Fun Facts About Hedy Lamarr
- Hedy Lamarr's frequency-hopping invention borrowed from player pianos: her co-inventor George Antheil had synchronized player pianos, and they realized radio frequencies could be changed the same way.[1]
- The U.S. Navy rejected Lamarr's patented torpedo guidance system as too large to fit in a torpedo, and she was told she could better help the war effort by selling war bonds.[1]
- In her autobiography, Lamarr wrote that she escaped her first husband, arms dealer Friedrich Mandl, disguised as her maid. Other accounts say she wore all her jewelry to a dinner party and vanished.[1]
- MGM boss Louis B. Mayer persuaded her to take the name Hedy Lamarr, a tribute to silent film star Barbara La Marr suggested by Mayer's wife.[1]
- Lamarr sued Warner Bros. for $10 million over the running joke about the name "Hedley Lamarr" in Mel Brooks's Blazing Saddles. Brooks said she "never got the joke."[1]
- Largely self-taught, Lamarr designed inventions between takes on set, including an improved traffic stoplight and a tablet that dissolved in water to make a flavored carbonated drink.[1]
- Hedy Lamarr was alive at the same time as Malala Yousafzai — their lives overlapped for 3 years (1997–2000).[1][2][3][4]
- Hedy Lamarr shares a birthday with Carl Sagan: both were born on November 9.[1][2][5][6]
Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian and American actress and inventor. After a brief early film career in Czechoslovakia, including the controversial erotic romantic drama Ecstasy (1933), she fled from her first husband, Friedrich Mandl, and secretly moved to Paris. Traveling to London, she met Louis B. Mayer, who offered her a film contract in Hollywood. Lamarr became a film star with her performance in the romantic drama Algiers (1938). She achieved further success with the Western Boom Town (1940) and the drama White Cargo (1942). Lamarr's most successful film was the religious epic Samson and Delilah (1949). She also acted on television before the release of her final film in 1958. She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.[1]
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Questions About Hedy Lamarr
When was Hedy Lamarr born?
Hedy Lamarr was born on November 9, 1914, and died on January 19, 2000.
How old was Hedy Lamarr at death?
Hedy Lamarr was born on November 9, 1914, and died on January 19, 2000, at age 85.
What was Hedy Lamarr known for?
Hedy Lamarr was known for: Hollywood star who co-invented frequency hopping. Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian and American actress and inventor. After a brief early film career in Czechoslovakia, including the controversial erotic romantic drama Ecstasy (1933), she fled from her first husband, Friedrich Mandl, and secretly moved to Paris. Traveling to London, she met Louis B. Mayer, who offered her a film contract in Hollywood. Lamarr became a film star with her performance in the romantic drama Algiers (1938). She achieved further success with the Western Boom Town (1940) and the drama White Cargo (1942). Lamarr's most successful film was the religious epic Samson and Delilah (1949). She also acted on television before the release of her final film in 1958. She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Who was alive at the same time as Hedy Lamarr?
Hedy Lamarr's closest contemporary was Bob Hope. Their lives overlapped for 86 years.
Sources
- Hedy Lamarr — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hedy Lamarr (Q49034) — Wikidata
- Malala Yousafzai — Wikipedia
- Malala Yousafzai (Q32732) — Wikidata
- Carl Sagan — Wikipedia
- Carl Sagan (Q410) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Hedy Lamarr Publicity Photo for The Heavenly Body 1944.jpg — Wikimedia Commons. eBay, Public domain