops, "Don't Mess With Bill" and "My Baby Must Be a Magician" by The Marvelettes, "When I'm Gone" by Brenda Holloway, "Ain't That Peculiar" and "I'll Be Doggone" by Marvin Gaye, and "First I Look at the Purse" by The Contours.

His hit songs also earned him the title "America's poet laureate of love." During the course of his 50-year career in music, Robinson has accumulated more than 4,000 songs to his credit. John Lennon of The Beatles made countless remarks regarding Robinson's influence on his music. In a 1969 interview, Lennon stated that one of his favorite songs was The Miracles' "I've Been Good To You", which has similar lyrics to Lennon's "Sexy Sadie". George Harrison also greatly admired Robinson and paid tribute to him in the 1976 song "Pure Smokey". Additionally, "Ooh Baby (You Know That I Love You)" from Harrison's Extra Texture (Read All About It) was dedicated to Robinson. (The Beatles had recorded Robinson and The Miracles' "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" in 1963.) Bob Dylan said of Robinson, that he is "America's greatest living poet."

After marrying Claudette Rogers, Robinson started a family, and named both of his children after Motown: his son was named Berry after the company's founder, and his daughter Tamla after the Motown imprint for which Robinson and The Miracles recorded.

The Miracles remained a premier Motown act through most of the 1960s. The group's billing was changed to "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles" after 1966. By 1969, the group's fortunes began to falter, and Robinson decided to quit The Miracles so that he could remain at home with his family and concentrate on his duties as vice president. The group stopped recording and Robinson prepared to leave the group. Unexpectedly, however, their 1969 recording "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" hit the national ''Billboard'' Pop Top 10, and when their 1967 recording of "The Tears of a Clown" was released as a single in 1970, it became a number-one hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

With the surprise success of "The Tears of a Clown", Robinson chose to remain with The Miracles for a few more years. In 1972, however, he followed through on his original plans to leave the group, and The Miracles began a six-month farewell tour. On July 16, 1972, Smokey and Claudette Robinson gave their final performances as Miracles at the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Washington, D.C., and Robinson introduced the group's new lead singer, Billy Griffin. The Miracles went on for a while, even having another million-seller with "Do It Baby"* (1974), a multi-million selling number one hit, "Love Machine", in 1975, and a Platinum Album with City Of Angels that same year. (''Reference: The Book Of Golden Discs- by Joseph Murrells'') *

Successful solo career

Smokey Robinson began a low-key solo career while concentrating on his duties as vice president of Motown, releasing his first solo LP, ''Smokey'', in 1973. His first hit single, "Sweet Harmony" (1973), was dedicated to The Miracles.

In 1975, Robinson's solo career took off with the success of the number one R&B; hit "Baby That's Backatcha". Robinson's 1976 single "Quiet Storm" and its accompanying album typified a genre of smooth, slow R&B; that has spawned late-night radio shows called "quiet storm". Other Robinson solo hits include "Cruisin'" (1979), "Being With You" (a global chart-topper in 1981), "Tell Me Tomorrow" (1982), and "Ebony Eyes", a duet with labelmate Rick James (1983). He also recorded the soundtrack to the film ''Big Time'' (1977).

Later years, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, awards and accolades

During the mid-1980s, Robinson was addicted to cocaine. His recording slowed, and his marriage to Claudette faltered; the couple divorced in 1986. With the help of friend Leon Kennedy (as described in Robinson's autobiography ''Smokey'' published in 1989), Robinson was dramatically healed of his addiction at a religious service. He eventually revitalized his career, having hits in 1987 with the Grammy Award-winning "Just to See Her" (which topped the Pop, R&B;, and Adult Contemporary charts in 1987) and "One Heartbeat" (Top Ten Pop, R&B;, and A/C). Also in 1987, British band ABC scored a U.S. and U.K. hit with their tribute to Robinson entitled "When Smokey Sings". In 1987, Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. The other original members of the Miracles – Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin, and Claudette Robinson – were not inducted.

When Motown was sold to MCA in 1988, Robinson resigned from his position as vice president. After one last album for Motown, ''Love, Smokey'' (1990), Robinson left the label. He released one record for SBK Records, ''Double Good Everything'' (1991), the same year he won a Soul Train Music Award for Career Achievement. Eight years later, he returned to Motown, which by then was a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and released ''Intimate'' (1999). The same year, Smokey Robinson received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2002, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Since then, Smokey has continued to perform and tour periodically. In 2003, Robinson served as a guest judge for ''American Idol'' during "Billy Joel Week." He issued a gospel LP, ''Food for the Spirit'' in 2004. In 2005, Smokey Robinson was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. A new album of pop standards from the early 20th century, ''Timeless Love'', was released in June 2006. It was originally recorded with a jazz combo, but strings were added after the fact, giving the album more of a lush sound but removing much of the jazz feeling of the disc.

