Arnaz was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, to Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Alberni II (March 8, 1894 – May 31, 1973) and Dolores "Lolita" de Acha y de Socias (April 2, 1896 – October 24, 1988).
His father was Santiago's youngest mayor and also served in the Cuban House of Representatives.
His maternal grandfather was Alberto de Acha, an executive at rum producer Bacardi & Co.
A descendant of Cuban nobility, Arnaz was a great-great-great-grandson of José Joaquín.
1917
Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-American actor, musician and bandleader.
He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy, in which he co-starred with his wife Lucille Ball.
Arnaz and Ball are credited as the innovators of the syndicated rerun, which they pioneered with the I Love Lucy series.
Arnaz and Lucille Ball co-founded and ran the television production company called Desilu Productions, originally to market I Love Lucy to television networks.
After I Love Lucy ended, Arnaz went on to produce several other television series, at first with Desilu Productions, and later independently, including The Ann Sothern Show and The Untouchables.
He was also the bandleader of his Latin group, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra.
He was known for playing conga drums and popularized the conga line in the United States.
1933
The Cuban Revolution of 1933 forced Arnaz and his family to lose everything and flee Cuba.
A mob attacked and destroyed the family's houses, property, and livestock.
Arnaz narrowly escaped the attack because he was able to hop in a car getting away.
His father, Alberto Arnaz, was jailed and all of his property was confiscated.
He was released after six months when his father-in-law Alberto de Acha intervened on his behalf.
The family then fled to Miami, where Desi attended high school.
They came to the United States with no money and Desi had to live with his father in a garage that was infested with rats and roaches.
1934
In the summer of 1934, he attended Saint Leo Prep (near Tampa) to improve his English.
His first jobs included working at Woolworth's and cleaning canary cages in Miami.
He then went into the tile business with his father before turning to show business full time.
After finishing high school, Arnaz formed a band, the Siboney Septet, and began making a name for himself in Miami.
Xavier Cugat, after seeing Arnaz perform, hired him for his touring orchestra, playing the conga drum and singing.
Becoming a star attraction encouraged him to start his own band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra.
Arnaz and his orchestra became a hit in New York City's club scene, including a club named La Conga, where he is credited with introducing the concept of conga line dancing to the United States.
1939
He came to the attention of Rodgers and Hart who, in 1939, cast him in their Broadway musical Too Many Girls.
The show was a hit and RKO Pictures bought the movie rights.
Arnaz went to Hollywood the next year to appear in the show's movie version at RKO, which also starred Lucille Ball.
1940
Arnaz and Ball fell in love during the film's production and eloped on November 30, 1940.
Arnaz appeared in several movies in the 1940s such as Bataan, starring Robert Taylor (1943).
His portrayal of Felix Ramirez, the jive-loving California National Guardsman, was described by New York Times critic Bosley Crowther as one of several supporting players who were "convincing in soldier roles".
1943
April 27, 1943, Arnaz received his draft notice.
However, Arnaz was disqualified from overseas service due to hypertension and knee injuries, which caused him pain with prolonged physical exertion, according to his military physical examination.
He had injured his left knee prior to his enlistment and injured his right knee soon after enlisting on May 23, 1943, during a baseball game at Camp Arlington.
He completed his recruit training, but was classified for limited service in the United States Army during World War II.
He was assigned to direct United Service Organization (USO) programs at the Birmingham General Army Hospital in the San Fernando Valley.
It was his responsibility to keep injured soldiers entertained while they were recovering in the hospital.
Thanks to his Hollywood connections, Arnaz was able to bring celebrities to visit the hospital and boost morale of the soldiers.
For example, discovering the first thing the wounded soldiers requested was a glass of cold milk, he arranged for movie starlets to meet them and pour the milk for them.
Arnaz served two years, seven months and four days.
