Austrian actress of the 1930s and 1940s, Hedy Lamarr was frequently called the most beautiful woman in motion pictures. While her acting ability was never more than adequate, for a brief period in Hollywood she was a superstar. She first created a sensation when she appeared nude in the Czechoslovakian film, Extase (Ecstasy) in 1933. It was as a leading lady with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, however, that she became world famous.

The daughter of a director of the Bank of Vienna, Hedwig Kiesler had a privileged childhood. Even as a teenager, she was extraordinarily beautiful, and at least one man committed suicide when she would not marry him. After becoming enamored of acting, Kiesler was mildly successful as a stage and film actress. When she appeared as the unfaithful wife in Ecstasy, she and the film caused a sensation. Religious and governmental leaders denounced the picture, but...