Page "Hedy Lamarr" Paragraph 7

The 19-year old Lamarr had married Mandl, a man 13 years her senior on August 10, 1933.

Friedrich Mandl, reputed to be the third richest man in Austria was a munitions manufacturer.

In her autobiography Ecstasy and Me, Lamarr described Mandl as an extremely controlling man who prevented her from pursuing her acting career and kept her a virtual prisoner, confined to their castle home, “ Schloss Schwarzenau ,” Though half-Jewish, Mandl had close social and business ties to the fascist governments of Italy and Germany, selling munitions to Mussolini.

In Ecstasy and Me, Lamarr wrote that both Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini attended the lavish parties they hosted in their home.

Mandl had Lamarr accompany him to business meetings where he conferred with scientists and other professionals involved in military technology.

These conferences became Lamarr ’ s introduction to the field of applied science and the ground that nurtured her latent talent in the scientific field.