What other celebs have turned creators? From Marlon Brando’s drum machine to Donald Trump’s bizarre claim that he invented the word ‘equalise’
Rocker Pete Townshend reckons he invented punk, as the Daily Star revealed. The Who guitarist, now 80, believes he pioneered the music genre before the likes of the Sex Pistols.
He may have a better claim than Bond star Sir Roger Moore did to inventing the Magnum ice cream, as was once suggested by a family friend of the late 007 actor.
But some celebrities really have been incredible innovators, as JAMES MOORE explains…
War wonder : Hollywood beauty Hedy Lamarr swapped the silver screen for science during World War Two to pioneer ‘frequency hopping,’ aimed at stopping the signals of radio-controlled torpedoes being jammed by the enemy. The movie star’s idea is the basis for today’s Wi-Fi technology.
Driving ambition : Steve McQueen, who starred in films like The Great Escape and Le Mans, loved fast cars. Following his role in the 1968 movie Bullitt he designed and patented a special bucket seat for motors, which followed the contours of the human back.
Write stuff: British author Roald Dahl helped invent a medical device called the Wade-Dahl-Till Valve , still in use today. It helps doctors drain fluid from the brain. Dahl came up with it after his own son Theo suffered head injuries in a car crash.
Kit of alright: Actor Marlon Brando, famous for his roles in blockbuster hits like The Godfather, was also a drummer. He came up with a new gizmo for tuning conga drums with a special motor that would tighten all the rods at once.
Second string: Metal legend Eddie Van Halen is known for performing hits like Jump, but he also patented a revolutionary gadget allowing a guitar to rest hands-free on a support attached to the player’s waist. It allows the musician more freedom to bang out tunes.
Own goal : Since hanging up his boots, former England, Man Utd and Aston Villa footballer Dion Dublin has designed a box-shaped percussion instrument called ‘The Dube.’ It’s played with your hands and has multiple surfaces for making different sounds.
Nappy days: The talents of Jamie Lee Curtis, star of films like A Fish Called Wanda, go well beyond acting. She holds the patent for the design of a new baby’s nappy that includes a handy waterproof pocket for baby wipes. It’s called the Dipe N’ Wipe.
Tights spot: Best known for playing Catwoman in the Batman TV series of the 1960s, Julie Newmar invented tights designed to fit the shape of women’s bodies better, called Nudemar. She said: “They make your derriere look like an apple instead of a ham sandwich.”
Shoe in: Michael Jackson’s gravity-defying lean from his 1987 Smooth Criminal video was achieved with cables. To re-create the illusion for live shows he patented specially-designed shoes that hitched into a hook hidden beneath the stage.
And finally…
Oval doing it: Of course, some famous figures have trumped up ideas about their own brilliance, like that big Orange Manbaby in The White House. The US President believes he invented the word ‘equalise’. It’s fake news, of course – experts say the term has been around since the late 15th century.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
