Who starred as Lucy Ricardo on I Love Lucy?

Who starred as Lucy Ricardo on I Love Lucy? Lucille Ball starred as Lucy Ricardo.

Ball played the show's scheming, ambitious housewife opposite her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, who played Cuban bandleader Ricky Ricardo. The series followed Lucy's constant attempts to break into show business, usually with help from her best friend, Ethel Mertz.

I Love Lucy premiered on CBS on October 15, 1951, and ran for six seasons through 1957. It became a landmark of television comedy, using a filmed multi-camera format that helped preserve performances for syndication. Vivian Vance played Ethel, while William Frawley played Fred Mertz.

A common mix-up is confusing Ball with Lucy's fictional identity: Lucille Ball was the actor, while Lucy Ricardo was the character. Ball later played related Lucy characters in The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy, but those were different series and roles.