Wednesday, 2 July 2025

Just Posted

Here's my most recently posted Trivial Biographies:

Greta Garbo
Frances Xavier Cabrini


Mahatma Gandhi
Vasco da Gama
John Cabot
Galileo Galilei


Galen
Thomas Gainsborough
Yuri Gagarin
Clark Gable


James Baldwin
Elizabeth Fry
Robert Frost

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Tuesday, 1 July 2025

Index

Greta Garbo
Mahatma Gandhi
Vasco da Gama
Galileo Galilei
Galen
Thomas Gainsborough


Yuri Gagarin
Clark Gable
Elizabeth Fry
Robert Frost
Betty Friedan
Sigmund Freud
Morgan Freeman
Frederick the Great
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa
Benjamin Franklin
Anne Frank
Pope Francis
Francis of Assisi


Francis II of France
Francis I of France
George Fox
Stephen Foster
Jodie Foster
Frederick Forsyth
George Foreman
Henry Ford
Harrison Ford
Gerald Ford
Jane Fonda
Errol Flynn
Ian Fleming
Alexander Fleming
Michael Flatley
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Charles Grandison Finney
Millard Fillmore
Henry Fielding
Fibonacci
Enzo Ferrari


Roger Federer
Guy Fawkes
Gabriel Fauré
William Faulkner
Michael Faraday
Douglas Fairbanks
Max Factor
Peter Carl Fabergé
Leonhard Euler
Ethelred the Unready
Pablo Escobar
Erasmus
Eminem
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Duke Ellington
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth I


Jim Elliot
T. S. Eliot
John Eliot
George Eliot
Elijah (Biblical character)
Edward Elgar
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Albert Einstein
Billie Eilish
Paul Ehrlich
Jonathan Edwards (theologian)
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
King Edward VIII
King Edward VII
King Edward VI of England
Edward V of England
Edward IV of England
Edward III of England
Edward II of England
Edward I of England


Edward the Confessor
Edward the Black Prince
Saint Edmund
Edmund I
Thomas Edison
Anthony Eden
Mary Baker Eddy
Clint Eastwood
Wyatt Earp
Amelia Earhart
Bob Dylan
Antonín Dvořák
Saint Dunstan
John Boyd Dunlop
Alexandre Dumas
Daphne du Maurier
John Dryden
Alfred Dreyfus
Francis Drake
Drake
Arthur Conan Doyle
Frederick Douglass


Alec Douglas-Home
Fyodor Dostoevsky
John Donne
Domitian
Saint Dominic
Novak Djokovic
Dorothea Dix
Benjamin Disraeli
Walt Disney
Christian Dior
Diocletian
Joe DiMaggio
Marlene Dietrich
Rudolf Diesel
Emily Dickinson
Charles Dickens


Leonardo DiCaprio
Diana, Princess of Wales
Sergei Diaghilev
René Descartes
Johnny Depp
Frederick Delius
Edgar Degas
Daniel Defoe
Claude Debussy
James Dean
Robert De Niro
Catherine de Medici
Charles de Gaulle
Doris Day
Charles G. Dawes
Humphry Davy
Sammy Davis Jr.
Bette Davis


Saint David
King David
Charles Darwin
Dante Alighieri
Daniel (biblical figure)
Matt Damon
Salvador Dalí
Dalai Lama
Gottlieb Daimler
Roald Dahl
Louis Daguerre
Cyrus the Great
Cyril and Methodius
Georges Cuvier
George Armstrong Custer
Marie Curie
Billy Crystal
Johan Cruyff
Tom Cruise
Russell Crowe
Fanny Crosby
Bing Crosby
Thomas Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Davy Crockett
Francis Crick
Michael Crichton
Joan Crawford


Thomas Crapper
Thomas Cranmer
William Cowper
Kevin Costner
Sergio Costa
Bill Cosby
Hernán Cortés
Aaron Copland
Nicolaus Copernicus
Gary Cooper
Bradley Cooper
Calvin Coolidge
Sam Cooke
Thomas Cook
Captain James Cook


Constantine the Great
John Constable
Joseph Conrad
Sean Connery
Confucius
Commodus
Christopher Columbus
Saint Columba
William Colgate
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
William "Buffalo Bill" Cody
William Cobbett
Kurt Cobain
Clovis I
George Clooney
Robert Clive
Hillary Clinton
Bill Clinton
Grover Cleveland
Cleopatra
Claudius


William Clark
Eric Clapton
Tom Clancy
André-Gustave Citroën
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
Cicero
Winston Churchill
John Chrysostom
Saint Christopher
Christina, Queen of Sweden
Agatha Christie
Frédéric Chopin
Thomas Chippendale
Julia Child
Louis Chevrolet
Maurice Chevalier
G. K. Chesterton
Anton Chekhov
Geoffrey Chaucer
Ray Charles
Charles VIII of France
Charles VII of France
Charles VI of France
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles III


Charles II of England
Charles I of England
Charlemagne
Charlie Chaplin
Coco Chanel
Raymond Chandler
Jackie Chan
Neville Chamberlain
Paul Cézanne
Miguel de Cervantes
Saint Cecilia
William Caxton
Henry Cavendish
Edith Cavell
Catherine the Great
Catherine, Princess of Wales
Catherine of Siena
Catherine of Aragon
Fidel Castro
Butch Cassidy
Johnny Cash


