Hedy Lamarr.

Hedwig Kiesler Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler

Hedy Lamarr — Actor

Born 9 Nov 1914 Vienna, Austria

Died 19 Jan 2000 Casselberry, United States

Citizenship Austria

Would Be 111 yr If Living

16 min read

Reading time

3,100

Words

Mar 14, 2026

Published

60

Film credits

3

Awards

TL;DR

Hedy Lamarr co-invented frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology in 1942, a system later used in WiFi and Bluetooth. During her Hollywood career, she starred in classics like Samson and Delilah 1949 and Ecstasy 1933. Despite earning millions, she died impoverished in Casselberry, Florida in 2000.

Identity & family.

KIN · 11

Names, aliases, and relatives of Hedy Lamarr — birth name, kin, and personal ties.

Birth Name Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler

Native Name Hedwig Kiesler

Nicknames Hollywood's Loveliest Legendary Lady, Queen of Glamour

Aliases Hedy Kiesler

PARENTS: Gertrud Kiesler Emil Kiesler
SPOUSES: Lewis William Boies Jr. Willam Howard Lee Teddy Stauffer John Loder Gene Markey Fritz Mandl
CHILDREN: James Loder Anthony Loder Denise Loder DeLuca

At a glance.

STATS

Hedy Lamarr by the numbers — life, work, and family.

85 Years lived

60 Film credits

3 Awards

6 Marriages

3 Children

Who was Hedy Lamarr?

BIOGRAPHY

Hedy Lamarr — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.

Early life

Hedy Lamarr was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler on November 9, 1914 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. Her mother Gertrud was from Budapest, and her father Emil was a banker from Lemberg. Both parents came from Jewish families. She had a calm childhood but was fascinated by cinema.

By her teenage years, she dropped out of school to pursue acting and became a student of theater director Max Reinhardt in Berlin. She made her film debut in a bit part in Geld auf der Straße 1930. Her early German roles led to her breakout in the Czech film Ekstase 1933, where she appeared nude, creating a worldwide sensation.

Career

Hedy Lamarr’s career began with small German roles, but it was her performance in Ekstase 1933 that brought her international notoriety. The film’s nude scenes caused it to be banned in the United States. MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer signed her to a contract, changing her name from Hedwig Kiesler to Hedy Lamarr in honor of silent star Barbara La Marr.

She made her American debut as Gaby in Algiers 1938, followed by Lady of the Tropics 1939 and Boom Town 1940. In 1942, she played Tondelayo in White Cargo. After World War II, her career declined, and MGM did not renew her contract. She turned down roles in Angel Street 1940 and Casablanca 1942. Her most successful film was Samson and Delilah 1949, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, which became Paramount’s then-most profitable movie, earning $12 million in rentals. She made only six more films, the last being The Female Animal 1957.

Personal life

Hedy Lamarr married six times. Her first marriage to Austrian munitions manufacturer Fritz Mandl in 1933 was tumultuous; he tried to buy all copies of Ekstase and was a Nazi supporter. She escaped by using sleeping powder and a maid’s outfit, fleeing to London in 1937. Subsequent marriages were to screenwriter Gene Markey 1939-1940, actor John Loder 1943-1947, with whom she had children Denise and Anthony, nightclub owner Teddy Stauffer 1951-1952, oilman Willam Howard Lee 1953-1960, and attorney Lewis William Boies Jr. 1963-1965. She adopted a son, James, with Gene Markey, and later had biological children Denise and Anthony with John Loder. Her daughter’s godmother was Bette Davis. In her later years, she became a recluse and was arrested for shoplifting in 1991.

Legacy

Hedy Lamarr’s legacy extends far beyond Hollywood. In 1942, she co-invented a frequency-hopping spread spectrum system with composer George Antheil, patented as the Secret Communications System. Though it was ignored during WWII, it later became fundamental to wireless technologies like WiFi and Bluetooth. She received the Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF Award in 1997 and was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014. Her invention is estimated to be worth $30 billion, but she never profited. She also inspired the look of Snow White in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937 and the character Catwoman in DC Comics. Today, she is remembered as a brilliant inventor and a glamorous star who defied expectations.

