August 17, 2026

Hedy Lamarr: life of the week

Hedy Lamarr starred in dozens of movies, but her life may have been more dramatic than any of them. She was the teenage actor who portrayed the first character to have an on-screen orgasm. The Austrian Jew whose husband sold arms to the fascists. The refugee from Nazism who became a Hollywood megastar. And the pioneering inventor whose work anticipated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In today's episode Professor Ruth Barton, Fellow Emeritus in Film Studies at Trinity College shares Hedy's remarkable story with Rob Attar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Also available on Apple Podcasts ↗