Being the Ricardos, the Amazon Prime Video original starring Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem (Lucy Ricardo and Ricky Ricardo), directed by Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin (‘The West Wing of the White House and The Social Network), has critics and fans of the original I Love Lucy story talking about the iconic Latino actor.

The plot of the film is centered around one week of production on I Love Lucy during which we see the complexities of their marriage and profession on full display. Though the couple is the image of nuclear family love in the ’50s, their behind the scenes turmoil and divorce have been a topic of intense discussion.

Who is Desi Arnaz?

Desi Arnaz is most famously known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the 1950’s sitcom I Love Lucy. In this show, he plays a Cuban American with a loving wife named “Lucy,” played by Lucille Ball. He also stars in an earlier version of a comedy made in 1941 called Too Many Girls, in which he plays Dizzy Stevens. For his work, at the time, even being Cuban-American was groundbreaking. In this movie he is not played as an immigrant who struggles to fit in, but instead has a starring role and gets the girl in the end.

Fun Facts about Desi Arnaz

• He was born Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III
• Ginger Rogers introduced him to her father, who helped get his show off the ground.
• He was surrounded by women and attributes his success to the women in his life.
• He met his first wife when she auditioned for a role in one of his movies. He was married to his co-star Lucille Ball from 1940 – 1960, then he remarried in 1963.
• His second wife was Edith Mack Hirsch
• Desi was not scared to put himself out there despite not being American-born
• He was proud of who he was, where he came from and what he’d achieved
• The fact that he was Cuban and spoke English with a Latino accent didn’t affect his career; rather, it contributed to his success

Desi Arnaz’s story is about courage and bravery, which inspired many others, including Jennifer Lopez. “Desi Arnaz for me stood as a symbol of pride…he was someone who brought not only happiness but also an affirmation of my culture and myself,” JLo has said in a statement.