Filmography.

FILMS · 60

Browse the complete filmography of Hedy Lamarr — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.

TV

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

1956
TV

What's My Line?

1950
TV

The Ed Sullivan Show

1948
TV

The Steve Allen Show

1956
TV

The Colgate Comedy Hour

1950
Movie

Samson and Delilah

1949
Movie

Ecstasy

1933
Movie

Boom Town

1940
Movie

That's Entertainment, Part II

1976
Movie

Bombshell: the Hedy Lamarr Story

2018
Movie

The Strange Woman

1946
Movie

Algiers

1938
Movie

Ziegfeld Girl

1941
Movie

Crossroads

1942

Could not load more credits.

Awards & honors.

AWARDS · 3

Every award, honor, and recognition received by Hedy Lamarr — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.

EFF Award
National Inventors Hall of Fame
star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Notable quotes.

QUOTES · 18

A wall of memorable lines from Hedy Lamarr — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.

I Must Quit Marrying Men Who Feel Inferior to Me. Somewhere, There Must Be a Man Who Could Be My Husband and Not Feel Inferior. I Need a Superior Inferior Man.
My Problem Is, I’m a Hell of a Nice Dame, the Most Horrible Whores Are Famous. I Did What I Did for Love. the Others Did It for Money.
If You Use Your Imagination, You Can Look at Any Actress and See Her Nude, I Hope to Make You Use Your Imagination
Any Girl Can Be Glamorous. All You Have to Do Is Stand Still and Look Stupid.
The Ladder of Success in Hollywood Is Usually Agent, Actor, Director, Producer, Leading Man. and You Are a Star If You Sleep with Them in That Order. Crude but True.
To Be a Star Is to Own the World and All the People in It. After a Taste of Stardom, Everything Else Is Poverty.
I Win Because I Learned Years Ago That Scared Money Always Loses. I Never Care, so I Win.
I Was the Highest Priced and Most Important Star in Hollywood, but I Was Difficult.
It Was Wonderful Working for a Great Director Like Cecil B. DeMille.
Delilah Is One of My Favorite Roles.
And, Again, in Samson, in the Scene Where I Look Dewy Eyed While Golden Coins Are Poured Over My Feet as a Reward for Betraying Samson. Well, Mr. DeMille, Whom I Got Along with Beautifully, Dragged Me Out of a Sick Bed for That One, and the Dewy Eyes Are a Direct Result of a Roaring 104 Degree Fever.
The Right Art on the Titles Means a Lot. They Let the Audience Know Before the Picture Begins That Care and Thought Have Gone into the Production.
I Had Heard Father and Mother Speak of the Wonderful Max Reinhardt, so I Hurried That Day to His Theatre. I Stood in the Back and Watched His Pupils Rehearse. Then an Elderly Man Approached Me. He Said Almost Gruffly, I Don’t Like to Have People Stare at My Work. If You Must Watch, at Least Join in with the Rest. I Was Petrified. Too Scared to Move. but I Did. I Was Assigned Several Lines. Later I Asked Who He Was. He Was the Celebrated Theatrical Producer, Max Reinhardt, Himself.
I Liked Play Acting. I Used to Do It All the Time as a Child.
One Day, Mother Promised Me a Nice Present If I Were Good. the Present Was a Visit, My First, to the Theatre. I Saw a Stage Play for the First Time. I Was Thrilled and Speechless. I Don’t Remember the Play, Its Title or Anything About It. but I Never Forgot the First General Impression. School Held but One Interest from Then On. I Took Part in School Plays and Festivals. My First Big Part Came in Hansel and Gretel. I Think I Knew Then That I Wanted to Be an Actress. I Used to Go Home and in My Room I Practiced and Played All Parts in the Play. I Often Think of What Mother Must Have Felt When She Heard Me Talking to Myself, as It Seemed, Hour After Hour.
You Ask That I Start at the Very Beginning? Well, That Will Be Difficult. for You See, There Have Been so Many Beginnings That I Don’t Know Just What to Say First. I Remember as a Child of Three . . . or Four . . . I Went into Mother’s Dress Closet, Put on Her Best Evening Wear, Dabbed My Cheeks and Lips with Whatever Makeup I Could Reach Way up on the Bureau. and Then, as I Looked into the Mirror, I Was an Actress.
I Was at the Studio at Seven in the Morning, Putting on an Evening Gown, but I Couldn’t Wait to Get Home to My Children to Be a Nurse. What Does Ava Gardner Know? She Never Had a Child, Which Is What It’s All About. It’s the Truth!
Which Director Did I Like? I’ve Forgotten Which. Some of Them Were Not so Nice. When Somebody Isn’t Accepted by Me, It’s Complete Hate. One Director Never Spoke to Me, Not Even Hello in the Morning. Mr. Mayer Never Spoke to Me. One Day I Said, Mr. Mayer, Why Don’t You Ever Say Hello to Me? He Said, Why Should I? You’re Not My Wife. It Was Only Because I Wouldn’t Sleep with Him. I Didn’t Know Anything Filthy Went On.

