​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Carole Cook (January 14, 1924 - January 11, 2023) was an American actress. She appeared in many theatrical productions, in films and on television. Born as Mildred Frances Cook, she was a protege of Lucille Ball. Ball gave her the stage name of "Carole", after her friend Carole Lombard because, Ball reportedly told Cook, "you have the same healthy disrespect for everything in general". Cook appeared regularly on two of her shows, The Lucy Show and Here's ...