In 2004, Robinson's company, SFGL Foods, launched a special brand of gumbo called "Smokey Robinson's 'The Soul is in the Bowl' Gumbo". Smokey Robinson is the spokesman of the Great American Smokeout, which takes place annually one week before Thanksgiving. It is a day when smokers quit smoking for at least a day.

Robinson has appeared on ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'', the NBC daytime drama ''Days of our Lives'', and on ''The Rachael Ray Show''. He also appeared on ''Duets'' on Fox-TV along with Richard Marx, Aaron Neville, Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, Kenny Loggins, Clint Black, Brian McKnight, Michael Bolton, Macy Gray, Randy Travis, and the legendary Dionne Warwick. Producer David Foster was a judge.

At its 138th Commencement Convocation in May 2006, Howard University conferred on Robinson the degree of Doctor of Music, ''honoris causa''. In December 2006 Robinson was one of five Kennedy Center honorees, along with Dolly Parton (with whom Robinson had recorded a 1987 duet, "I Know You By Heart"), Zubin Mehta, Steven Spielberg and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The ceremony was held on December 3, 2006, and broadcast on CBS on December 26, 2006.

Robinson sang "The Tracks Of My Tears" as a cameo in the 2006 film ''Last Holiday''. Also in late 2006, Robinson reunited with fellow Miracles Bobby Rogers and Pete Moore for the group's first extended interview. This interview forms the basis of the Universal Music DVD release ''Smokey Robinson and The Miracles: The Definitive Performances'', a video retrospective of the group's music and career.

On February 11, 2007 Robinson sang "Tracks Of My Tears" at the 49th annual Grammy Awards, as part of a tribute to R&B; music which included Motown labelmate Lionel Richie and current R&B; star Chris Brown. Robinson was also a judge on the sixth season of American Idol and was claimed to be outdone by contestant Adam Lambert after Lambert sang "Tracks of My Tears." on Robinson performed on the sixth season finale of American Idol on May 23, 2007. Robinson and the top six male contestants performed a medley of his hits.

In November 2007, Robinson toured Australia and performed with Australian band Human Nature on the set of local television programme ''Dancing With The Stars''. On 22 November 2007, Robinson was interviewed by Bob Rogers (not to be confused with Bobby Rogers of The Miracles) on Sydney radio station 2CH.

On August 6, 2008, Robinson appeared at Harlem's Apollo Theater with English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello to record a television special combining on-stage interview and performance segments.

On March 25, 2009, Robinson appeared as a mentor on the popular television show ''American Idol''. He coached the top 10 contestants of Season 8, who performed classic Motown songs. He also premiered the first single, "You're the One For Me", which features Joss Stone. The song also became available on iTunes and Amazon, March 26, 2009. The song is an updated version of the song "You're The One For Me Bobby," which he wrote and produced for The Marvelettes in 1968 for their album "Sophisticated Soul." On March 20, 2009, The Miracles were finally honored as a group with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Smokey was present with original Miracles members Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore ,ex-wife (and Bobby's cousin) Claudette Rogers Robinson, and ,Gloria White, accepting for her husband , the late Ronnie White, whose daughter Pamela and granddaughter Maya were there representing him as well. Smokey's replacement, 70's Miracles lead singer, Billy Griffin was also honored. Controversially, original Miracle Marv Tarplin was not honored, against the wishes of his fellow Miracles, and the group's fans, who felt that he should have also been there to share the honor.

On May 9, 2009, Smokey Robinson received an honorary doctorate degree and gave a commencement speech at Berklee College of Music's commencement ceremony.

Smokey Robinson appeared in episode 22 with Daryl Hall on ''Live From Daryl's House''.

On August 25, 2009 Robinson released ''Time Flies When You're Having Fun''. A self produced and written CD of mostly new material on his own RobSo label. The CD includes a cover of the Norah Jones hit "Don't Know Why". Special guests on the LP include India Arie, Carlos Santana, and Joss Stone. The Joss Stone duet "You're the one for me" was performed on American Idol. The CD also contains a homage to early Motown and Michael Jackson with the hidden bonus track "I Want You Back."

As the finale to the BBC ''Electric Proms'' 2009, Robinson and his band appeared on 24 October with the BBC Concert Orchestra at The Roundhouse, London, in a performance to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of Motown Records. Brand new arrangements of Robinson's songs had been specially commissioned by the ''Electric Proms''. The show saw him perform a mix of classics, including those written for other Motown artists as well as himself, and new material from his forthcoming 'Time Flies When You’re Having Fun' album. While in the UK Robinson also appeared on ''Later with Jools Holland'' (Oct 20), giving a short interview and performing two songs, with Eric Clapton as a backing guitarist (according to Jools Holland during the broadcast, this was at Clapton's request when he heard that Robinson would be appearing).

Popular culture

Smokey appeared on ''Sesame Street'' singing to Telly that it takes time to grow up. He also appeared on the MuppeTelevision segment of ''The Jim Henson Hour''.

