Diane Belmont

Diane Belmont was a versatile American performer and businesswoman whose career spanned six decades, from 1929 to 1989. She began as a model, then moved into Broadway under the stage name Diane (or Dianne) Belmont, which later became her professional name. In the 1930s and 1940s, she worked as a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures, often cast as a chorus girl or in similar roles, with leads in B-pictures and supporting roles in A-pictures. Her television work in the 1950s, which she created with Desi Arnaz, became a landmark in the medium.

Born in Jamestown, New York, in 1911, she was American, of English, French, Irish, and Scottish descent. She stood 5'7" with blue eyes, brown hair, and a slim build, measurements 35-24-35. She was active for 60 years, until her death in April 1989 at the age of 77.

She met Cuban-born bandleader Desi Arnaz in 1940 while filming Too Many Girls; they eloped that November. After a brief divorce filing in 1944, they reconciled, then divorced in March 1960. She married comedian Gary Morton in 1961. She was mother to two children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. She was also a successful businesswoman, though details are limited.