RITA HAYWORTH
This leading lady was born Margarita Carmen Cansino in Brooklyn, New York to family of performers. Her Spanish father was a flamenco dancer, her mother, a Ziegfield Follies girl and her paternal grandfather was a prominent Spanish classical dancer. Famously known for undergoing an extensive makeover to launch her career, she endured a series of very painful electrolysis treatments to change her hair line. Transforming herself into a glamorous red head known as Rita Hayworth, she would become the leading fashion trendsetter of her era. Hayworth memorably collaborated with Hollywood costume designer Jean Louis who dressed her in long elbow length gloves and body hugging gowns that showed off her hour-glass figure. Hayworth was also the most popular pin-up girl for military men during WWII.
VERONICA LAKE
This film noir femme fatale was a silver screen staple during the 1940s. Known for her signature peek-a-boo hairstyle, Lake's wavy blond pin curls almost always fell in front of her right eye. Born Constance Frances Marie Ockelman, legend has it she was christened Veronica Lake by Paramount producer Arthur Hornblow Jr. who was inspired by the lake-blue color of her eyes. During the early 1940s, Veronica Lake was one of the most reliable box office draws in Hollywood. After her breakthrough role in I Wanted Wings in 1941, she went on to star in many other popular hits of the day such as Hold Back the Dawn, Sullivan’s Travels and So Proudly We Hail. Though Lake’s fame has faded, her timeless look and hair style is still widely copied on the red carpet today.
HEDY LAMARR
Dubbed "the most beautiful woman on film", Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler was discovered as a teenager by an Austrian director and gained international attention in 1933 after her controversial role in the erotic Czech film Ecstasy. After signing a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, she changed her name to Hedy Lamarr and began her career in Hollywood. Lamarr's first American film release in 1938, Algiers, was an immediate success and soon the actress became a household name. This breathtaking beauty was not only a glamorous movie star, she was also a brilliant scientist. Patenting a system called ‘frequency hopping', Lamarr invented a radio signaling device that was used for the security of military communications during WWII. Fascinatingly, this system is the same technology that paved the way for modern day cell phones.