ABC recorded a tribute song called "When Smokey Sings" that referenced his influence on the music industry. The single peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. For the week of October 3, 1987, it dropped to #8 as Smokey Robinson's single "One Heartbeat" was peaking at #10. That instance of having a tributor and tributee in the Billboard Top 10 at the same time was a rarity if not a unique event..

The character C.C. White, a budding songwriter who finds success as an R&B; label's main creative force in the 1981 Broadway musical ''Dreamgirls'', is based upon Smokey Robinson. In the 2006 film adaptation of ''Dreamgirls'', C.C. is portrayed by Keith Robinson.

Smokey Robinson is referenced in the 1981 song "Genius of Love" by Talking Heads side project Tom Tom Club.

His song "The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirageca" is included in the film ''American Gigolo'' during the scene when Richard Gere is choosing the best suit to wear.

Personal life

Smokey Robinson is today married to Frances Gladney. His ex-wife is Miracles member Claudette Rogers Robinson with whom he had two children: Berry Robinson (named after Berry Gordy) and Tamla Robinson (named after the Motown imprint for which Robinson and The Miracles recorded). He also has another son, Trey Robinson, from another relationship.

According to NFL.COM, Robinson has a great-nephew Duke Robinson, who played offensive tackle for the Oklahoma Sooners, and was drafted in 2009 by the NFL's Carolina Panthers.

Discography

References

External links

Official Website of Smokey Robinson

Smokey Robinson interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' December 1992

Fresh Air interview

Smokey Robinson's page at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Smokey Robinson's page at soulwalking.co.uk

Smokey Robinson Biography and Update at SoulTracks

Official Website for Smokey Robinson's "The Soul is in the Bowl" Gumbo

Official Website of Smokey Robinson Gospel

Category:1940 births Category:African American male singers Category:American music industry executives Category:African American record producers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:African American songwriters Category:American soap opera actors Category:American tenors Category:Gospel artists from Detroit, Michigan Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Living people Category:The Miracles members Category:Motown artists Category:Musicians from Detroit, Michigan Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees‎ Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:American soul musicians Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients

da:Smokey Robinson de:Smokey Robinson es:Smokey Robinson fr:Smokey Robinson ko:스모키 로빈슨 io:Smokey Robinson it:Smokey Robinson he:סמוקי רובינסון nl:Smokey Robinson ja:スモーキー・ロビンソン no:Smokey Robinson oc:Smokey Robinson pl:Smokey Robinson pt:Smokey Robinson ru:Робинсон, Смоки sc:Smokey Robinson simple:Smokey Robinson fi:Smokey Robinson sv:Smokey Robinson th:สโมกีย์ โรบินสัน uk:Смокі Робінсон

name	Lucille Ball
birthname	Lucille Désirée Ball| birth_date August 06, 1911
birth place	Jamestown, New York, U.S.
death date	April 26, 1989
Death place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
other names	Lucille Ball Morton
occupation	Actress, comedian, model, film executive
yearsactive	1932–89
spouse	(divorced) 2 children (her death)}}

Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 April 26, 1989) was an American comedienne, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms ''I Love Lucy'', ''The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour'', ''The Lucy Show'', ''Here's Lucy'' and ''Life With Lucy''. One of the most popular and influential stars in the United States during her lifetime, with one of Hollywood's longest careers, especially on television, Ball began acting in the 1930s, becoming both a radio actress and B-movie star in the 1940s, and then a television star during the 1950s. She was still making films in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1962, Ball became the first woman to run a major television studio, Desilu; a studio that produced many successful and popular television series.

Ball was nominated for an Emmy Award thirteen times, and won four times. In 1977 Ball was among the first recipients of the Women in Film Crystal Award. She was the recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1979, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986 and the Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1989.

In 1929, Ball landed work as a model and later began her performing career on Broadway using the stage name Dianne Belmont. She appeared in many small movie roles in the 1930s as a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures. Ball was labeled as the "Queen of the Bs" (referring to her many roles in B-films). In 1951, Ball was pivotal in the creation of the television series ''I Love Lucy''. The show co-starred her then-husband, Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo and Vivian Vance and William Frawley as Ethel and Fred Mertz, the Ricardos' landlords and friends. The show ended in 1957 after 180 episodes. Then, some minor adjustments were made to the program's format - the time of the show was lengthened from 30 minutes to 60 minutes (the first show lasted 75 mins), some new characters were added, the storyline was altered, and the show was renamed ''The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour'', which ran for three seasons (1957–1960) and 13 episodes. Ball went on to star in two more successful television series: ''The Lucy Show'', which ran on CBS from 1962 to 1968 (156 Episodes), and ''Here's Lucy'' from 1968 to 1974 (144 episodes). Her last attempt at a television series was a 1986 show called ''Life with Lucy'' - which failed after 8 episodes aired, although 13 were produced.

Ball met and eloped with Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz in 1940. On July 17, 1951, at almost 40 years old, Ball gave birth to their first child, Lucie Désirée Arnaz. A year and a half later, Ball gave birth to their second child, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV, known as Desi Arnaz, Jr. Ball and Arnaz divorced on May 4, 1960.

On April 26, 1989, Ball died of a dissecting aortic aneurysm at age 77. At the time of her death she was married to her second husband and business partner, standup comedian Gary Morton for more than twenty-seven years.

Early life

Ball was born to Henry Durrell Ball (September 16, 1886 – February 19, 1915) and Desiree "DeeDee" Evelyn Hunt (September 21, 1892 – July 20, 1977) in Jamestown, New York. Although Lucy was born in Jamestown, New York, she told many people that she was born in Butte, Montana. At age 3, her family moved to Anaconda, Montana and then to Wyandotte, Michigan. Her family was Baptist; her father was of Scottish descent, and his mother was Mary Ball. Her mother was of French, Irish and English descent. Her genealogy can be traced back to the earliest settlers in the colonies.

Her father, a telephone lineman for Anaconda Copper, was frequently transferred because of his occupation, and within three years of her birth, Lucille had moved many times, from Jamestown to Anaconda, and then to Trenton. While DeeDee Ball was pregnant with her second child, Frederick, Henry Ball contracted typhoid fever and died in February 1915. Ball recalls little from the day her father died, only fleeting memories of a picture falling and a bird getting trapped in the house. Ever since that day she had an intense bird phobia.

After her father died, Ball and her brother Fred Henry Ball (July 17, 1915 - February 5, 2007) were raised by her mother and grandparents in Celoron, New York a summer resort village on Lake Chautauqua just west of Jamestown. Her grandfather, Fred Hunt, was an eccentric who also enjoyed the theater. He frequently took the family to vaudeville shows and encouraged young Lucy to take part in both her own and school plays.

Four years after the death of her father, Ball’s mother DeeDee remarried. While her step-father, Edward Peterson, and mother went to look for work in another city, Ball was left in the care of her step-father’s parents. Ball’s new guardians were a puritanical Swedish couple who were so opposed to frivolity that they banished all mirrors from the house except for one over the bathroom sink. When the young Ball was caught admiring herself in it she was severely chastised for being vain. This period of time affected Ball so deeply that in later life she claimed that it lasted seven or eight years, but in reality, it was probably less than one. One good thing did come out of DeeDee's new marriage. Edward was a Shriner. When his organization needed female entertainers for the chorus line of their next show, he encouraged his twelve-year-old stepdaughter to audition. While Ball was onstage she began to realize that if one was seeking praise and recognition this was a brilliant way to receive it. Her appetite for recognition had thus been awakened at an early age. In 1927 her family suffered misfortune when their house and furnishings were taken away in a legal judgement after a neighborhood boy was accidentally shot and paralyzed by someone target-shooting in their yard, under Ball's grandfather's supervision. The family then moved into a small apartment in Jamestown.

Teenage years and early career

In 1925 Ball, then only 14, started dating Johnny DeVita, a local hood who also just happened to be 21. DeeDee was unhappy with the relationship, but did nothing about it. She expected the romance to burn out in a few weeks but when that didn't happen over time, about a year later DeeDee took advantage of Lucille's desire to be in show business. Despite the family's finances, she somehow arranged for Lucille to go to the John Murray Anderson School for the Dramatic Arts in New York City where Bette Davis was a fellow student. Ball went home after the first semester when drama coaches told her that she "had no future at all as a performer.", later saying about that time in her life "All I learned in drama school was how to be frightened."

Ball was determined to prove her teachers wrong, and returned to New York City in 1928, among her other jobs she landed work as a fashion model for Hattie Carnegie. Her career was thriving when she became ill, either with rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis or some other unknown illness and was unable to work for two years. She moved back to New York City in 1932 to resume her pursuit of a career as an actress, and supported herself by again working for Carnegie and as the Chesterfield cigarette girl. As Diane Belmont she started getting some chorus work on Broadway but the work wasn't lasting. Ball was hired—but then quickly fired—by theatre impresario Earl Carroll from his ''Vanities'', by Florenz Ziegfeld from a touring company of ''Rio Rita''. and was let go from the Shubert brothers production of ''Stepping Stones''.

Hollywood

After an uncredited stint as one of the Goldwyn Girls in ''Roman Scandals'' (1933) she permanently moved to Hollywood to appear in films. She appeared in many small movie roles in the 1930s as a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures, including a two-reel comedy short with the Three Stooges (''Three Little Pigskins'', 1934) and a movie with the Marx Brothers (''Room Service'', 1938). She can also be seen as one of the featured models in the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film ''Roberta'' (1935) and briefly as the flower girl in ''Top Hat'' (1935), as well as a brief supporting role at the beginning of ''Follow the Fleet'' (1936), another Astaire-Rogers film. Ginger Rogers was a distant maternal cousin of Ball's. She and Rogers played aspiring actresses in the hit film ''Stage Door'' (1937) co-starring Katharine Hepburn. In 1936 she also landed the role she hoped would lead her to Broadway, in the Bartlett Cormack play ''Hey Diddle Diddle'', a comedy set in a duplex apartment in Hollywood. The play premiered in Princeton, New Jersey on January 21, 1937 with Ball playing the part of Julie Tucker, "one of three roommates coping with neurotic directors, confused executives, and grasping stars who interfere with the girls' ability to get ahead." The play received good reviews, but there were problems, chiefly with its star, Conway Tearle, who was in poor health. Cormack wanted to replace him, but the producer, Anne Nichols, said the fault lay with the character and insisted that the part needed to be reshaped and rewritten. The two were unable to agree on a solution. The play was scheduled to open on Broadway at the Vanderbilt Theatre, but closed after one week in Washington, D.C. when Tearle suddenly became gravely ill. Ball was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the 1940s, but she never achieved major stardom from her appearance in those films.

She was known in many Hollywood circles as "Queen of the B's"—a title previously held by Fay Wray—starring in a number of B-movies, such as 1939's ''Five Came Back''. Like many budding starlets Ball picked up radio work to earn side income as well as gain exposure. In 1937 she appeared as a regular on ''The Phil Baker Show''. When that completed its run in 1938, Ball joined the cast of ''The Wonder Show'', starring future ''Wizard of Oz'' tin man Jack Haley. It was here that she began her fifty year professional relationship with Gale Gordon, who served as the show's announcer. ''The Wonder Show'' only lasted one season, with the final episode airing on April 7, 1939.

In 1940, Ball met Cuban-born bandleader Desi Arnaz while filming the Rodgers and Hart stage hit ''Too Many Girls''. At first, Arnaz was not fond of Lucy. When they met again later that day, the two connected immediately and eloped the same year. Arnaz was drafted to the United States Army in 1942. He ended up being classified for limited service due to a knee injury. As a result, Arnaz stayed in Los Angeles, organizing and performing USO shows for wounded GIs being brought back from the Pacific. That same year, Ball appeared opposite Henry Fonda in ''The Big Street'', in which she plays a paralyzed nightclub singer and Fonda portrays a busboy who idolizes her. The following year Ball appeared in ''DuBarry Was a Lady'', a film for which the natural brunette first had her hair dyed the flaming red that would be her screen trademark.

Ball filed for a divorce in 1944. Shortly after Ball obtained an interlocutory decree of divorce, however, she reconciled with Arnaz. Ball and Arnaz were only six years apart in age but apparently believed that it was less socially acceptable for an older woman to marry a younger man, and hence split the difference in their ages, both claiming a 1914 birth date until this was disproved.

''I Love Lucy'' and Desilu

In 1948, Ball was cast as Liz Cugat (later "Cooper"), a wacky wife, in ''My Favorite Husband'', a radio program for CBS Radio. The program was successful, and CBS asked her to develop it for television. She agreed, but insisted on working with Arnaz. CBS executives were reluctant, thinking the public would not accept an All-American redhead and a Cuban as a couple. CBS was initially not impressed with the pilot episode produced by the couple's Desilu Productions company, so the couple toured the road in a vaudeville act with Lucy as the zany housewife wanting to get in Arnaz's show. The tour was a smash, and CBS put ''I Love Lucy'' on their lineup. The ''I Love Lucy'' show was not only a star vehicle for Lucille Ball, but a way for her to try to salvage her marriage to Desi Arnaz, which had become badly strained, in part by the fact that each had a hectic performing schedule which often kept them apart.

Along the way, she created a television dynasty and reached several "firsts." Ball was the first woman in television to be head of a production company: Desilu, the company that she and Arnaz formed. After their divorce, Ball bought out Arnaz's share of the studio, and she proceeded to function as a very active studio head. Desilu and ''I Love Lucy'' pioneered a number of methods still in use in television production today such as filming before a live studio audience with a number of cameras, and distinct sets adjacent to each other. During this time Ball taught a thirty-two week comedy workshop at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute. Ball was quoted as saying, "You cannot teach someone comedy; either they have it or they don't."

When the show premiered, most shows were aired live from New York City studios to Eastern and Central Time Zone audiences, and captured by kinescope for broadcast later to the West Coast. The kinescope picture was inferior to film, and as a result the West Coast broadcasts were inferior to those seen elsewhere in the country. Ball and Arnaz wanted to remain in their Los Angeles home, but the time zone logistics made that broadcast norm impossible. Prime time in L.A. was too late at night on the East Coast to air a major network series, meaning the majority of the TV audience would be seeing not only the inferior picture of kinescopes but seeing them at least a day later.

