Desi Arnaz Jr Net Worth (2024)
Lifestyle | Bio | Facts [UPDATED]

Desi Arnaz Jr, born as “Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV,” is an American actor and musician and the son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Desi Jr comes from a family of artists, so being an Artist runs in his blood, as does his sister, Lucie Arnaz.

Here’s a catch. 

Did you know that even though he was born in a renowned family, life has not always been easy for him? He struggled to understand who he was. Arnaz Jr. followed the footsteps of his parents by making his name in the entertainment industry. 

The actor started his acting career at the age of four, playing a role as a spectator on his parent’s show, “I Love Lucy.”  Check it Out Here

And now, let’s continue digging up…

Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV  became a drummer of a band Dino, Desi, & Billy at 12. In 1965, they released two hit singles, “I’m a Fool” and “Not the Lovin’ Kind.”  Later on, Ricci Martin joined that band to fill the part left by Dean Paul Martin.

The actor performed in numerous shows. He starred in “The Lucy Show” from 1962-1965. A few years later, Desi and his sister, Lucie Arnaz, appeared in “Here’s Lucy” and portrayed the children of their mother. 

To summarize it all… 

Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV has 38 acting credits to his name, and he’s also stood behind the camera as a producer two times. 

And that is just one side of the story…

Besides being known as an actor, Desi Arnaz was also known as a “ladies’ man.”The actor even admitted that in his interviews. “Years ago I was a playboy”, Desi admitted in a 19778 interview with People’s Magazine. 

Yes. He admitted it.

And to tell you more about that…

The actor became a teenage father from his relationship with the model, Susan Callahan-Howe. Both of them were 15 years old. However, Desi’s relationship with his daughter, Julia Howe-Arnaz, was just proven by a paternity test in 1991, when Julia turned 25. Before that, the father and the daughter had an estranged relationship. 

In addition to that – here’s the list of the names of the women he dated.

The list includes big names like Patty Duke, Liza Minnelli, Kim Darby, Tina Sinatra, and the list goes on. As claimed by Dino Martin, Arnaz Jr. was “in love three times a week”.

Not only that…

In 1979, the actor had a short-winded marriage with Linda Purl. In January 1980, Purl filed for divorce, which was finalized later that year. The actor believed that his stubbornness and his addiction to drugs led the marriage to fall apart. 

But wait, we are not finished yet…

All of the actor’s past relationships didn’t stop him from finding his one great love. In October 1987, Arnaz married his longtime love, Amy Laura Bargiel. The couple moved and lived in Boulder City, Nevada, and a few years later, the couple decided to purchase the Boulder Theatre and restored it.

The couple had a child, Haley Arnaz. She is Amy’s child from her first marriage. However, Desi adopted her and treated her as his own.

Battle With Addiction and “Identity” Problem…

As published in the book of Coyne Steven Sanders and Tom Gilbert, “Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz), the little boy had a constant battle to live up to his famous parents. Unfortunately, this made him abuse drugs and alcohol at a very young age. 

He even said in interviews that he uses this addiction to destroy himself as he is tired of being an Arnaz Jr. The actor wrestles with his own identity. Finally, it comes to the point that he didn’t know who he was. 

However, the real wake-up call for the actor came at the age of 25, when doctors showed him scans of what drugs had done to his brain and informed him it looked like a 60-year-old. That’s when he decided to go to rehab.

And you know what touches my heart?

At this stage of his life, the son appreciates his family’s support, especially his parents. Lucy and Desi supported their Jr throughout his journey to recovery. He said, “Both my mother and my father were invited to come with me, and they did, which was probably the most amazing thing that could have happened.”