Hedy Lamarr's (1914-2000) life was punctuated by salacious rumors and public scandal, but it was her stunning looks and classic Hollywood glamour that continuously captivated audiences. Born Hedwig Kiesler, she escaped an unhappy marriage with arms dealer Fritz Mandl in Austria to try her luck in Hollywood, where her striking appearance made her a screen legend. Her shocking nude role in the erotic Czech film Ecstasy (1933), as well as her work with Cecil B. DeMille (Samson and Delilah, 1949), Walter Wanger (Algiers, 1938), and studio executive Louis B. Mayer earned her a reputation as an alluring and provocative high-profile sex symbol.

In Hedy Lamarr: The Most Beautiful Woman in Film, Ruth Barton explores the many facets of the screen legend, including her life as an inventor. Working with avant-garde composer and film scorer George Antheil, Lamarr helped to develop and patent spread spectrum technology, which is still used in mobile phone communication. However, despite her screen persona and scientific success, Lamarr's personal life caused quite a scandal. A string of failed marriages, a lawsuit against her publisher regarding her sensational autobiography, and shoplifting charges made her infamous beyond her celebrity.

Drawing on extensive research into both the recorded truths of Lamarr's life and the rumors that made her notorious, Barton recognizes Lamarr's contributions to both film and technology while revealing the controversial and conflicted woman underneath the success. Hedy Lamarr illuminates the life of a classic Hollywood icon.

Ruth Barton, a lecturer in film studies at Trinity College Dublin, is the author of three books on Irish cinema: Jim Sheridan: Framing the Nation, Irish National Cinema, and Acting Irish in Hollywood: From Fitzgerald to Farrell. She lives in Dublin, Ireland.

"Well-written and well-researched, this book should be the definitive Hedy Lamarr biography for quite some time. Barton reveals a highly intelligent and emotionally complex woman behind the star image." -Jan-Christopher Horak, author of Lovers of Cinema: The First American Film Avant-Garde, 1919-1945

"The film world has been waiting for a thorough, reliable book on Hedy Lamarr, covering or uncovering everything from nudity to radar. Well, this is it, the best book on the strange lady we are likely to have." -David Thomson, author of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film

"The life of Hedy Lamarr, one of Hollywood's most beautiful faces, was dogged by controversy and condescension throughout her film career. Ruth Barton's definitive, highly-readable biography, however, finally gives the actress her dues."-John Maguire, The Sunday Business Post

"An early scandalous sexpot, Lamarr married six times and was convicted of shoplifting, but her glamour made her one of Hollywood's hottest celebrities in the 1930s-40s."-LA Magazine

"Barton's biography details the rapid career rise of a young woman who was fortunate to be in the right places at the right time."-EDGE Atlanta

"Barton's attempt to illuminate this most mercurial of movie stars is a fascinating read-intriguing, tender, wise, and impeccably researched throughout. The result is a real page-turner. Now, here is a book that would make a great movie."-Michael Simkins, Dailymail.co.uk