Do you remember Little Ricky from 'I Love Lucy'? Now he's 67 and we can hardly recognize him

May 2024 · 2 minute read

Here's what happened to the former child actor after his hit show ended.

Keith Thibodeaux, the actor who played Little Ricky, is one of the last surviving members of the television sitcom, I Love Lucy, which premiered on October 15, 1951, according to ABC News.

Keith fondly recalls when he auditioned for the role of Little Ricky. He said that Lucy was like a mother to him.

When he arrived for the audition, the producers weren't so impressed with him. Lucy wanted to know if there was anything specific he could do.

Ricky could play the drums so they gave him a set of drums and soon crew members started crowding around him. Some even joined in.

They were stunned that the 4-year-old boy could play the drums very well. He was then given the role and the rest is history.

He went on to say that Desi Arnaz, Lucy's on-screen and off-screen husband, truly made him feel at home on the set. He went out of his way to make young Keith feel at ease.

Keith said he soon became best friends with the couple's children. Whenever he visited them, Desi would always shower him with gifts and treated him like their own son.

Keith, who was making $500 a week at the age of 3, touring with the Horace Heidt Orchestra, appeared in more than 35 episodes and won several awards for his portrayal of Little Ricky.

According to Keith, his favorite episode has to be Lucy and Superman because he met George Reeves, the actor who originally portrayed Superman in a 1950's TV Show.

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In 1976, the former child actor met and married a ballet dancer named Kathy Denton in Jackson, Mississippi.

Keith retired from acting and now works with his wife as the director of Ballet Magnificat. He loves spending time with his family and still plays the drums regularly.

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