Hedy Lamarr

Date of Birth: November 9, 1914

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Date of Death: January 19, 2000

Biography

Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler on November 9, 1914, in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, was an Austrian-American actress and inventor. She gained fame in the late 1930s and 1940s for her roles in films such as “Algiers” (1938), “Boom Town” (1940), and “Samson and Delilah” (1949). Lamarr was celebrated for her beauty and screen presence, often described as one of the most beautiful women in the world. However, beyond her acting career, she was also a brilliant inventor. During World War II, she co-invented an early technique for spread spectrum communications and frequency hopping, which laid the groundwork for modern wireless communication technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Her contributions to science were largely unrecognized during her lifetime, but she was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014. Lamarr’s personal life was as dramatic as her film roles. She was married six times and had three children. She spent her later years largely out of the public eye and passed away on January 19, 2000, in Casselberry, Florida.

5 Interesting Facts about Hedy Lamarr

1. Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil developed a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes during World War II, which used spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to avoid jamming by enemy forces.

2. She was the first woman to simulate an orgasm on screen in the 1933 film “Ecstasy.”

3. Lamarr was awarded the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award in 1997 for her contributions to technology.

4. She had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6247 Hollywood Boulevard.

5. Hedy Lamarr was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Hedy Lamarr

1. “Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.”

2. “I don’t have brains. I have talent.”

3. “The world isn’t getting any easier. With all these new inventions, I believe that people are hurried more and pushed more. The hurried way is not the right way; you need time for everything—time to work, time to play, time to rest.”

4. “Hope and curiosity about the future seemed better than guarantees. The unknown was always so attractive to me… and still is.”

5. “My face has been my misfortune… a mask I cannot remove. I must live with it. I curse it.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

At the peak of her career, Hedy Lamarr’s net worth was estimated to be approximately $3 million.

Children

Hedy Lamarr had three children: 1. James Lamarr Loder, her adopted son. 2. Denise Loder, her daughter with her third husband, John Loder. 3. Anthony Loder, her son with her third husband, John Loder.