Did you know?

FACTS · 45

Little-known facts about Hedy Lamarr — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.

An early Philco wireless radio remote and player piano rolls inspired Hedy Lamarr to work with composer George Antheil on a frequency-hopping system for remotely controlling torpedoes during World War II. The invention, patented in 1942, was later used for WiFi and Bluetooth. She received no compensation and lived on $300 a month.
Hedy Lamarr was the inspiration for the DC Comics character Catwoman, Batman’s love interest.
The mansion used in The Sound of Music 1965 belonged to Hedy Lamarr at the time.
With composer George Antheil, she co-invented frequency hopping, using a piano roll to change between 88 frequencies. They received U.S. patent number 2,292,387 on August 11, 1942 for the Secret Communications System. Neither profited as the patent expired before the wireless boom.
She sued Mel Brooks for mocking her name with the character Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles 1974; they settled out of court.
Her favorite lesson at school was chemistry.
She has been credited as the first nude woman in a film for Ecstasy 1933, though films like Inspiration 1915 predated her.
She made innovations in plastic surgery to preserve her youthful looks.
She escaped to London in 1937 after leaving her first husband.
Her facial profile was the most requested by women from plastic surgeons in the 1940s.
Her main interest outside acting was inventing.
A documentary stated she was used as a model for Walt Disney’s Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937.
She became a naturalized U.S. citizen on April 10, 1953.
The first Inventor’s Day in Germany was held in her honor on November 9, 2005, her 92nd birthday.
She considered Delilah in Samson and Delilah 1949 the best performance of her career.
In April 1998 she sued Corel Corp. for using her photo on the cover of CorelDRAW.
She admitted turning down the lead in Casablanca 1942 as one of her biggest career mistakes.
After Ecstasy 1933, she married Fritz Mandl, who tried to buy all prints. The marriage was abusive, and she escaped to England where she met Louis B. Mayer.
Her nude scenes in Ecstasy 1933 caused a scandal; even Mussolini had a copy.
She escaped her first marriage using sleeping powder and a maid’s outfit.
She is the only screen actor in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, inducted in 2014 alongside George Antheil.
Although she earned a great deal of money, she lost her fortune with her production company and died impoverished in Florida.
At age 64 she became a recluse.
She described her eye color as chameleon blue in the MGM book Who’s Who 1944.
She was arrested for shoplifting in 1991 and sentenced to one year of probation.
Costume designer Edith Head admitted she did not like working with Lamarr.
The market value of her invention is $30 billion; she never earned a penny from it.
She portrayed Ilsa Lund in a 1944 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of Casablanca with Alan Ladd.
Anne Hathaway cited Lamarr as inspiration for her performance as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises 2012.
Louis B. Mayer changed her last name to Lamarr in honor of Barbara La Marr.
She was considered for Ilsa Lund in Casablanca 1942 but Ingrid Bergman was cast.
Bette Davis was godmother to her daughter Denise.
Her children: Anthony Loder born 1947, Denise Hedy Loder born 1945, and James Loder adopted 1939.
Her education included ballet, dancing, and learning English, Italian, and Hungarian at a Swiss boarding school.
She was cast in Picture Mommy Dead 1966 but fired for not showing up on the first day.
Howard Hughes thought she was a genius.
She performed radio adaptations of roles played by Bette Davis, Jean Arthur, Myrna Loy, and Ingrid Bergman.
She starred in only one Academy Award-winning film: Samson and Delilah 1949.
She was introduced to husband John Loder by Bette Davis.
She bore a strong resemblance to Vivien Leigh, born exactly one year and four days before her.
She was arrested for shoplifting in 1966 but found not guilty.
She was related by marriage to actor Christoph Waltz; her mother was a first cousin of his grandfather’s wife.
Only one known audio recording of Lamarr speaking as herself survives.
She was married six times.
She starred in seven Academy Award-nominated films including Algiers 1938 and Samson and Delilah 1949.