Sponsor Philip Morris did not want to show day-old kinescopes to the major markets on the East Coast, yet neither did they want to pay for the extra cost filming, processing and editing would require, pressuring Ball and Arnaz to relocate to New York City. Ball and Arnaz offered to take a pay cut to finance filming, on the condition that their company, Desilu, would retain the rights to that film once it was aired. CBS relinquished the show rights back to Desilu after initial broadcast, not realizing they were giving away a valuable and durable asset. Desilu made many millions of dollars on ''I Love Lucy'' rebroadcasts through syndication and became a textbook example of how a show can be profitable in second-run syndication. In television's infancy, the concept of the rerun hadn't yet formed, and many in the industry wondered who would want to see a program a second time. In fact, while other celebrated shows of the period exist only in incomplete sets of kinescopes mostly too degraded to show to subsequent generations of television viewers, ''I Love Lucy'' has virtually never gone out of syndication since it began, seen by hundreds of millions of people around the world over the past half century. The success of Ball and Arnaz's gamble was instrumental in drawing television production from New York to Hollywood for the next several decades.

Desilu hired legendary German cameraman Karl Freund as their director of photography. Freund had worked for F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, shot part of ''Metropolis'' (1927) as well as the original ''Dracula'' (1931) with Bela Lugosi, and had directed a number of Hollywood films himself, including ''The Mummy'' (1932) with Boris Karloff. Freund used a three-camera setup, which became the standard way of filming situation comedies. Shooting long shots, medium shots, and close-ups on a comedy in front of a live audience demanded discipline, technique, and close choreography. Among other non-standard techniques used in filming the show, cans of paint (in shades ranging from white to medium gray) were kept on set to "paint out" inappropriate shadows and disguise lighting flaws. Freund also pioneered "flat lighting," in which everything is brightly lit to eliminate shadows and the need for endless relighting.

''I Love Lucy'' dominated the weekly TV ratings in the United States for most of its run. (There was an attempt to adapt the show for radio; the cast and writers adapted the memorable "Breaking the Lease" episode—in which the Ricardos and Mertzes fall out over an argument, the Ricardos threaten to move, but they're stuck in a firm lease—for a radio audition disc that never aired but has survived.) In the scene where Lucy and Ricky are practicing the tango in the episode "Lucy Does The Tango," the longest recorded studio audience laugh in the history of the show was produced. It was so long, in fact, that the sound editor had to cut that particular part of the soundtrack in half. The strenuous rehearsals and demands of Desilu studio kept the Arnazes too busy to comprehend the show's success. During the show's production breaks they starred together in feature films: Vincente Minnelli's ''The Long, Long Trailer'' (1954) and Alexander Hall's ''Forever, Darling'' (1956).

Desilu produced several other popular shows, most notably ''Our Miss Brooks'' (starring Ball's 1937 ''Stage Door'' co-star Eve Arden), ''The Untouchables'', ''Star Trek'', and ''Mission: Impossible''. Many other shows, particularly ''My Three Sons'' in its first seven of twelve seasons, Sheldon Leonard-produced series like ''Make Room for Daddy'', ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', ''The Andy Griffith Show'', and ''I Spy'', were filmed at Desilu Studios and bear its logo.

Testimony Before the House Committee on Un-American Activities

When Ball registered to vote in 1936, she listed her party affiliation as Communist. (She was registered as a Communist in 1938 as well.) In order to sponsor the Communist Party's 1936 candidate for the California State Assembly's 57th District, Ball signed a certificate stating "I am registered as affiliated with the Communist Party." The same year, she was appointed to the State Central Committee of the Communist Party of California, according to records of the California Secretary of State. In 1937, Hollywood writer Rena Vale, a self-identified former Communist, attended a Communist Party new members' class at Ball's home, according to Vale's testimony before the United States House of Representatives' Special Committee on Un-American Activities, on July 22, 1940. Two years later, Vale reaffirmed this testimony in a sworn deposition:

In a 1944 British Pathe newsreel, titled ''Fund Raising For Roosevelt'', Ball was featured prominently among several stage and film stars at a fund-raising event in support of Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt's campaign for re-election. She also stated that in the 1952 US Presidential Election, she voted for Republican Dwight Eisenhower.

On September 4, 1953, Ball met privately with HUAC investigator William A. Wheeler in Hollywood and gave him sealed testimony. She stated that she had registered to vote as a Communist "or intended to vote the Communist Party ticket" in 1936 at her socialist grandfather's insistence. She stated she "at no time intended to vote as a Communist." {{bquote|Ball stated she has never been a member of the Communist Party "to her knowledge";... did not know whether or not any meetings were ever held at her home at 1344 North Ogden Drive; stated... [that if she had been appointed] as a delegate to the State Central Committee of the Communist Party of California in 1936 it was done without her knowledge or consent; [and stated that she] did not recall signing the document sponsoring EMIL FREED for the Communist Party nomination to the office of member of the assembly for the 57th District... A review of the subject's file reflects no activity that would warrant her inclusion on the Security Index.}} J. Edgar Hoover, then director of the FBI, named "Lucy and Dezi" [sic] among his "favorites of the entertainment world." Immediately before the filming of episode 68 ("The Girls Go Into Business") of ''I Love Lucy'', Arnaz, instead of his usual audience warm-up, told the audience about Lucy and her grandfather. Arnaz quipped: "The only thing red about Lucy is her hair, and even that's not legitimate." Then, he presented his wife and she received a standing ovation from the audience.

