The Woman Who Would Become a Legend
Hedy Lamarr was born on November 9th, 1914, in Vienna, Austria. She was given the name Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler but when she moved to America, she changed her name to Hedy Lamarr. Her father was a successful bank director and her mother was a pianist. At a young age, Lamarr was fascinated by the cinema and chose to become an actress. She was first discovered by Max Reinhardt who took her to Berlin where she received training in theater. Lamarr then returned to Vienna, after training, where she began working in the film industry. Although she started out as a script girl, little did she know she would make a name for herself in Hollywood and be called “the most beautiful woman in the world”, according to the Huffington Post. that moved to America and took on a contract in Hollywood. Considering the fact that the roles she played were usually seductive characters, Lamarr became known as the go-to actress for such roles. (Hedy Lamarr)
When it came to Lamarr’s personal life, she seemed to be a pretty private person. Her first husband, Friedrich Mandl, was known as the third richest man in Austria at the time. In Hedy’s autobiography, she described Friedrich as an extremely controlling man who prevented her from progressing in her acting career (Hedy Lamarr). She also wrote that he was the reason that she disguised herself as a her maid to flee to Paris where she hoped to continue in the theater industry. Lamarr continued her career in Hollywood and married different men throughout a short time period. John Loder, Lamar’s third husband, once said, “I married Hedy in May 1942 … To my surprise I soon discovered that Hedy had very simple tastes and in fact was a typical hausfrau at heart. She was quite domesticated and preferred to stay at home in the evening rather than go to parties. On the cook’s day off she always prepared the meals herself, but when we did go out she proved an excellent conversationalist and could speak intelligently on politics or any other topic. She did not drink and was never ostentatious or out to catch the limelight for herself. I shall always maintain that Hedy’s best quality was that she was completely unimpressed by her own outstanding beauty. Indeed, she seemed oblivious to it.” (Hedy Lamarr at Reel Classics). Although she may of had a simple life, one of her most remarkable moments in history came when she developed the “Secret Communications System” with her fellow neighbor, George Anthiel.
The life of Lamarr ended in January of 2000 due to heart issues. She will always be remembered for her accomplishments in history. Her name was placed on a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Hedy Lamarr)
