What was Hedy Lamarr’s IQ?
No IQ score is on record. The documented claim is a 1942 patent for frequency hopping.
Hedy Lamarr’s IQ is unknown: no IQ test result has been published for her. What is documented is US patent 2,292,387, “Secret Communication System,” filed on June 10, 1941 with the composer George Antheil and granted on August 11, 1942.
Hedy Lamarr’s estimated IQ
- US patent 2,292,387, “Secret Communication System,” granted August 11, 1942 to Hedy Kiesler Markey and George Antheil. The application was filed on June 10, 1941 (Serial No. 397,412) and has six claims.
- The patent’s own text describes a system for the remote control of torpedoes in which a transmitter and a receiver change carrier frequency together, driven by matching paper records like those of a player piano, which could allow 88 frequencies.
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation lists Hedy Lamarr among its 1997 Pioneer Award winners, and the National Inventors Hall of Fame inducted her in 2014 for the frequency-hopping patent.
- The Hall of Fame says an earlier marriage to a munitions manufacturer gave her a foundation in weapons systems, including torpedo control systems.
This is an inference from one invention and later honors, not a test result. A patent with a co-inventor shows technical creativity, not a score, and no source gives a school, studio or adult IQ result for her. Recognition also came decades after the patent, so awards say little about ability at the time. The range is wide for those reasons.
- Born
- November 9, 1914, Austria
- Died
- January 19, 2000
- Known for
- Hollywood films (“Ziegfeld Girl,” “Samson and Delilah”); the frequency-hopping patent
- Patent
- US 2,292,387 “Secret Communication System,” filed June 10, 1941, granted August 11, 1942 (with George Antheil)
- Honors
- Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (1997); National Inventors Hall of Fame (2014)
- Circulating figure
- None found; no published IQ test result
What an IQ of 130–150 actually means
Set the claim aside for a moment. If someone genuinely scored in this range, here is what that would represent.
| Score range | Classification | Share of people | What it indicates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 – 114 | Average | ~68% | The range most people fall into. |
| 115 – 129 | Above average | ~13.6% | Roughly one person in seven. |
| 130 – 144 | Gifted | ~2% | The threshold most high-IQ societies use. |
| Above 144 | Highly gifted | ~0.1% | Figures above this range are extrapolated from the curve rather than measured. |
Percentages are approximate and describe a normal distribution. The same number means different things on tests with different standard deviations.
Thirty questions gives you a measured position on this exact scale — your score, your percentile and the ability breakdown behind it.
Find out in 30 minutes →Who Hedy Lamarr was
Hedy Lamarr was born in Austria on November 9, 1914, and died on January 19, 2000, according to the Hall of Fame. It describes her as best known for her Hollywood work in the Golden Age, in films such as “Ziegfeld Girl” and “Samson and Delilah.”
She also worked with the composer George Antheil on a method of changing radio frequencies. Their patent, filed on June 10, 1941, was granted on August 11, 1942. It names “Hedy Kiesler Markey, Los Angeles, and George Antheil, Manhattan Beach, Calif.” as inventors. The Hall of Fame notes that the patent listed her maiden and married name at the time.
The patent says the invention is “especially useful in the remote control of dirigible craft, such as torpedoes.” It proposes that the two records, one at each station, be driven by accurately calibrated constant-speed spring motors, such as those used for clocks and chronometers, so that they stay in step. The goal was a method that is “difficult to discover or decipher.”
Recognition came late. The Hall of Fame says Lamarr and Antheil never profited from the invention during their lifetime, and that the Electronic Frontier Foundation acknowledged it in 1997 as an important development in wireless communications. The Foundation’s award list names her among its 1997 Pioneer Award winners. The Hall of Fame inducted her in 2014.
By Elora Mercer, Celebrity Research WriterFigures checked by Leon Falkner, Data & Research AnalystReviewed by Aarav Vardhan, Editor-in-Chief · Last reviewed November 2026
Hedy Lamarr: the documented record
The estimate above rests on this record. Every entry here is a matter of public fact, which is more than can be said for the number itself.
- 1914Born November 9 in Austria.
- 1941On June 10, she and George Antheil file the application for “Secret Communication System.”
- 1942On August 11, US patent 2,292,387 is granted to Hedy Kiesler Markey and George Antheil.
- 1997The Electronic Frontier Foundation names her among its Pioneer Award winners.
- 2000Dies on January 19.
- 2014Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for the frequency-hopping patent.
Why no figure circulates
Following a claim back to its first appearance is the part almost nobody does — and it is what most people are actually asking.
No IQ test result was ever published for Hedy Lamarr, so Hedy Lamarr’s IQ score is unknown. A number attached to her name without a named test, a date and an examiner is a guess. For how such figures spread, and what to check first, see where celebrity IQ numbers come from.
The patent is the checkable part. It describes a way to stop radio-controlled torpedoes from being jammed. Sender and receiver would hop between frequencies together, following matching paper rolls like those used in player pianos. The text says a standard roll has 88 rows of perforations, which would allow 88 different carrier frequencies. The inventors are listed as Hedy Kiesler Markey, her name at the time, and George Antheil.
