Hedy Lamarr (/ˈhɛdi/; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary – January 19, 2000 in Casselberry, Florida, U.S.) was an Austro-Hungarian-born American actress and inventor. She was a film star during Hollywood's Golden Age. In early 1933, at age 18, Lamarr was given the lead in Gustav Machatý's film Ecstasy (Ekstase in German, Extase in Czech). She played the neglected young wife of an indifferent older man. Lamarr played a number of stage roles, including a starring one in Sissy, a play about Empress Elisabeth of Austria produced in Vienna. It won accolades from critics. Admirers sent roses to her dressing room and tried to get backstage to meet her. She sent most of them away, including a man who was more insistent, Friedrich Mandl. He became obsessed with getting to know her. Her parents, both of Jewish descent, did not approve, due to Mandl's ties to Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, and later, German Führer Adolf Hitler, but they could not stop the headstrong Lamarr which married to him. Lamarr's marriage to Mandl eventually became unbearable, and she decided to separate herself from both her husband and country in 1937. After arriving in London in 1937, she met Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM, who was scouting for talent in Europe. Mayer loaned Lamarr to producer Walter Wanger, who was making Algiers (1938), an American version of the French film, Pépé le Moko (1937). Lamarr was cast in the lead opposite Charles Boyer. The film created a "national sensation", says Shearer. Although Lamarr had no formal training and was primarily self-taught, she tinkered in her spare time on various hobbies and ideas, which included an improved traffic stoplight and a tablet that would dissolve in water to create a flavored carbonated drink. With her friend the composer and pianist George Antheil, the idea was raised that a frequency-hopping signal might prevent the WWII torpedo's radio guidance system from being tracked or jammed.It has been reported in many online publications that Antheil and Lamarr's work helped with the creation of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and cellphones. In 1997, Lamarr and Antheil received the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award and the Bulbie Gnass Spirit of Achievement Bronze Award, given to individuals whose creative lifetime achievements in the arts, sciences, business, or invention fields have significantly contributed to society.
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