Hedy Lamarr
“A screen beauty whose restless mind helped invent the science behind wireless.”
In 1942, while celebrated as one of Hollywood's most beautiful stars, Hedy Lamarr co-patented a frequency-hopping signal system intended to keep wartime torpedoes from being jammed. Long overlooked, the invention later became a foundation for modern Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS technology.
Viennese Beauty
Born to a Jewish family in Vienna, Lamarr became notorious in Europe for the 1933 film 'Ecstasy.' She fled a stifling marriage to an arms dealer and emigrated, signing with MGM's Louis B. Mayer.
Hollywood Glamour
Marketed as 'the most beautiful woman in the world,' she starred opposite leading men in films like 'Algiers' and 'Samson and Delilah.' Her exotic allure defined her screen image for over a decade.
The Inventor
Away from cameras, Lamarr was a self-taught inventor who, with George Antheil, devised a frequency-hopping system to guide torpedoes. Ignored during her lifetime, the concept underpins much of today's wireless technology.
Career Timeline
- 1914Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna
- 1933Controversial Czech film 'Ecstasy' released
- 1937Flees marriage and Europe for Hollywood
- 1938American debut opposite Boyer in 'Algiers'
- 1940Stars with Gable in 'Boom Town'
- 1941Develops frequency-hopping idea with Antheil
- 1942Granted U.S. patent No. 2,292,387
- 1944Stars in 'The Heavenly Body'
- 1949Plays Delilah in 'Samson and Delilah'
- 1997Receives EFF Pioneer Award for invention
- 2000Dies in Casselberry, Florida
Biggest Hits
- Her frequency-hopping patent, co-created with composer George Antheil, helped pave the way for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014, fourteen years after her death.
The Moment You Remember
Beside the composer George Antheil she sketches a system of synchronized, shifting radio frequencies modeled on player-piano rolls, then files it as a wartime patent. A movie star at a workbench, dreaming up the math behind future wireless, became her most enduring scene.
Portrait: Unknown author (MGM publicity) · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons