Hedwig Eva Kiesler was a student of the theatre director 'Max Reinhardt' in Berlin. Since 1930 she worked in Czechoslovakian and German cinema productions; her most famous movie was Extase (1932) which converted her to Modern Eva in 1933 and also gave her the oportunity to go to Hollywood where she was contracted by 'MGM'. 'MGM' did not only change her artistic name to 'Hedy Lamarr', but also pitched her as the successor to Garbo, who was then in the decline of her star trajectory. They prepared a new image of an elegant but cool and adventurous woman for her like e.g. in Algiers (1938) or White Cargo (1942). But as Hollywood did not allow her more but decorative roles she left the business definitely in 1957 and nothing much was heard of her until an arrest for shoplifting brought her a rush of public sympathy. Lamarr assuaged some of her debts by penning (and later recanting) a tell-all autobiography, Ecstasy and Me, and by suing Mel Brooks for using the character name Hedley Lamarr in Blazing Saddles.

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