Desi Arnaz

Desi Arnaz (1917-1986) was a Cuban bandleader, conga player, and actor, best remembered for playing Ricky Ricardo on I Love Lucy opposite his then-wife Lucille Ball. His trademark, on the show and in other appearances, was his thick accent and occasional tendency to mangle words.
Ball and Arnaz cofounded the production company Desilu, with Arnaz credited as executive producer on series like The Untouchables. His solo on-camera work after his divorce from Ball was limited but included appearances on The Mothers-in-Law (which he produced, playing a matador four times), Saturday Night Live (as guest host), and the 1982 film The Escape Artist (as the father of Raúl Juliá).
==References==
* During the Panel Discussion in The Muppet Show episode 105, Tiffany Gonzalez (played by Rita Moreno in a thick accent) says she speaks "as good English as the next guy." Miss Piggy retorts only if the next guy is Desi Arnaz. 
* Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo has been spoofed in several Muppet take-offs of I Love Lucy. The most sustained was in a Movie Mania segment where several Muppets audition to play Ricky. Kermit the Frog in particular struggles to duplicate Arnaz's accent, especially with the word "'splainin."
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Category:Celebrity References