Israeli star in talks with Showtime to play leading role in production detailing life and career of Hollywood legend

Israeli actress Gal Gadot is on the verge of finalizing an agreement with the American television network Showtime to both produce and star in a series centered around the life and achievements of Hedy Lamarr, a prominent Jewish actress and inventor. The proposed limited series, as per sources familiar with the matter cited by Variety on Monday, would have Gadot and her husband, Jaron Varsano, serving as executive producers.

While Showtime has yet to formally commit to the project, the entertainment outlet declined to provide any comment on the speculation. Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Kiesler in 1914, emerged as one of the most renowned Jewish figures of her era. Her journey from fleeing Europe for Hollywood in 1938 to aiding her mother’s escape from Nazi-occupied Austria adds depth to her compelling narrative.

In the film “Ecstasy” released in 1933, Hedy Lamarr was depicted running unclothed across the countryside. Subsequently, from the late 1930s to the 1950s, she portrayed several iconic female characters in Hollywood. Lamarr graced the screen in timeless classics such as “Samson and Delilah,” “Boom Town,” and “Come Live With Me,” earning recognition in the 1940s as the “most beautiful woman in the world.”

But Lamarr was not overly impressed with her on-screen accomplishments or her looks, commenting that “any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.”

During World War II, she collaborated with a friend to develop radio technologies aimed at enabling American forces to communicate despite Nazi attempts to interfere. Their collaboration resulted in the creation of a frequency-hopping radio technology, which she patented. This innovation later became a foundational element of modern digital communication technologies such as Wifi and Bluetooth.

In recognition of her groundbreaking work, she was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014, passing away in 2000 at the age of 86. Google also paid tribute to her on her 101st birthday, November 10, 2015, with a homepage doodle.

Variety reports that the Showtime series would involve executive producers such as Sarah Treem, known for creating “The Affair,” and Warren Littlefield, who held the same position for Hulu’s successful “The Handmaid’s Tale” and FX’s “Fargo.”