Actress Hedy Lamarr’s Amazing Life Story Inspires A New Graphic Novel

She was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world,” but Hedy Lamarr wanted to be known for more than her looks. Though she wasn’t taken seriously as an inventor during her life, the movie star developed radio technology that helped guide Allied torpedoes during World War II — and prefigured today’s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Now her remarkable achievements have been depicted in a new graphic novel, Hedy Lamarr: An Incredible Life, by William Roy and Sylvan Dorange. Along with last year’s acclaimed documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story and a planned Showtime miniseries set to star Wonder Woman‘s Gal Gadot, the book represents a renaissance for the woman previously best known for doing nude scenes in the 1933 film Ecstasy.

“Any girl can be glamorous,” Hedy — who passed away from congestive heart failure at age 85 in January 2000 — once said. “All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.” As Bombshell executive producer Susan Sarandon has said, Hedy “was never seen for who she was.” Until now.

In addition to Gal, 33, bearing a striking resemblance to Hedy, the two women also share the commonality of both being working moms in Hollywood. Hedy had three children while in the spotlight and Gal is a mom to two young daughters. In a previous interview at the 92nd Street Y in NYC, the actress opened up about what it’s like balancing motherhood with being a movie star.

“It’s one of my biggest challenges. I think that every mother who has a career can relate to it. You’re always feeling guilty that you’re not doing enough at home or you’re not working enough on the treatment, script, whatever it is,” Gal said. “At the end of the day, your kids join your life and you bring them here and they join your life. You’re not supposed to change your life to accommodate the children.”

“Now, of course, our children are always the very first up high priority, but I realized that it’s OK to have a different life. It’s OK not to have a routine and not to be like everyone else. And, it’s OK as long as the family’s together and you’re happy and you do it together, it’s great,” she added.