You wanted to know.

FAQ · 40

Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Hedy Lamarr.

When was Hedy Lamarr born?

Hedy Lamarr was born on November 9, 1914. She was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna, Austria-Hungary.
Where was Hedy Lamarr born?

She was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, which is now Vienna, Austria. Her parents were Gertrud and Emil Kiesler.
When did Hedy Lamarr die?

Hedy Lamarr died on January 19, 2000. She was 85 years old at the time of her death.
Where did Hedy Lamarr die?

She died in Casselberry, Florida, USA. The cause was natural causes.
How did Hedy Lamarr die?

She died of natural causes on January 19, 2000 in Casselberry, Florida. She had been retired and living in Florida for many years.
How old was Hedy Lamarr when she died?

Hedy Lamarr was 85 years old when she died. She was born on November 9, 1914 and died on January 19, 2000.
What was Hedy Lamarr's birth name?

Her birth name was Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler. She changed it to Hedy Lamarr when she signed with MGM.
What is Hedy Lamarr's native name?

Her native name is Hedwig Kiesler. That was her original German name before adopting her stage name.
What nationality was Hedy Lamarr?

She was originally Austrian by citizenship. She later became a naturalized U.S. citizen on April 10, 1953.
What languages did Hedy Lamarr speak?

Her native language was German. She also learned English, Italian, and Hungarian during her education at a Swiss boarding school.
Who were Hedy Lamarr's parents?

Her parents were Gertrud Kiesler, from Budapest, and Emil Kiesler, a banker from Lemberg. Both were from Jewish families.
Who was Hedy Lamarr married to?

She was married six times: to Fritz Mandl 1933-1937, Gene Markey 1939-1940, John Loder 1943-1947, Teddy Stauffer 1951-1952, Willam Howard Lee 1953-1960, and Lewis William Boies Jr. 1963-1965.
Did Hedy Lamarr have children?

Yes, she had three children: James Loder adopted, Anthony Loder, and Denise Loder DeLuca. Her daughter’s godmother was Bette Davis.
What awards did Hedy Lamarr win?

She received the EFF Award in 1997, was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
What was Hedy Lamarr's occupation?

She was an actress and producer. She also invented frequency-hopping technology, though that was not her primary occupation.
What is Hedy Lamarr best known for?

She is best known for her film roles in Samson and Delilah 1949, Algiers 1938, and Ecstasy 1933, as well as co-inventing frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology.
How tall was Hedy Lamarr?

She was 5 feet 7 inches tall, which is 1.70 meters. Her height was often noted in her film profiles.
What were Hedy Lamarr's nicknames?

She was known as Hollywood’s Loveliest Legendary Lady and Queen of Glamour. These nicknames reflected her status as a beauty icon.
Why did Hedy Lamarr use the alias Hedy Kiesler?

Hedy Kiesler was her birth name. She used it as an alias in her early career before adopting the stage name Hedy Lamarr when signed by Louis B. Mayer.
How did Hedy Lamarr escape her first marriage?

