N°103 Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo was one of the most glamorous and popular Hollywood motion-picture stars of the 1920s and ’30s. Her birth name was Greta Lovisa Gustafsson and she was born in Stockholm the year 1905.
The name Garbo was given to her by the Swedish filmmaker, Mauritz Stiller, when they were working together in the film The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924), which was her breakthrough role as an actress.
With the help of Stiller, Garbo signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925, then 20 years old. At first the MGM chief, Louis B. Mayer, was sceptical of Garbo’s talent but after the first film with the studio, The Torrent (1926), it was obvious that she had something special to offer. Garbo projected a luminous quality that was perfect for silent pictures.
Sound allowed for Garbo to become an even bigger star. Her first words on-screen were “Give me a whiskey” (Anna Christie, 1930) and they revealed a husky resonant voice that added to her charm. But, because she was always more popular amongst Europeans than Americans, World War II affected her career. All the sudden the market for American films in occupied Europe was low.
Her last movie, Two-Faced Woman, was released in 1941 and it was not successful. It was then Garbo decided to retire. She was offered more roles, but she declined.
From the early days of her career, Garbo avoided industry social functions, preferring to spend her time alone or with friends. She did not even appear at Oscar ceremonies, even when she was nominated. She was a very private person and was not in the public eye after her retirement.
In 1951 she got a US nationality and lived in New York for the rest of her life.
At the age of 78 she survived breast cancer but six years later, in 1990, Garbo died as a result of pneumonia and renal failure. She is buried just south of Stockholm.
Although she had relationships throughout her life, both with men and women, she never married, nor did she have children.
Greta Garbo’s Filmography
The Saga of Gosta Berling (1924)
Torrent (1926)
A Woman of Affairs (1928)
The Kiss (1929)
Anna Christie (1930)
Romance (1930)
Mata Hari (1931)
Queen Christina (1933)
Anna Karenina (1935)
Camille (1936)
Ninotchka (1939)
Two-Faced Woman (1941)
For a complete filmography click here
