DS, signed “Hedy Lamarr Lee,” four pages, 8.5 x 13, May 16, 1961. Last will and testament of Hedy Lamarr. In part: “I, Hedy Lamarr Lee,…declare this to be my Last Will…I hereby declare that I am a divorced woman and that I have two children of a prior marriage…Denise Hedwig Loder…and Anthony John Loder…I give, devise and bequeath absolutely and in fee simple all of the real and personal property…to my two children…in equal parts…I have intentionally omitted all of my heirs who are not specifically mentioned herein and in this connection I specifically exclude James Markey, also known as James Lamarr, also known as James Lamarr Loder…includes exclusion of any child or children…of the said James Markey…and I hereby generally and specifically disinherit each, any and all persons…as mentioned in this Last Will.” Document is still stapled into its original legal folder. In fine condition.
When Hedy Lamarr and her second husband Gene Markey divorced in 1941, the actress fought to keep custody of their adopted son James. Successful in her suit, she brought ‘little Jamesie’ into her next marriage with actor John Loder, who adopted the boy shortly after and fathered two more children with Lamarr before their divorce. By age nine, James had been deemed a problem child, and once he hit the fifth grade, Lamarr had severed contact with him completely. Though the details of their failed mother-son relationship remain shrouded in mystery, it is clear in this last will that the actress definitively cut ties with the man she had fought to keep in his infancy. In an attempt to contest her will in 2000 and claim a piece of her $3.3 million estate, James proved unsuccessful and accepted a $50,000 settlement instead. An incredibly rare and intriguing document from the celebrated MGM starlet. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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