What Is Desi Arnaz Jr.'s Net Worth?
Desi Arnaz Jr. is an American actor, musician, and producer who has a net worth of $40 million. Desi Arnaz Jr. is the son of legendary actors Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. From 1968 to 1974, Desi played Craig Carter on the CBS sitcom "Here's Lucy" alongside his mother and his older sister, Lucie Arnaz. Arnaz has more than 30 acting credits to his name, including the films "Marco" (1973), "Billy Two Hats" (1974), "Joyride" (1977), "A Wedding" (1978), and "The Mambo Kings" (1992), the TV movies "Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones" (1971), "She Lives!" (1973), and "Gridlock" (1980), and the television series "The Lucy Show" (1962–1965), "The Mothers-In-Law" (1967–1968), and "Automan" (1983–1984). Desi also executive produced 2001's "I Love Lucy's 50th Anniversary Special" and the 2021 Amazon Prime Video film "Being the Ricardos," which starred Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem and earned three Academy Award nominations. Desi was previously involved with Jamestown, New York's Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Center, serving as the vice president of the board of directors from 2002 to 2007.
Early Life
Desi Arnaz Jr. was born Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV on January 19, 1953, in Los Angeles, California. Desi was born while his parents, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, were starring on the CBS sitcom "I Love Lucy," and his mother's pregnancy was written into the show's storyline. He appeared on the cover of the first issue of "TV Guide" with Lucille, and the headline read "Lucy's $50,000,000 baby" in reference to the amount of revenue that advertising tie-ins were expected to bring in. On "I Love Lucy," Little Ricky was played by Richard Keith, who became close to the Arnaz children and taught young Desi how to play the drums. When Arnaz was 12 years old, he served as the drummer in the band Dino, Desi, & Billy, which also included Billy Hinsche and Dean Martin's son Dean Paul Martin. The band had two hits in 1965, with "I'm a Fool" reaching #17 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and "Not the Lovin' Kind" peaking at #25. Desi studied at University High School.
Career
Arnaz made his TV debut with an uncredited role as "Spectator at Unveiling" in a 1957 episode of "I Love Lucy," and from 1962 to 1965, he appeared in six episodes of "The Lucy Show." From 1968 to 1974, he co-starred with his mother and sister on "Here's Lucy," playing Craig Carter in 60 of the show's 144 episodes. From 1967 to 1968, he appeared in four episodes of the NBC sitcom "The Mothers-in-Law," which was produced by his father.
Arnaz then guest-starred on "The Brady Bunch" (1970), "Love, American Style" (1971), "The Mod Squad" (1971), "Night Gallery" (1971), "Medical Story" (1975), "Medical Center" (1975), "The Streets of San Francisco" (1976), "Police Story" (1976), "Fantasy Island" (1978), and "The Love Boat" (1978). His first feature film was 1971's "Red Sky at Morning," and that year he also starred as Bo Jo Jones in the TV movie "Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones."
Desi portrayed Marco Polo in the 1973 film "Marco," then he appeared in the TV movies "She Lives!" (1973), "Voyage of the Yes" (1973), "Having Babies" (1976), "Black Market Baby" (1977), "Flight to Holocaust" (1977), "How to Pick Up Girls!" (1978), "The Courage and the Passion" (1978), "To Kill a Cop" (1978), and "Crisis in Mid-Air" (1979).
He played the title role in the 1974 film "Billy Two Hats," and he co-starred with Robert Carradine and Melanie Griffith in 1977's "Joyride." In 1978, Arnaz starred in the satirical film "A Wedding" alongside Carol Burnett, Mia Farrow, Lillian Gish, and Lauren Hutton.
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In the '80s, Desi appeared in the TV movies "Gridlock" (1980), "Advice to the Lovelorn" (1981), and "The Night the Bridge Fell Down" (1983) and guest-starred on "Matlock" (1987). From 1983 to 1984, he starred as Walter Nebicher on the ABC superhero series "Automan." Arnaz co-starred with Pia Zadora and Telly Savalas in the 1982 crime comedy "Fake-Out" and with Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and John Carradine in the 1983 horror-comedy "House of the Long Shadows."
In 1992, Arnaz portrayed his father in the film "The Mambo Kings," which was based on the 1989 Pulitzer Prize-winning Oscar Hijuelos novel "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love." In 1998, he began touring with a new version of his band Dino, Desi & Billy called Ricci, Desi & Billy; Dean Paul Martin passed away in 1987, so his younger brother Ricci took his place. In 2010, Desi appeared in the TV movie "Aunt Heather's Magical Kidchen." He was featured in the 2022 Amazon Prime Video documentary "Lucy and Desi," which was directed by Amy Poehler and earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.
Personal Life
Desi has a daughter named Julia (born 1968) from a teenage relationship with model Susan Callahan-Howe. When he was 23, he dated 17-year-old actress Patty Duke. Desi's mother didn't approve of the relationship, and when Patty became pregnant, writer/music producer Michael Tell offered to marry her. The marriage lasted less than two weeks, and though Patty told her son, Sean Astin, that Desi was his biological father, genetic tests revealed that his biological father was actually Michael.
Arnaz also dated Liza Minnelli and accompanied her to the 1973 Academy Awards. Desi was married to actress Linda Purl from January 1980 to December 1981. Arnaz wed Amy Bargiel on October 8, 1987, and he adopted her daughter, Haley. The couple remained married until Amy's death from cancer in 2015, and they lived in Boulder City, Nevada. In 1997, Desi bought the Boulder Theatre and converted it from a movie theater to a live theater venue. After the conversion, Desi and Amy often directed performances by the Boulder City Ballet Company there.
Awards and Nominations
In 1972, Desi won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Male. In 2002, he earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Class Program for "I Love Lucy's 50th Anniversary Special" (shared with fellow producers Lucie Arnaz, Gary Smith, Fred A. Rappoport, and Dann Netter).
