Desi Arnaz was one of the greatest performers both on and off screen, which earned her popularity around the world. He is perhaps best known to the world as Ricky Ricardo on the sitcom “I Love Lucy,” in which he co-starred with Lucille Ball, his then-wife. Desi’s second wife was Edith Mack Hirsch – the two were married from 1963 until her death in 1985.
Just a simple reminder that the article is created and owned solely by marriedbiography.org. The article cannot be republished in other pages or documents. Copyright is DMCA protected. Any copies found will be flagged.
Original source: https://marriedbiography.org/the-untold-truth-of-desi-arnazs-wife-edith-mack-hirsch/
Biography – Age, Childhood, Education
Edith Mack Hirsch was born on April 15, 1917 in Illinois in the United States; growing up was difficult for Edith and an education was hard to come by. Nevertheless, she managed to go to a neighborhood high school located in Illinois.
Desi Arnaz and his second wife Edith Mack Hirsch.
Posted by A Daily Dose of I Love Lucy on Sunday, March 11, 2018
Meet and Marry Desi Arnaz
Three years after her divorce from Lucille Ball, Desi and Edith met and it took them just six months to get married. Desi was so in love that he knew on the spot that she would become his wife, which turned out to be correct as the two remained together until his death. During their marriage, Desi had cut back on her career, making only a few appearances as a Spanish matador, Senor Delgado on the show “The Stepmothers”. They had no children; Edith died on March 25, 1985, in Del Mar, California, from cancer. Desi died the following year on December 2.
Edith’s husband, Desi Arnaz
Born as Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III on March 2, 1917 in Santiago de Cuba, Republic of Cuba, son of Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Alberni II and his wife Dolores de Acha. Growing up, Desi enjoyed a lavish lifestyle as her family owned ranches and even a vacation villa on a private island in Santiago Bay, Cuba. His father, the mayor of Santiago was removed from office after the Cuban Revolution of 1933; Incarcerated, Alberto Arnaz spent six months in prison during which the family assets were confiscated, and after his release from prison, the Arnaz family fled to Miami, Florida.
Desi started attending St. Patrick Catholic High School in Miami, and since the English language was a problem for him, he also attended Saint Leo Prep to improve his language skills.
Career beginnings
As her family was new to the country and stripped of their lavish past, Desi had to find a job to support herself and the family. Desi started out as a canary cage cleaner, but that didn’t last long as he moved into the performing arts. He formed a small group of musicians, and was quickly hired by Xavier Cugat, then king of Latin music. However, his stint in Cugat’s band didn’t last long either, as he wanted to start his own Latin band. Desi became one of the greatest Latin musicians, starting the conga craze in the United States.
He turned completely to show business, and in 1939 landed his first acting appearance, starring in the Broadway musical “Too Many Girls.”
The following year, the entire musical was made into a screen movie, and it was then that he met his future wife, Lucille Ball. Throughout the 1940s, Desi made a name for herself by starring in many films of the decade, including the romantic comedy “Father Takes a Wife” (1941), then “Cuban Pete” (1946) and “Holiday in Havana”. . (1949).
Become famous
It was in 1951 that he and Lucille launched their own sitcom, “I Love Lucy”, which aired until 1957, and which brought Desi worldwide fame. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for his work on the series, and in 1956 received the Golden Globe for his achievements in television, particularly American comedy.
He has been credited with inventing many techniques that contribute to the quality of sitcoms that are now taken for granted, including performing in front of live audiences and reruns of old episodes. Desi remained active until the 1980s, but after his marriage to Edith he remained largely off-screen, only appearing as a guest star in a few episodes of “The Mothers-In-Law” ( 1967-1968), then in “The Virginian” (1970), “Ironside” in 1974, and in the crime comedy drama “The Escape Artist” (1982).
Apart from his acting work, Desi is also known for producing many popular TV series except “I Love Lucy”. Some of the credits include the television series “Willy”, which ran from 1954 to 1955, then “The Untouchables” (1961-1963), and of course, “The Mothers-In-Law” (1967-1969).
Net worth and personal life of Desi Arnaz
At the time of his death, Desi was worth $20 million. His successful career contributed greatly to his wealth and his legacy lives on.
Before Edith, he was married to Lucille Ball, who was six years older than him.
The couple married on November 30, 1940 and were together for 20 years. However, their romance was marred by problems; Lucille was aware of Desi’s infidelities and drinking problems, which led to a separation just four years after their wedding ceremony. Nonetheless, the two reconciled and their romance lasted until 1960, welcoming two children along the way, Desi Arnaz Jr. who is also an actor, and Lucie Arnaz, an actress, singer and producer.
Desi died of lung cancer on December 2, 1986, aged 69; he was a heavy smoker all his life, smoking Cuban cigars until his sixties.
Arnaz published an autobiography in which he spoke, among other things, of his adventures and his problems with alcohol. The book is titled “One Book”, and he planned to write the sequel under the title “Another Book”, but he died before he achieved his goal. He was survived by his mother, who died approximately two years after his death.