Was Hedy Lamarr a genius? Her record is that of a skilled inventor. The Electronic Frontier Foundation gave her a Pioneer Award in 1997, and the National Inventors Hall of Fame inducted her in 2014. A prize is a committee’s judgment, not a test score. For where the lines are usually drawn, see what genius-level IQ means.
Hedy Lamarr’s estimated IQ, 130–150, sits level with Natalie Portman (135–145), who studied psychology at Harvard. It is below Mayim Bialik (140–155), who holds a neuroscience doctorate, and Dolph Lundgren (140–155), who holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering. Among women in mathematics and computing, Katherine Johnson is at 135–155 and Ada Lovelace at 155–175. Use the percentile calculator to see how rare any of these scores would be.
How we read a number →No school record, studio test or clinician’s statement for Lamarr is public. The patent record, the Hall of Fame page and the EFF award list mention an invention and honors, and none mentions an IQ.
The patent text names the inventors as Hedy Kiesler Markey of Los Angeles and George Antheil of Manhattan Beach, Calif.; gives Application June 10, 1941, Serial No. 397,412 and 6 claims; and describes changing carrier frequencies with synchronous records of the player-piano type, with 88 rows of perforations permitting 88 frequencies.
Gives her induction year as 2014, her dates (November 9, 1914 to January 19, 2000), her films “Ziegfeld Girl” and “Samson and Delilah,” her work with George Antheil on frequency hopping, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s 1997 acknowledgment.
The list gives 1997 winners as Hedy Lamarr, Johan Helsingius and Marc Rotenberg.
Source of the portrait. The file page says the copyright for the archive’s photographs was deeded to UCLA, which published the digitized images under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Used only to confirm identity and dates. Wikidata describes her as an Austrian-American actress and co-inventor of an early technique for spread spectrum communications and frequency hopping.
The sources behind our estimate
The figures that circulate for Hedy Lamarr, what we were able to confirm, and where the two diverge.
No IQ figure circulates in any source we found, although people do search for “Hedy Lamarr IQ,” “was Hedy Lamarr a genius” and “how smart was Hedy Lamarr.”
The patent record, the National Inventors Hall of Fame page and the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s award list describe an invention and honors. None gives an IQ. The patent shows what she and Antheil proposed in 1941. It is evidence of invention, not a test.
With nothing circulating, there is no spread to audit. 130–150 is this site’s estimated range for Hedy Lamarr and the only figure on the page. It rests on a patent and honors, not a test, so its floor, its top and its twenty-point width are judgments.
Want a number that does hold up? Every figure on this page is somebody’s claim. Take the 30-question test and get a percentile you can check rather than a figure you have to trust.
Hedy Lamarr — frequently asked
What is Hedy Lamarr’s IQ?
No IQ test result was ever published for Hedy Lamarr, so her IQ is unknown. This site’s estimated range is 130–150. It is inferred from her 1942 patent and later honors, not from a test.
Was Hedy Lamarr a genius?
The documented record is that of a skilled inventor: a 1942 patent with George Antheil, an Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (1997) and a place in the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2014). “Genius” has no fixed IQ cut-off, and no test score backs the word.
What did Hedy Lamarr invent?
Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil patented a secret communication system for radio-controlled torpedoes. US patent 2,292,387 was filed on June 10, 1941 and granted on August 11, 1942. It changes the carrier frequency in step at sender and receiver, following matching rolls of paper.
Did Hedy Lamarr invent Wi-Fi?
No source we opened says so. The 1942 patent concerned secret radio control of torpedoes. The National Inventors Hall of Fame calls frequency hopping an important development in wireless communications, which is a narrower claim than naming her the inventor of any modern product.
What awards did Hedy Lamarr receive for her invention?
The Electronic Frontier Foundation named Hedy Lamarr among its 1997 Pioneer Award winners. The National Inventors Hall of Fame inducted her in 2014. Both honors came decades after the patent was granted in 1942.
How does Hedy Lamarr’s estimated IQ compare with Mayim Bialik’s?
This site estimates 130–150 for Hedy Lamarr and 140–155 for Mayim Bialik. Bialik holds a neuroscience doctorate; Lamarr has a patent. Both ranges rest on records, not tests, and they overlap from 140 to 150.
Was Hedy Lamarr’s patent used in her lifetime?
The National Inventors Hall of Fame says Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil never profited from their invention during their lifetime. It was acknowledged in 1997 as an important development in wireless communications, three years before her death.
How does my IQ compare with Hedy Lamarr?
You can find out in about fifteen minutes. The IQ Metrics assessment is 30 questions, scored on the same 100-mean scale used throughout this page, so your result and the estimate above are at least expressed in the same units — one measured, one inferred. Once you have a number, the leaderboard shows where it would sit, and how we score and norm it explains the benchmarking.
Where does this estimate come from?
From the documented record rather than a test — the method is named above and set out in full under how we read a number. Compare it against the other actors profiles, starting with Natalie Portman.
- Take the 30-question IQ test — get a measured score and percentile of your own
- Average IQ by country — how the scale behaves across populations
- How IQ Metrics scores its assessment — the method behind our own number
- More on how IQ testing works — reliability, error and what a score can and cannot say
- More actors profiles — same field, same method
More actors
Portrait via Festival de Deauville, CC BY 4.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by iDominick, CC BY-SA 2.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Toglenn (2018), CC BY-SA 4.0. Background removed for the portrait above.
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