Children and divorce

On July 17, 1951, one month before her fortieth birthday and after several miscarriages, Ball gave birth to her first child, Lucie Désirée Arnaz. A year and a half later, Ball gave birth to her second child, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV, known as Desi Arnaz, Jr. When he was born, ''I Love Lucy'' was a solid ratings hit, and Ball and Arnaz wrote the pregnancy into the show. (Ball's necessary and planned cesarean section in real life was scheduled for the same date that her television character gave birth.) There were several challenges from CBS, insisting that a pregnant woman could not be shown on television, nor could the word "pregnant" be spoken on-air. After approval from several religious figures the network allowed the pregnancy storyline, but insisted that the word "expecting" be used instead of "pregnant." (Arnaz garnered laughs when he deliberately mispronounced it as "'spectin'"). The episode's official title was "Lucy Is Enceinte," borrowing the French word for pregnant; however, episode titles never appeared on the show. The birth made the first cover of ''TV Guide'' in January 1953.

Ball's business instincts were often astonishingly sharp, and her love for Arnaz was passionate, but her relationships with her children were sometimes strained. Lucie Arnaz, her daughter, spoke of her mother's "controlling" nature. Ball was outspoken against the relationship that Desi Jr. had with Liza Minnelli. She was quoted as saying, "I miss Liza, but you cannot domesticate Liza." Her close friends in the business included Ginger Rogers, Vivian Vance, Mary Wickes and Carole Cook.

In October 1956, Ball, Vivian Vance, Desi Arnaz, and William Frawley all appeared on a Bob Hope special on NBC, including a spoof of ''I Love Lucy'', the only time all four stars were together on a color telecast.

By the end of the 1950s, Desilu had become a large company, causing a good deal of stress for both Ball and Arnaz; his increased drinking further compounded matters. On May 4, 1960, just two months after filming the final episode of ''The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour'', the couple divorced. Until his death in 1986, however, Arnaz and Ball remained friends and often spoke very fondly of each other. Her real-life divorce indirectly found its way into her later television series, as she was always cast as a single woman.

The following year, Ball did a musical on Broadway, ''Wildcat'', co-starring Paula Stewart. That marked the beginning of a thirty-year friendship between Lucy and Paula Stewart, who introduced her to second husband Gary Morton, a Borscht Belt stand-up comic who was thirteen years her junior. Ball immediately installed Morton in her production company, teaching him the television business and eventually promoting him to producer. Morton also played occasional bit parts on Ball's various series.

Later career

The 1960 Broadway musical ''Wildcat'' ended its run early when Ball became too ill to continue in the show. The show was the source of the song she made famous, "Hey, Look Me Over," which she performed with Paula Stewart on ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. She made a few more movies including ''Yours, Mine, and Ours'' (1968), and the musical ''Mame'' (1974), and two more successful long-running sitcoms for CBS: ''The Lucy Show'' (1962–68), which costarred Vance and Gale Gordon, and ''Here's Lucy'' (1968–74), which also featured Gordon, as well Lucy's real life children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr. Ball appeared on the Dick Cavett show in 1974 and spoke of her history and life with Arnaz. She revealed how she felt about other actors and actresses as well as her love for Arnaz. She continued by telling Cavett that the success to her life was, "getting rid of what was wrong and replacing it with what is right," talking about her divorce from Arnaz and marriage to Morton.

Ball also revealed in this interview that the strangest thing to ever happen to her was after she had some dental work completed and having lead fillings in her teeth, she started hearing radio stations in her head. She explained coming home one night from the studio and as she passed one area, she heard what she thought was morse code or a "tapping." She stated that "as I backed up it got stronger. The next morning, I reported it to the authorities and upon investigation, they found a Japanese radio transmitter that had been buried and was actively transmitting codes back to the Japanese." The extraordinary theory that dental fillings could pick up radio signals would ultimately be tested and debunked on the TV show Mythbusters nearly thirty years later.

Ball was originally considered by Frank Sinatra for the role of Mrs. Iselin in ''The Manchurian Candidate''. Director/producer John Frankenheimer, however, had worked with Angela Lansbury in a mother role in All Fall Down and insisted on having her for the part.

During the mid-1980s, she attempted to resurrect her television career. In 1982, Ball hosted a two-part ''Three's Company'' retrospective, showing clips from the show's first five seasons, summarizing memorable plotlines, and commenting on her love of the show. A 1985 dramatic made-for-TV film about an elderly homeless woman, ''Stone Pillow'', received mixed reviews. Her 1986 sitcom comeback ''Life With Lucy'', costarring her longtime foil Gale Gordon and co-produced by Ball, Gary Morton, and prolific producer/former actor Aaron Spelling was canceled less than two months into its run by ABC. The failure of this series was said to have sent Ball into a serious depression, and other than a few miscellaneous awards show appearances, she was absent from the public eye for the last several years of her life. Her last public appearance, just one month before her death, was at the 1989 Academy Awards telecast in which she and fellow presenter, Bob Hope, were given a standing ovation.

