The daughter of a Jewish banker from Lemberg and a Jewish concert pianist from Budapest, Hedy was born in 1914 as Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna. Hedy received strong support from her parents, who eagerly provided her lessons in ballet, piano and foreign languages. It all quickly paid off when Hedy became a star in the German-speaking part of Europe, and soon after in America. Among her most recognizable Hollywood hits is “Samson and Delilah.” Hedy was later honored with a star on Hollywood’s “Walk of Fame.”
In 1937, Hedy fled to her jealous first husband, the wealthy Viennese industrialist Fritz Mandl, first to Paris and then on to London. There, she was discovered and signed by the film company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and marketed as the “most beautiful woman in the world.” Following her breakthrough movie “Algiers” in 1938, the film producers quickly noticed how much influence Hedy was having on other women, many of whom were emulating her characteristic hair style.
While being entirely self-taught, Hedy also made a name for herself as an inventor. In 1942, for example, she decided...
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