Hedy Lamarr: The Hollywood Goddess Who Gave Us WiFi

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She was described as the most beautiful woman in Hollywood, nay, the world. She could captivate audiences simply with her gaze or by parting her lips just enough to reveal the endless possibilities of her charm. Her life had all the markings of a modern-day fairy tale—the story of a princess who navigated life thanks to her beauty, only to find herself trapped in the castle of a warlord, a captivity from which she would escape to conquer Hollywood. But nobody would suspect that this Austrian-born star had the intellect of a world-class inventor. She was the screen siren who inspired Catwoman and Disney’s Snow White and who invented the technology that would later enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Today, we explore the story of Hedy Lamarr.

The actress later known as Hedy Lamarr was born Hedwig Kiesler on November 9, 1914, in Vienna. She was the only child of Emil and Gertrude Kiesler, both of whom were part of the wealthy assimilated Viennese Jewish community and provided Hedwig with an excellent education. Gertrude introduced the young Hedy to classical music, theater, and the arts. She attended one of the best schools in the Austrian capital, the Döbling Middle School, which could boast Anna Freud, daughter of Sigmund Freud, as a teacher.

However, pre-teen Hedy had other interests beyond the liberal arts. She had a knack for taking things apart to understand how they worked and reassembling them, a pastime that delighted her father, who supported her early engineering endeavors. Hedy was also aware of her beauty and how she turned heads wherever she went. She had a rebellious spirit that her parents struggled to control. For example, when one of Hedy’s grandmothers passed away when she was 12, her parents were distracted by the funeral arrangements, allowing her to enter a beauty contest, which she won. Soon after, the Kieslers decided to send the rebellious girl to a Swiss boarding school, but Hedy managed to return to Vienna to attend another pageant.

By her early teenage years, Hedy was back in Vienna, attracting the attention of older boys and dating for the first time. One of them was a 21-year-old actor, Wolff Albach-Retty, who later became the father of another Austrian star, Romy Schneider. This period marked the beginning of Hedy’s journey to stardom. She signed up for acting classes and got a job as a script clerk at Sasha’s Film Studios, Austria’s largest movie production company. Although she was supposed to be in school, she forged a note in her mother’s name to leave class and attend the interview. While working there, Hedy learned about a casting call for a minor role of a secretary, so she borrowed some makeup from another aspiring actress and gave herself a makeover. She boldly told the assistant director that she wanted to play the part of the secretary, and thus, she landed her first bit role in “Gold on the Street,” released in 1930.

This small part attracted the attention of Max Reinhardt, a legendary director, who cast her in the stage comedy “The Weaker Sex.” Although her role was minor, Reinhardt famously declared that Hedy Kiesler was the most beautiful girl in the world. This quote was picked up by trade papers in October 1931, and soon after, Hedy received more offers for cinematic work. She moved to Berlin, where she shot two films in quick succession, playing similar characters in both—a sweet, unglamorous young woman who could defend herself with powerful slaps if necessary. Critics found her acting competent enough, but everyone agreed on her magnetic beauty.

In February 1932, Hedy decided to leave Berlin, as many fellow Jewish performers were doing due to the rise of the Nazi Party. She had been hired by Czech director Gustav Machaty to act in the film “Ecstasy,” which would spark controversy across Europe. Filming began in July 1932 in the Carpathian Mountains, where Hedy played the role of Eva, a young woman married to an older man who turns out to be impotent. Eva leaves him and reconnects with nature by swimming nude, where she meets a young engineer named Adam, and the two fall in love. Machaty intended to present the heroine as a modern-day Eve who rejects the constraints of her marriage.

Although the film contained a nude swimming scene and a close-up of Eva’s face during an intimate moment, it was considered tame by today’s standards but scandalous in the 1930s. Initially, Hedy was fine with those scenes, but when “Ecstasy” premiered in Vienna in February 1933, she felt embarrassed. Nonetheless, the film became a success, propelled by its scandalous reputation. Traditional cinema-goers found the story disturbing, while others found the nudity too mild. This publicity served Hedy’s goals, making her the talk of European cinema, leading to another contract in March 1933 for a stage production about Empress Elisabeth of Austria, which was well-received by critics.

However, this was also when Hedy met Fritz Mandel, a wealthy Hungarian businessman who would become her captor.

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Now, back to Hedy’s story. Fritz Mandel came from a wealthy family and made a name for himself in the armaments business, earning nicknames like “Austria’s Munitions King.” He was charming and persuasive, and he eventually convinced Hedy and her parents to agree to their engagement in May 1933. Hedy converted to Roman Catholicism, and they married on August 10, 1933, embarking on a honeymoon across Europe. However, Hedy soon realized that the luxurious lifestyle came with restrictions. Fritz was extremely jealous and demanded that she quit acting, isolating her from the film industry.

After their honeymoon, Mandel confined Hedy to their villa, restricting her social interactions and controlling her finances. Hedy staged various antics to escape his control, including a memorable incident where she removed all the toilet seats from their mansion and painted them in bright colors. She also attempted to escape for shopping sprees, leading to a fixed allowance from Fritz.

In early 1937, Hedy hired a lookalike maid and devised a plan to escape. After successfully sneaking out, she made her way to London, where she was introduced to Louis B. Mayer, co-founder of MGM. Mayer was interested in bringing her to Hollywood, but warned her about the expectations of the industry. He changed her name to Hedy Lamarr, and on October 4, 1937, she signed her first contract with MGM.

Despite initial struggles to find suitable roles, Hedy’s exotic beauty eventually landed her significant parts, including in the film “Algiers.” Her success continued with roles in “Lady of the Tropics” and “White Cargo,” but she later regretted not pursuing more substantial roles. Throughout her Hollywood career, Hedy married and divorced several times, while also nurturing her passion for invention.

During World War II, Hedy, along with composer George Antheil, developed a frequency-hopping technology to help control naval torpedoes and prevent enemy jamming. Although the U.S. military recognized its potential, it was not fully developed until years later, and Hedy never saw financial rewards for her invention.

As the years went on, Hedy faced personal and financial struggles, leading to several court appearances and legal battles. By the 1990s, she was living in a small apartment in Miami, relying on social security and a pension. Hedy Lamarr passed away on January 19, 2000, in Casselberry, Florida. Despite her struggles, she continued to invent and innovate throughout her life, leaving behind a legacy that combined beauty and brilliance.

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