CorelDraw, Heather Massie, and the life of Hedy Lamarr
The amazing world Hedy Lamarr brought to the stage by Heather Massie
I've been using CorelDraw graphic design software since the early 1990s but remember 1998's CorelDraw8 in particular thanks to the actress Hedy Lamarr.
Its packaging—from an era when software was physical media shipped in boxes!—featured a photorealistic CorelDraw vector illustration based on a photo of her, and she sued Corel for use of her image.
"The artwork in question was designed by graphic artist John Corkery, who won a Corel-sponsored art contest in 1996. In defending against the lawsuit, Corel maintained that Corkery obtained the correct permissions. The image is a digitally produced likeness, not a photograph."
"Hedy Lamarr, 84, filed a lawsuit in March in US District Court of Orange County, Florida, alleging Corel had no right to use her image in the box of its CorelDraw8 software."
"Lamarr sought US$15 million in punitive damages and emotional distress. Her lawyer Michael McDonnell confirmed that the actress received a financial settlement but said terms of the settlement prevented him from disclosing the amount."
From Corel Caves to Actress Lamarr - Wired Nov 30, 1998
That is also why I saw Auckland Art Festival 2025's production: HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr - Written and performed by Heather Massie.
Her amazing solo portrayal of her life, both as Hedy and a myriad of characters from her life, was amazing. It is still touring worldwide and recommended if coming anywhere near you!
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HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr
Written and performed by Heather Massie
Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival 2025
Did you know that a woman invented the tech behind WiFi? And that she was one of the biggest movie stars of her time? A crackerjack of a one-woman theatre show, HEDY! is the rollicking true yarn of Hedy Lamarr, whose bombshell looks — dubbed “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World” by Hollywood’s publicity machine — overshadowed her scientific genius. Creator Heather Massie not only embodies Hedy and a cast of (36!) Tinseltown greats with real spunk, but it’s her drive to inspire the next gen — especially women in STEM — that got us excited about bringing her message and Hedy’s story to young Aucklanders.
Heather Massie is an actor and writer from New York. She studied both astrophysics and theatre in university and combined her love of the sciences and performing arts into HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, which is the first in a planned trilogy of solo shows celebrating women in science.
Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-born actor and inventor who found fame during the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s in starring roles for film studio MGM. In 1942, she co-invented and patented Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum with composer George Antheil. Massie portrays not only Lamarr but a host of characters, including Hollywood legends James Stewart, Bette Davis and Louis B. Mayer.
