Hedy Lamarr

Biography

Hedy Lamarr, originally named Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, was born on November 9, 1914, in Austria and passed away on January 19, 2000. She was not only a celebrated actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood but also an innovative inventor in the field of technology.

Lamarr’s early career in film began in Czechoslovakia, where she gained attention for her role in the provocative film Ecstasy (1933). She escaped her first marriage to a wealthy Austrian arms dealer and discreetly relocated to Paris. After traveling to London, she encountered Louis B. Mayer, the head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who signed her to a film contract in Hollywood. Lamarr quickly rose to fame, particularly for her role in Algiers (1938). Some of her notable MGM films include Lady of the Tropics (1939), Boom Town (1940), H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941), and White Cargo (1942). Her most iconic performance was as Delilah in Cecil B. DeMille's biblical epic Samson and Delilah (1949). Lamarr also made appearances on television leading up to her last film, The Female Animal (1958), and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

As World War II began, Lamarr, alongside avant-garde composer George Antheil, devised a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes that utilized spread spectrum and frequency hopping techniques to counteract potential jamming by enemy forces. This innovation became a precursor to modern Bluetooth technology.