Death

On April 18, 1989, Ball was at her home in Beverly Hills when she complained of chest pains. An ambulance was called and she was rushed to the emergency room of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She was diagnosed as having a dissecting aortic aneurysm and underwent heart surgery for nearly eight hours, receiving an aorta from a 27 year old male donor. The surgery was successful, and Ball began recovering, even walking around her room with little assistance. On April 26, shortly after dawn, Ball awoke with severe back pains. Her aorta had ruptured in a second location and Ball quickly lost consciousness. All attempts to revive her proved unsuccessful, and she died at approximately 05:47 PST. She was 77 years old. Her ashes were initially interred in Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, but in 2002 her children moved her remains to the family plot at Lake View Cemetery in Jamestown, New York, where Ball's parents, brother, and grandparents are buried.

Legacy and posthumous recognition

Ball received many prestigious awards throughout her career including some received posthumously such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. W. Bush on July 6, 1989, and The Women's International Center's ''Living Legacy Award''.

There is a Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center museum in Lucy's hometown of Jamestown, New York. ''The Little Theatre'' was renamed the ''Lucille Ball Little Theatre'' in her honor. Ball was among ''Time'' magazine's ''100 Most Important People of the Century.''

On August 6, 2001, which would have been her ninetieth birthday, the United States Postal Service honored her with a commemorative postage stamp as part of its Legends of Hollywood series. Ball appeared on the cover of ''TV Guide'' more than any other person; she appeared on thirty-nine covers, including the very first cover in 1953, with her baby son Desi Arnaz, Jr. ''TV Guide'' voted Lucille Ball as the ''Greatest TV Star of All Time'' and later it commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of ''I Love Lucy'' with eight collector covers celebrating memorable scenes from the show and in another instance they named ''I Love Lucy'' the second best television program in American history, after ''Seinfeld''. Because of her liberated mindset and approval of the women's movement, Ball was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

She was awarded the ''Legacy of Laughter'' award at the fifth Annual TV Land Awards in 2007, and ''I Love Lucy'' was named the ''Greatest TV Series'' by ''Hall of Fame Magazine''. In November of that year, Lucille Ball was chosen as the second out of the ''50 Greatest TV Icons'', after Johnny Carson. In a poll done by the public, however, they chose her as the greatest icon.

On August 6, 2011, which would have been her hundredth birthday, Google honored Ball with an interactive doodle on their homepage. This doodle displayed six classic moments from the I Love Lucy sitcom. On the same day a total of 915 Ball look-alikes converged on Jamestown, New York to celebrate the birthday and set a new world record for such a gathering.

On February 8, 1960, she was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 6436 Hollywood Boulevard for contributions to motion pictures, and one at 6100 Hollywood Boulevard for television.

References

Further reading

''Lucille The Life of Lucille Ball'' by Kathleen Brady (2001) ISBN 0-8230-8913-4

''Love, Lucy'' by Lucille Ball (1997). ISBN 0-425-17731-9

''Lucille Ball FAQ: Everything Left to Know About America's Favorite Redhead'' by James Sheridan and Barry Monush (2011) ISBN 978-1617740824

''The Comic DNA of Lucille Ball: Interpreting the Icon'' by Michael Karol (2005) ISBN 0-595-37951-6

''Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia'' by Michael Karol (2004) ISBN 0-595-29761-7

''The Lucille Ball Quiz Book'' by Michael Karol (2004) ISBN 0-595-31857-6

''Lucy in Print'' by Michael Karol (2003) ISBN 0-595-29321-2

''Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz'' by Coyne Steven Sanders and Tom Gilbert (1993) ISBN 0-688-13514-5

''Laughing With Lucy: My Life With America's Leading Lady of Comedy'' by Madelyn Pugh Davis with Bob Carroll Jr. (2005) ISBN 978-1-57860-247-6

''Ball of Fire: the tumultuous life and comic art of Lucille Ball'' by Stefan Kanfer (2003) ISBN 0-375-41315-4

''I Love Lucy: The Complete Picture History of the Most Popular TV Show Ever'' by Michael McClay (1995) ISBN 0-446-51750-X (hardcover)

External links

Lucille Ball at the Museum of Broadcast Communications

Flint, Peter B. "Lucille Ball, Spirited Doyenne Of TV Comedies, Dies at 77." ''The New York Times''. April 27, 1989.

Lucille Ball & several other actors participate on Orson Welles Radio Almanac 1944; recordings

Celebrating Lucille Ball at 100: Unpublished Photos - slideshow by LIFE.com

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