The Many Faces Of Lucille Ball

The lovable redhead was a lady of firsts, forever breaking the mould of tv comedy. But it also caused her to constantly reinvent herself.

That scorching, trademark red hair is the first thing that springs to mind at the mention of Lucille Ball – the comedy star who brought us hits such as I Love Lucy and became the first woman to run a major television studio. But like so much in the life of this star, it transpires this was all part of a catalogue of reinventions for the natural brunette who’d tried brown, blonde and finally red tresses in her desperate bid to stand out and clinch fame.

Lucille’s troubled sense of identity stemmed from her early years. Although born in New York, once she decided on a career in the public eye, she began telling people she had been born in Anaconda, Montana. While her family had moved to Anaconda briefly in her childhood, this rewriting of her life set a precedent for the years of reinvention to come.