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Learn How to Pronounce Hedy Lamarr | YouPronounce.it

How to Pronounce Hedy Lamarr

Quick Answer: In German, the name Hedy Lamarr is pronounced [ˈheːdi laˈmaʁ], while in US English it is pronounced /ˈhɛdi ləˈmɑːr/.
(Listen to the audio below for the stress and intonation)

Meaning and Context

Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna in 1914, was an Austrian-American actress and inventor whose dual legacy profoundly shaped 20th-century culture and technology. Achieving Hollywood stardom in the 1930s and 1940s under an MGM contract, she was celebrated as one of the era's most glamorous film stars, captivating audiences in iconic roles such as the titular seductress in Cecil B. DeMille's 'Samson and Delilah' (1949). However, Lamarr's intellectual curiosity extended far beyond the silver screen. During World War II, alongside composer George Antheil, she co-invented a frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology, patented in 1942, designed to secure Allied radio-guided torpedoes from enemy jamming. This pioneering concept in wireless communication laid the foundational groundwork for later innovations, including GPS, Bluetooth technology, and modern Wi-Fi. Her remarkable journey from Hollywood icon to pioneering inventor was formally recognized when she and Antheil received the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award in 1997, solidifying her status as a trailblazing female inventor in STEM whose life story continues to inspire at the intersection of science and cinema.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The name "Hedy Lamarr" is subject to several common misspellings and typographical errors. The most frequent mistake involves her first name, often misspelled as "Heady," "Heddy," or "Heidi." Her surname is commonly misspelled as "Lamar," dropping the second 'r', or as "Lamarr" with a single 'm'. Some may also incorrectly combine her stage name with her birth name, resulting in errors like "Hedy Kiesler Lamarr." Additionally, due to phonetic similarities, her invention is sometimes mistakenly associated with or spelled similarly to "Hedy Lamar frequency hopping" or "Hedy Lamarr Bluetooth patent." It is important to note the correct spelling for historical accuracy and effective information retrieval.

Example Sentences

Despite her fame as a Hollywood star, Hedy Lamarr spent her evenings at a drafting table, working meticulously on engineering designs for her frequency-hopping invention.

Film historians often note that Hedy Lamarr's performance in 'Ecstasy' caused an international scandal, yet her intellectual contributions were largely ignored for decades.

The principles behind modern secure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can be traced directly to the spread spectrum technology patented by Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil.

At a recent tech conference, the keynote speaker invoked Hedy Lamarr's legacy to advocate for greater diversity in engineering fields.

Many are surprised to learn that the glamorous actress from 'Samson and Delilah' held a patent that became a cornerstone of secure military communications.

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