GARBO, GRETA

born Sept. 18, 1905, Stockholm, Sweden died April 15, 1990, New York, N.Y., U.S. original name Greta Lovisa Gustafsson one of the most glamorous and popular stars of the motion pictures of the 1920s and '30s and later a legendary recluse. Greta Lovisa Gustafsson was working as a department store clerk when she met Erik Petschler, a motion-picture director, who gave her a small part in Luffar-Petter (Peter the Tramp) in 1922. From 1922 to 1924 she studied in the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, and in 1924 she played a major role in Gsta Berlings Saga ("The Story of Gsta Berling"). The film's director, Mauritz Stiller, gave her the name Garbo and secured for her a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Hollywood in 1925. She remained with MGM for 16 years and made 24 films, beginning with The Torrent (1926); her later silent films, including Flesh and the Devil (1927), Love (1927), Wild Orchids (1929), and The Kiss (1929), quickly established her subtle and mysterious allure. Unlike many stars of the silent movies she more than successfully made the transition to sound film with Anna Christie (1930), in which her first spoken words on the screen revealed a low, husky voice to complement her beauty. (The promotional campaign for the film had relied heavily on the simple declaration "Garbo talks!") Garbo's subsequent movies, among them Mata Hari (1932), Grand Hotel (1932), Queen Christina (1933), Anna Karenina (1935), Camille (1936), and Conquest (1937), won her a following that was almost a cult, and in Ninotchka (1939) she displayed an unexpected gift for comedy. Her last film, Two-Faced Woman (1941), was less successful. Garbo retired after its release and became a near recluse, living mostly in New York City, refusing interviews or publicity of any kind. She became a U.S. citizen in 1951. In 1955 she received a special Academy Award for her "series of luminous and unforgettable performances." Her insistence on complete privacy recalled a famous line from one of her films, usually quoted, though not quite accurately, as "I want to be alone," and helped make her a legend in her own time. Additional reading Biographies include John Bainbridge, Garbo (1955, reissued 1975); Alexander Walker, Garbo: A Portrait (1980), based on MGM archives; and Barry Paris, Garbo (1995).