Synopsis
This is the autobiography of Hedy Lamarr, who is famous for two things: First: Her movie career, as she was regarded as the most beautiful woman in Hollywood. She was also the first woman ever to appear nude in a movie. Second: She is famous as an inventor, a scientist and a researcher, especially during the Second World War, as she developed and patented a method to defend against torpedoes and missiles. She also developed an anti-aircraft system where the anti-aircraft fire would not hit the aircraft but would explode nearby. Nowadays, in the aftermath of the shooting down of Malaysian Airline 17 over Eastern Ukraine, killing 298 passengers, a new look is being taken at the process developed by Hedy Lamarr. The missile that shot down the Malaysian Airplane used a system similar to the one developed by Hedy Lamarr, and the defense against torpedoes she developed might have applications to prevent future commercial aircraft from being knocked down.
About the Author
Hedy Lamarr was born on November 9, 1914 in Vienna, Austria. Her father was a banker. She was born of wealthy parents and grew up in a castle. She was captivated when she saw her first play on stage. She enjoyed looking at movie magazines and reading about the stars. She wanted to become an actress herself. After appearing starting at age 15 in four minor films and on stage in minor plays, she landed at age 18 a role as the leading lady in the movie Ecstasy. Louis B. Mayer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer became basically her boss. When he first met her in Europe, he signed her to a contract, but four years passed during which she just drew a weekly salary and was not given any work to do. Louis B. Mayer tried to avoid a scandal by hiding the fact that she had appeared in the notorious film “Ecstasy”, but when the word finally got out he advertised it. Her career as a movie actress spanned 31 films, starting in 1930 at age 15 and continuing until 1958 at age 44. However, her most significant period was from 1940 to 1944, when she was under contract with MGM to make three films per year. Her many films include Boom Town (1940) with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, Comrade X (1940) with Gable, Ziegfeld Girl (1941) with Lana Turner and Judy Garland, White Cargo (1942) with Walter Pidgeon, Tortilla Flat (1942) with Tracy and John Garfield, H. M. Pulham, Esq. (1941) with Robert Young, and Dishonored Lady (1947) with Dennis O'Keefe. Her biggest hit was Samson and Delilah in 1950 with Victor Mature. At her death on January 19, 2000 in Casselberry, Florida, she left an estate of three million dollars, her income mostly being from fees from her image being used by Corel Draw.
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