Desi Arnaz was born in Cuba in 1917. His father was the mayor of Santiago, but as a result of a political coup, was placed in jail. American officials found Arnaz's father not guilty, and his family moved to Miami, Florida. Arnaz first became known as a musician and an entertainer in 1939, when he starred in the Broadway show "Too Many Girls." Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz met on the set of the movie version of "Too Many Girls" in 1940, which both actors appeared in.
Arnaz resided in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles while he served in the army. "I Love Lucy" was filmed in Hollywood, despite almost every other TV show at the time being filmed in New York.
Desi Arnaz was a well-known producer and actor. He produced several TV shows, including "The Lucy Show," "Our Miss Brooks," "December Bride," "The Mothers-in-Law," "Those Whiting Girls," "The Danny Thomas Show," "The Untouchables" and "The Andy Griffith Show." Arnaz was a host on NBCs "Saturday Night Live" in 1976.
Lucy and Desi decided to televise one of their pregnancies on "I Love Lucy," but contrary to rumors, it was not the first real pregnancy on TV. Lucy was actually pregnant with her first child before "I Love Lucy" started, which was why she insisted the show be filmed in Hollywood. Lucy can be seen slightly "showing" on the first episode of "I Love Lucy."
Desi Arnaz died in 1986 at age 69, survived by his mother. Arnaz died of lung cancer--he was a smoker for his entire life. If Arnaz hadn't smoked, he might have outlived his mother, who died when she was 94 in 1988.