Old Hollywood Stars Who Were Forced to Live a Double Life

A scandal followed Hedy Lamarr before American audiences saw her in Algiers and Samson and Delilah. As Hedwig Kiesler, the Austrian actress had appeared nude in the controversial 1933 film Ecstasy, giving MGM chief Louis B. Mayer a past he wanted separated from his star.

Mayer persuaded her to become Hedy Lamarr, borrowing the surname of silent actress Barbara La Marr. MGM promoted her as “the world’s most beautiful woman,” replacing the notorious European performer with a polished Hollywood mystery while giving little attention to her remarkable intelligence and inventions.