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Actress Greta Garbo was born Greta Gustafsson on September 18, 1905 in Stockholm, Sweden. She won a bathing beauty competition at age sixteen, and then appeared in several advertising campaigns. While studying at the Royal Theatre Dramatic School she was discovered by film director, Mauritz Stiller. Changing her name to Greta Garbo, she starred in Stiller’s film, The Atonement of Gosta Berling (1924). After appearing in The Joyless Street (1925), she and Stiller immigrated to the United States. In Hollywood she appeared in several silent films including The Temptress (1926), Flesh and the Devil (1927) and The Mysterious Lady (1928). Despite her Swedish accent, Garbo successfully switched to talking pictures with Anna Christie (1930). This was followed by Susan Lennox, Her Fall and Rise (1931), Grand Hotel (1932), Mati Hari (1932), Queen Christina (1933), Anna Karenina (1935), Camille (1937) and Ninotchka (1939). Garbo retired from movies after filming Two Faced Woman (1941) and remained a total recluse for the rest of her life. Greta Garbo died in New York City on April 15, 1990.
Michael Thomas Barry is the author of Fade to Black Graveside Memories of Hollywood Greats, 1927-1950.