She used sleeping powder to drug her husband and fled in a maid’s outfit. She escaped to London in 1937, eventually meeting Louis B. Mayer.
What did Hedy Lamarr invent?

She co-invented frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology with composer George Antheil. It was patented in 1942 and later used in WiFi, Bluetooth, and military communications.
Did Hedy Lamarr profit from her invention?

No, she never earned a penny from it. Her patent expired before the technology became widespread, and she lived on SAG and social security checks of $300 a month.
When was Hedy Lamarr inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame?

She was inducted in 2014, along with George Antheil. She is the only screen actor to be inducted into that hall of fame.
What was Hedy Lamarr's relationship with Howard Hughes?

Howard Hughes thought she was a genius. He supported her inventing efforts, but the nature of their relationship was not explicitly romantic from the source.
What film did Hedy Lamarr consider her best?

She considered Delilah in Samson and Delilah 1949 her best performance and the film her best. It was directed by Cecil B. DeMille.
Did Hedy Lamarr turn down a role in Casablanca?

Yes, she turned down the lead role of Ilsa Lund in Casablanca 1942. MGM refused to loan her to Warner Bros., and she later regretted it as a career mistake.
Was Hedy Lamarr arrested for shoplifting?

Yes, she was arrested in 1966 and found not guilty. She was arrested again in 1991 and sentenced to one year of probation.
What was Hedy Lamarr's favorite school subject?

Her favorite lesson at school was chemistry. This early interest foreshadowed her later work as an inventor.
What inspired Hedy Lamarr to invent frequency hopping?

She was inspired by an early Philco wireless radio remote and player piano rolls. She collaborated with George Antheil, who had used synchronized player pianos in his music.
How much is Hedy Lamarr's invention worth?

The current estimate of the value of her frequency-hopping invention is approximately $30 billion. She never received any compensation.
What was the name of Hedy Lamarr's patent?

The patent was called the Secret Communications System, U.S. patent number 2,292,387, filed on August 11, 1942.
Did Hedy Lamarr have plastic surgery?

Yes, she made innovations in plastic surgery to hold onto the looks of her youth. Her facial profile was the most requested by plastic surgeons in the 1940s.
What character did Hedy Lamarr inspire?

She was the inspiration for the DC Comics character Catwoman. Anne Hathaway also cited her as inspiration for her performance in The Dark Knight Rises 2012.
Was Hedy Lamarr involved in any lawsuits?

She sued Mel Brooks for mocking her name in Blazing Saddles 1974 with the character Hedley Lamarr; they settled out of court. She also sued Corel Corp. in 1998 for using her photo on product covers.
What was Hedy Lamarr's eye color?

According to the MGM book Who’s Who 1944, she described her eyes as chameleon blue, variable from hazel to gray to green depending on the light.
How many times was Hedy Lamarr married?

She was married six times. Her longest marriage was to John Loder from 1943 to 1947, and her shortest to Teddy Stauffer from 1951 to 1952.
What was Hedy Lamarr's first film?

Her first film role was a bit part in the German film Geld auf der Straße 1930, also known as Money on the Street.
Why was Hedy Lamarr's film Ecstasy banned?

It was banned in the U.S. at the time due to its nude scenes and a sex scene. The film caused a sensation worldwide and led to her Hollywood contract.
What was Hedy Lamarr's role in Snow White?

She was used as a model for the look of Snow White in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937. Her features inspired the character’s appearance.
Did Hedy Lamarr have any acting awards?

She starred in only one Academy Award-winning film, Samson and Delilah 1949, but she herself did not win a competitive Oscar. Her awards are mostly for her invention.

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Audited & updated by

If something's wrong in a profile, Daniel will find it. With 7 years of research experience, he's developed an almost unreasonable eye for inaccurate career timelines, misattributed credits, and dates that don't quite add up. He doesn't publish anything he can't verify. The profiles on Famousy are as accurate as they are largely because of work you'll never see his name on.

Published on March 14, 2026

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