See These Rare, Vintage Photos of Lucille Ball's Life

Lucille was born in Jamestown, New York on August 6, 1911. Shortly after her birth, her father's job required the family to move to Montana, where this photo was taken.

Drawn to the stage early on, Lucille enrolled in drama school in New York City in 1925. Her teachers felt she lacked acting talent, but she was determined to make it in show business and found work as a model. Here she is at age 22, displaying a box of perfume.

Lucille got a significant break when she secured a spot as a "Goldwyn Girl" in the 1933 film Roman Scandals. Here she is posing in a promotional shot for the film, after which she permanently moved to Los Angeles for more acting opportunities.

Despite having a small role in Muss 'Em Up, Lucille still helped out on set where she could — specifically in the makeup department.

Lucille consistently garnered attention for her chic and elegant fashion sense, even before she became a full-fledged star.

While it's unclear what Lucille is up to in this photo, one thing is for sure: her slapstick sense of humor was always front and center.

In the late 1930s, Lucille worked at radio stations to supplement her income as an actress and model.

Even though in the late '30s Lucille was still more than a decade away from her life-changing role in I Love Lucy, she'd been working steadily in the industry for six years.

Here, Lucille takes a break from filming to pose in the sun.

Lucille's life changed forever when she met future husband and collaborator Desi Arnaz on the set of the movie Too Many Girls. At the time, Lucille was a veteran contract player, and Desi was a 23-year-old bandleader whose family had fled Cuba in 1933.

Only six months after they first met, Lucille and Desi eloped on November 30, 1940 in Greenwich, Connecticut. Desi was scheduled to perform at the Roxy Theatre in New York later that night, and this photo shows him carrying his new bride into his dressing room.

Lucille signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the early 1940s, which helped her gain better roles as an actress and boost her fine arts career.

Starring Henry Fonda and Lucille, The Big Street is about a busboy, Little Pinks, who is in love with Gloria Lyons. They become closer after Little Pinks saves her dog, but things start to go awry after Gloria's mobster boyfriend becomes violent.

Charles Walters coached Lucille for two movies: What Now, Catherine Curtis? and Three for Two.

Lucille modeled this gorgeous swimsuit back in 1943 for Best Foot Forward. AARP's magazine, Modern Maturity Magazine, placed the photo on the cover of their special 50th anniversary issue in 2001 to celebrate the I Love Lucy icon.

Lucille began dying her hair red in the early 1940s when MGM started to show movies in color.

The two comedians were on the Hollywood Victory Caravan, which was a tour through 13 cities to raise money for Army and Navy relief during World War II.

In 1948, Lucille landed a leading role in the radio program My Favorite Husband alongside actor Richard Denning. CBS executives would later ask her to develop a television version of the show.

After being married for nine years, Lucille and Desi had a second wedding, because his mother believed they needed to be married inside a church. The stars said "I do" again at Our Lady of the Valley in Los Angeles with their closest friends and family in attendance.

Here, newly re-married Lucille and Desi enjoy a car ride together.