Hedy Lamarr (Hedwig Kiesler) was born in on November 19, 1913 in Vienna , Austria. She was named, “Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler. Her father was a Jewish banker. Cinema fascinated her and she dropped out of school as a teenager to go into acting. Her first role was in 1932 in the German Movie, Geld Auf Der Strase.” She was discovered by the renowned stage director Max Reinhardt, and gained international notoriety by appearing naked in the Czech film ‘Ecstasy’ (1933). In the clerical-rightist regime in Vienna, the film was a sensation and caused a scandal. The film was banned in Germany because Kiesler was Jewish and in the USA because of film censorship by the Hays Office. She made five films in Europe under the name Hedy or Hedwig Kiesler. Her reputation preceded her to London before she immigrated to Great Britain in 1937. A year later, she boarded the ocean liner ‘Normandie’ on her way to the USA. The renowned movie producer Louis B. Mayer saw her work and gave her a screen test. He gave her a contract for seven years and changed her name to Hedy Lamarr, in honor of the silent film star, Barbara La Marr. Soon afterwards, not yet 20 years old, she married Fritz Mandel thirty years her senior. He was a wealthy munitions manufacturer and a Nazi sympathizer. It was while married to him that Lamarr gained insight into munitions that was to be so important for her work during World War II.
Lamarr’s first Hollywood film was ‘Algiers’ (1938), in which she played with Charles Boyer. It brought her immediate stardom. Following this success she was cast with top leading actors like: Robert Taylor in ‘Lady Of The Tropics’ (1938), Spencer Tracy in ‘I Take This Woman’ (!940), Clark Gable in ‘Boom Town’ (1940), and ‘Comrade X’ (1940). In the 1940s she was among the stars of MGM and was thought the most beautiful and glamorous woman in Hollywood. Her performance opposite Robert Young in ‘H. M. Pulman Esq.’ (1941) was probably her best. During her Hollywood film career, Lamarr played in over 25 movies. Among the most notable were ‘Tortilla Flat’ (1942) and ‘White Cargo’ (1942). Her contract with MGM terminated with the comedy ‘Her Highness and the Bellboy’ (1945). Lamarr then formed her own production company to play a femme fatale in ‘The Strange Woman’ (1946) and in ‘Dishonored Lady’ (1947). Her popularity began to decline even after De Mille chose her as Victor Mature’s devious mate in ‘Samson and Delila’ (1949). She played in ‘Lady Without Passport’ (1950) and in Bob Hope’s ‘My Favorite Spy’ (1951).
About the beginning of World War II Lamarr became acquainted with a musician, George Anthiel. They discussed what they could do to aid the USA war effort and Lamarr, based on the knowledge she gained during her marriage to Mandel, knew that a torpedo that could be guided was more effective than the radio-controlled used by the USA. Between them, they came up with the idea of how to change frequencies using a player-piano roll developed by Anthiel. They offered their invention to the USA but it was never taken seriously. Lamarr, however, continued working for the war effort and raised money for bonds by selling kisses for $50,000.
Following her successes through the 1950s her movie career continued to suffer .Miss Lamarr’s somewhat stiff and unyielding personality did not match her beauty. She was temperamental and choosy about her roles. She turned down acting in Casablanca,’ ‘Gaslight’ and ‘Saratoga Trunk’. Her part as Joan of Arc in ‘The Story of Mankind’ (1957) was badly miscast. In ‘The Female Animal’ (1957), she virtually played herself as an aging movie star.
In the 1950’s the Sylvania Company came across Lamarr’s and Anthiel’s invention and used it during the Cuban Missile crisis. In 2000 Lamarr was given the Electronic Frontier Foundation award for their invention. Anthiel however, also honored, had died much earlier. One of Lamarr’s sons accepted the award for her. Lamarr had been married and divorced six times and had three children with her third husband, John Loder. She died, in retirement, in Florida on January 19, 2000