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Often called “The Most Beautiful Woman in Films,” Hedy
Lamarr’s beauty and screen presence made her one of the most
popular actresses of her day.
She was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler on
November 9, 1914 in Vienna, Austria. At 17 years old Hedy starred in
her first film, a German project
called Geld Auf Der Strase.
Hedy continued her film career by working on both German and Czechoslavakian
productions.
The 1932 German film Exstase brought
her to the attention of Hollywood producers, and she soon signed a
contract with MGM.
Once in Hollywood, she officially changed her name to Hedy Lamarr and
starred in her first Hollywood film, Algiers (1938),
opposite Charles Boyer. She continued to land parts opposite the most
popular and talented
actors of the day, including Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart.
Some of her films include an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Tortilla
Flat (1942), White Cargo (1942),
Cecil B. DeMille’s Samson and
Delilah (1949) and The Female Animal (1957).
As if being a beautiful, talented actress was not enough, Hedy was
also extremely intelligent. In addition to her film accomplishments,
Hedy patented an idea that later became the crutch of both secure military
communications and mobile phone technology. In 1942, Hedy and composer
George Antheil patented what they called the “Secret Communication
System.” The original idea, meant to solve the problem of enemies
blocking signals from radio-controlled missiles during World War II,
involved changing radio frequencies simultaneously to prevent enemies
from being able to detect the messages. While the technology of the
time prevented the feasibility of the idea at first, the advent of
the transistor and its later downsizing made Hedy’s idea very
important to both the military and the cell phone industry.
This impressive technological achievement combined
with her acting talent and star quality to make “the most beautiful woman in
film” one of the most interesting and intelligent women in the
movie industry.
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