Watch a new clip from an upcoming documentary that explores the actress's fascinating history as a brilliant inventor-and her heartbreaking end.
- by YOHANA DESTA
The most beautiful woman in the world was deeply misunderstood. In the 1930s and 40s, actress Hedy Lamarr was given that heady moniker-praised across Hollywood for her smoldering visage and European sensibility. She was stunning, to be sure, her beauty coupling well with a sensual mystique and a gift for acting that landed the MGM star in films alongside future icons like Judy Garland and Clark Gable. Though she never reached the same level of celluloid canonization, Lamarr had a another gift to offer the world, one that has built her a legacy far greater than her films ever did. The actress, it turned out, was also a brilliant inventor who made movies by day and labored over pet inventions by night, eventually creating and patenting a form of frequency hopping that is still used in modern technology. Do you like Wi-Fi? You can thank Lamarr for that.
In the new documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, co-executive produced by Susan Sarandon and set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, then later as part of the PBS series American Masters, director Alexandra Dean takes a closer look at the birth and evolution of Lamarr's inventive mind.
"Inventing was her hobby," Dean tells Vanity Fair. "It was her reflex. It was how she dealt with the problems of the world. And she did it in such a quiet way that most people around her didn't even know."
There were, of course, select people in Lamarr's life who were aware of her hobby, including the eccentric Howard Hughes. In an exclusive clip from the film (V.F. also has the exclusive poster, shared below), an unearthed interview features Lamarr discussing her relationship with Hughes, a one-time flame who did everything he could to support her tinkering hobby. More than that, says Lamarr, "He relied on me."