Hedy Lamarr was a world-famous actress, considered the most beautiful woman in the world. She was also an immigrant, a passionate supporter of the war against the Nazis, a sexual and cultural progressive, and the inventor of the technology at the basis of Bluetooth, WiFi, and cellular communications.To get more news about 亚洲精品国产精品, you can visit our official website.

On November 9, 1914, Hedwig “Hedy” Kiesler was born to concert pianist Gertrud and bank director Emil Kiesler. Growing up in Vienna, Kiesler was a stubborn, rebellious child. In an attempt to tame their wild child, Gertrud and Emil sent Kiesler to finishing school in Switzerland as a teen, but she soon dropped out in favor of an acting career (Lamarr, Hedy [The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives]). With her raven hair, alabaster complexion and doe eyes, Kiesler caught the attention of film producers, ultimately starring in her first two films, Storm in a Waterglass and Money on the Street, in 1930.

In 1932, Kiesler gained notoriety for starring in Ecstasy, a film that follows the story of a woman seeking the company of younger men due to her husband’s impotence. The film was quickly banned in Austria due to a sex scene and a nude scene, both involving 17-year-old Kiesler.

Ecstasy caught the attention of 32-year-old Fritz Mandl, a millionaire Austrian arms dealer. In 1933, the pair met and were married the same year. Mandl, a former Jew, had converted to Catholicism to be able to conduct business with Nazis. At the insistence of Mandl, Kiesler, who was also Jewish, converted as well. In 1937, Kiesler “packed a single suitcase with jewelry, drugged her maid, and fled to Paris and then London” (Lamarr, Hedy [Encyclopedia of World Biography]). It is widely believed that Kiesler left Mandl because of her disdain for her husband’s involvement with the Nazis (Hedy Lamarr [World of Invention]) and his desire to control her every move (Hedy Lamarr [American Women]).

That September, Kiesler sailed from London to New York with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) producer Louis B. Mayer. Mayer had been in London to convince Kiesler to sign with MGM. It took the entire journey for Mayer to convince Kiesler to join the studio, but when Kiesler disembarked in New York, it was with a contract in hand and a brand new name. Inspired by Barbara La Marr, a silent film actress, Hedwig Kiesler had become Hedy Lamarr.