What makes someone a “true legend”? Untold Legends gives legendary status to those who deserve it – and tells their story.
NEW season: You may well have heard of the Austrian-born US actress Hedy Lamarr - a Jewish refugee who escaped the Nazis to become a Hollywood star. However, for most of her life, she didn’t receive proper recognition for her role as an inventor. She was known for starring in dozens of films, including Algiers, Samson and Delilah, Ecstasy, Boom Town and My Favourite Spy. But few people knew Hedy was also a gifted inventor. One of the technologies she co-invented laid a key foundation for future communication systems, including GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi. Presented by inventor and model Andini, and featuring special guest, Hollywood actor, AnnaSophia Robb, Untold Legends: Hedy Lamarr, explores the life of a woman whose intellect was often overshadowed by her image.
Previously, from Untold Legends: Ora Washington was the champion the world ignored. You might know this tennis and basketball star, were it not for the colour of her skin. Former US basketball star and vice president of Atlanta Dream, Renee Montgomery, investigates Ora’s story. Ora dominated black women’s tennis, which was segregated in the 1920s and 1930s.
Untold Legends is from the BBC World Service, Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.
What makes someone a “true legend”? Untold Legends gives legendary status to those who deserve it – and tells their story.
NEW season: You may well have heard of the Austrian-born US actress Hedy Lamarr - a Jewish refugee who escaped the Nazis to become a Hollywood star. However, for most of her life, she didn’t receive proper recognition for her role as an inventor. She was known for starring in dozens of films, including Algiers, Samson and Delilah, Ecstasy, Boom Town and My Favourite Spy. But few people knew Hedy was also a gifted inventor. One of the technologies she co-invented laid a key foundation for future communication systems, including GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi. Presented by inventor and model Andini, and featuring special guest, Hollywood actor, AnnaSophia Robb, Untold Legends: Hedy Lamarr, explores the life of a woman whose intellect was often overshadowed by her image.
Previously, from Untold Legends: Ora Washington was the champion the world ignored. You might know this tennis and basketball star, were it not for the colour of her skin. Former US basketball star and vice president of Atlanta Dream, Renee Montgomery, investigates Ora’s story. Ora dominated black women’s tennis, which was segregated in the 1920s and 1930s.
Untold Legends is from the BBC World Service, Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.
A refugee who escaped the Nazis, a feminist filmmaker and beauty icon, and one of Hollywood’s most famous golden-age stars. You might think you already know her story, but there’s another side to Hedy Lamarr - a genius history overlooked and a true untold legend of invention. This is the amazing story of how one of the most recognisable faces of her time was never seen for who she really was. A story of an Austrian-born entrepreneur and tinsel-town actress who invented the foundations for much of our digital world – the technology behind Bluetooth, GPS and Wifi – but was denied the credit she deserved. From her teenage appearance in a movie considered so sexual it was banned by Hitler, to the fame and fortune that followed, and her breakthrough idea based on “frequency-hopping” during World War Two - this is the story of untold legend Hedy Lamarr. Hosted by Andini, a fellow model and inventor along with special guest, Hollywood actress AnnaSophia Robb. Discover Hedy’s story from 2025.
