The world of Old Hollywood was made famous for its glitz and glamour by stars like Hedy Lamarr. Known as 'the most beautiful woman in the world', quite a title, the actress was also a talented engineer, co-inventing a secret communication system that used frequency hopping to avoid enemy forces from jamming torpedo signals during WWII.
Read on to find out more about the personal legacy of this astonishing star, the mystery surrounding her oldest child and her youngest child who followed her footsteps to the Hollywood spotlight...
© Getty ImagesHedy Lamarr's biggest credits came in the 1940s
Who was Hedy Lamarr?
Born on 9 November 1914, Hedy Lamarr had several blockbuster hits during the '40s, including favourites such as Samson and Delilah, Come Live With Me and The Strange Woman.
© Getty ImagesHedy Lamarr welcomed her three children with John Loder
Love story off screen
Hedy Lamarr was married six times, tying the knot with: Fritz Mandl, Gene Markey, John Loder, Teddy Stauffer, W. Howard Lee and Lewis J. Boies.
She welcomed three children with John, though her relationship with the oldest and the two younger siblings, who were both welcomed during her marriage, were very different.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesHedy reportedly also shares her oldest son with John Loder
James Loder
James Loder was born prior to Hedy's marriage to John Loder. The actress raised James as if he were adopted, but reports have since claimed he was in fact her biological son with Loder – at the time, Hedy was married to Gene Markey.
Hedy sent 11-year-old James to boarding school and distanced herself from her oldest child. The actress excluded James from her will, while leaving more than $1 million to her other kids.
© WireImage via Getty ImagesDenise Loder-Deluca works as an artist and produced a series of paintings featuring Hedy
Denise Loder-Deluca
Hedy's first child welcomed during her marriage with John was daughter Denise Loder-Deluca. Denise majored in art at the University of California at Berkeley. She moved to Seattle and showed at galleries while working as a teacher, and now, according to her website, works on commission.
The artist specialises in pop culture portraits and has produced a series of paintings featuring her mother. She has recently exhibited at the 2024 West Seattle Art Walk as their featured artist and in 2026 at the Women Supporting Women Art Show in Seattle.
© WireImage via Getty ImagesAnthony Loder was the youngest of Hedy's three children
Anthony Loder
Hedy's youngest, Anthony Loder, was born on 1 March 1947. Following in his famous mother's footsteps, Anthony worked as an actor and producer, with credits on Doomsday Machine (1976), Calling Hedy Lamarr (2004) and To Tell the Truth (1956).
He was married to Roxanne Loder (with whom he welcomed several children) and later to his wife Lise. The actor and producer sadly passed on 23 May 2023 after a period of ill health.
© Bettmann Archive via Getty ImagesHedy's work during WWII was publicly recognised later in her life
Saying farewell
Hedy last appeared on screen in 1958 with The Female Animal and subsequently disappeared from public life to her private home in Florida.
Her work in the war effort was marked with an Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award in 1997, with Hedy the first woman to win. She was also inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014. Hedy passed in 2000 at the age of 85.
