Greta Garbo

Greta Garbo (1905-1990), Swedish-American actress, noted for retiring and subsequently becoming a recluse when she was still at the height of her popularity. She was born Greta Gustaffson in Stockholm, and educated at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm.

Following successful performances as the Countess Elizabeth Dohna in the Swedish film Gösta Berling’s Saga (1924; The Atonement Story of Gösta Berling), and in the German film Die Freudlose Gasse (1925; Joyless Street), Garbo was hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios and settled in the United States. Her first American film, The Torrent (1926), was a great success and was followed by The Temptress (1926) and Flesh and the Devil (1927), which established her position as one of the most popular film stars of the time. Garbo's first sound picture was the compelling Anna Christie (1930), based on the play by American dramatist Eugene O'Neill. Other film appearances include notable performances in Susan Lennox—Her Fall and Rise (with Clark Gable, 1931), Grand Hotel (1932), Queen Christina (1933), Anna Karenina (1935), Camille (1937), and Ninotchka (1939). She retired after completing Two-Faced Woman (1941).

In 1950 Garbo was chosen as the best actress of the half-century in a poll conducted by the theatrical newspaper Variety. She became an American citizen in 1951 and received a special Academy Award (Oscar) in 1954.