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I Love Lucy Biographies
Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, William Frawley, Vivian Vance

Cast

Regular cast

* Lucille Ball as Lucille "Lucy" Esmeralda McGillicuddy Ricardo. Her name is revealed in "The Marriage License" and "Fred and Ethel Fight".
* Desi Arnaz as Enrique 'Ricky' Alberto Ricardo y de Acha III. The full name is revealed in "Lucy Raises Tulips".[4]
* Vivian Vance as Ethel Mertz. She has various names like Ethel May Potter as her maiden name, Ethel Roberta Mertz in "Million Dollar Idea", Ethel Louise Mertz in "Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress", and Ethel Mae Mertz in "Ethel's Hometown" and subsequent episodes.
* William Frawley as Frederick 'Fred' Hobart "y de" Mertz "the First" - in the same episode where Lucy uses Ricky's full name - to emphasize her point that she wanted him to get up and do what she had requested, to mow the lawn. Ethel then used the same format in reinforcing her point to Fred by using "y de Mertz the First" the way Ricky's full name was structured.[4]
* Keith Thibodeaux (billed as Richard Keith) as Richard Robert Ricardo, "Little Ricky" (1956-1957).

Gale Gordon and Bea Benaderet, supporting cast members on My Favorite Husband, were originally approached for the roles of Fred and Ethel, but neither could accept due to previous commitments. Gordon did appear as a guest star in three episodes, playing Ricky's boss, Mr. Littlefield, in two episodes, and later in an hourlong episode as a civil court judge. Gordon was a veteran from the classic radio days in which he perfected the role of the exasperated character, as in Fibber McGee and Molly. He would go on to co-star with Ball in most of her post–I Love Lucy series. Benaderet was a guest star in one episode as the Ricardos' neighbor, the elderly Miss Lewis.

Barbara Pepper (later featured as Doris Ziffel in the series Green Acres) was also considered to play Ethel, but Pepper had been drinking very heavily after the death of her husband, Craig W. Reynolds. Her friendship with Ball dated back to the film Roman Scandals, in which both appeared as Goldwyn Girls. She turned up regularly in bit parts.

 Supporting cast

* Kathryn Card as Mrs. McGillicuddy, Lucy's mother (1955–1956; 1960) (also earlier appearance as "Minnie Finch" in 1954)
* Mary Jane Croft as Betty Ramsey (1957) (earlier appearances in various roles)
* Ross Elliot in various roles
* Jerry Hausner as Jerry, Ricky's agent (1951–1954) (also the show's announcer in early seasons)
* Bob Jellison as Bobby, the Hollywood bellboy (1955) (earlier appearance in the episode "The Gossip" as the milkman.)
* Doris Singleton as Carolyn Appleby (1953–1957) (called Lillian Appleby in the character's first appearance in the episode "The Club Election." )
* Shirley Mitchell as Marion Strong (1953–1954)
* Frank Nelson as Ralph Ramsey (1957) (many earlier appearances in various roles, including Freddie Filmore, a game show host)
* Elizabeth Patterson as Mrs. Matilda Trumbull, the sweet upstairs neighbor and babysitter (1953–1956) (earlier appearance as "Mrs. Willoughby" in 1952)
* Joseph D. and Michael Mayer as Ricky Ricardo, Jr. (baby) (1953–1954)
* Richard and Ronald Lee Simmons as Ricky Ricardo, Jr. (baby) (1954–1955)
* Charles Lane as various characters, oftentimes short-tempered. (throughout series)
* Barbara Pepper as various characters. (throughout series)

Lucille Ball liked naming supporting characters after real-life people. For instance, Carolyn Appleby had been one of her teachers, and Marion Strong was a friend in Jamestown, New York.

* (Richard Crenna as Arthur Morton, a lovestruck teenager who falls in love with Lucy.)