Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball, of "I Love Lucy" fame, was a trailblazing woman in Hollywood. She was the first woman to run a major Hollywood studio in 1962.

And she forever changed television production with innovations on "I Love Lucy," including shooting with multiple cameras and filming in front of a live studio audience."I Love Lucy" was the first show to be filmed rather than performed live, allowing it to be rebroadcast.

Ball and her husband didn't want to relocate to the east coast (to be in the right timezone for live broadcasting) and negotiated a pay cut to allow for filming instead on the condition that the couple retained the rights to episodes after they aired. This was a savvy and profitable move; the couple sold their rights to CBS and used the money to purchase Ball's former studio.

Ball pushed back against racism in Hollywood and is responsible for the first biracial couple on TV. She also portrayed female friendships in a way that didn't center men in her later shows.

She wasn't afraid to break expectations, her characters were often loud and zany, and she loved to show off her physical comedy skills.