Giacomo Casanova
George Washington Carver
Caravaggio
Enrico Caruso
Edmund Cartwright
Barbara Cartland
Louis-François Cartier
Jacques Cartier
Jimmy Carter
Rachel Carson
Johnny Carson
Lewis Carroll
Willis Carrier
Jim Carrey
Sabrina Carpenter
Andrew Carnegie


Thomas Carlyle
William Carey
Mariah Carey
Marie-Antoine Carême
Federico Caprilli
Truman Capote
Al Capone
King Canute
Albert Camus
Queen Camilla
James Cameron
David Cameron
John Calvin
Maria Callas
James Callaghan
Caligula
Calamity Jane
Michael Caine
Julius Caesar


Caedmon
John Cadbury
Frances Xavier Cabrini
John Cabot
Lord Byron
William Byrd
George W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
Richard Burton
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Aaron Burr
Robert Burns
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Edmund Burke
John Bunyan
Warren Buffet
The Buddha
James Buchanan
Kobe Bryant
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Beau Brummell
Robert Browning


Elizabeth Browning
James Brown
Gordon Brown
Capability Brown
Phillips Brooks
Mel Brooks
Louise Brooks
Garth Brooks
Rupert Brooke
Emily Brontë
Charlotte Brontë
Benjamin Britten
Leonid Brezhnev
Bertolt Brecht
Eva Braun
Richard Branson
Marlon Brando
Louis Braille
Johannes Brahms
Tycho Brahe
Don Bradman
Ray Bradbury
Robert Boyle
David Bowie
Clara Bow
Boudicca


Sandro Botticelli
Ian Botham
Alexander Borodin
Norman Borlaug
Lucrezia Borgia
Cesare Borgia
Björn Borg
William Booth
John Wilkes Booth
Daniel Boone
Bono
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Saint Boniface
Pope Boniface VIII
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Usain Bolt
Simon Bolivar
Anne Boleyn
Humphrey Bogart
Boethius
Giovanni Boccaccio
Enid Blyton
Amelia Bloomer
Charles Blondin
Mel Blanc
William Blake
Tony Blair
Elizabeth Blackwell
Antoinette Brown Blackwell
Blackbeard
Georges Bizet
Otto Von Bismarck
László Bíró
Clarence Birdseye
Osama bin Laden
Billy the Kid
Simone Biles
Steve Biko
Justin Bieber
Joe Biden


Jeff Bezos
Beyoncé
John Betjeman
George Best
Chuck Berry
Yogi Berra
Leonard Bernstein
Sarah Bernhardt
Tim Berners-Lee
Bernard of Clairvaux
Saint Bernadette
Hector Berlioz
Irving Berlin
Ingrid Bergman
Karl Benz
Jeremy Bentham
E. F. Benson
James Gordon Bennett Sr.
St. Benedict of Nursia
Pope Benedict XVI
Giovanni Belzoni
Saul Bellow
Hilaire Belloc
Alexander Graham Bell
Isabella Beeton
Ludwig van Beethoven
Lyman Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher
Catherine Beecher
The Venerable Bede
David Beckham
Samuel Beckett
Thomas Becket
Boris Becker
Franz Beckenbauer
Sidney Bechet
William Beaumont
Warren Beatty
John Bartram
Clara Barton
Karl Barth
J. M. Barrie
P. T. Barnum
Thomas John Barnardo
Brigitte Bardot
Samuel Barber
Saint Barbara
Joseph Banks
Lucille Ball
Arthur Balfour
Stanley Baldwin
James Baldwin
Josephine Baker
John Logie Baird
Douglas Bader
Robert Baden-Powell
Roger Bacon
Francis Bacon
Johann Sebastian Bach
Lauren Bacall


Charles Babbage
Gladys Aylward
Gene Autry
Jane Austen
Marcus Aurelius
Augustus
St. Augustine of Canterbury
St. Augustine of Hippo
Saint Audrey
W. H. Auden
Clement Attlee
Attila the Hun
Charles Atlas
Rowan Atkinson
Æthelstan
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
John Jacob Astor
Philip Astley
Fred Astaire
H. H. Asquith
Isaac Asimov
Ashoka the Great
Laura Ashley
Francis Asbury
King Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Benedict Arnold
Neil Armstrong


Louis Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Edwin Howard Armstrong
Giorgio Armani
Richard Arkwright
Aristotle
Aristophanes
Elizabeth Arden
Archimedes
Jeffrey Archer
Yasser Arafat
Thomas Aquinas
Johnny Appleseed
Nicolas Appert
Marcus Gavius Apicius
Mark Antony
Susan B. Anthony
Anthony of Padua
Anthony the Great
Anselm of Canterbury
Saint Ansgar
Anne, Queen of Great Britain
Anne, Princess Royal
Anne Of Cleves
Maya Angelou
Saint Andrew
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Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Greta Garbo

NAME Greta Garbo was born Greta Lovisa Gustafson on September 18, 1905, in Stockholm, Sweden.

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Garbo is renowned as one of the most iconic and enigmatic film actresses of the 20th century, transitioning seamlessly from silent films to talkies and leaving a lasting legacy in both.

BIRTH Greta Lovisa Gustafsson was born on September 18, 1905, at 7:30 pm in Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden. She was born into a working-class family in what was considered Stockholm's slum district.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Garbo was the youngest of three children born to Anna Lovisa (née Karlsson, 1872–1944) and Karl Alfred Gustafsson (1871–1920). Her mother worked at a jam factory, while her father was an unskilled laborer who worked various jobs including street cleaner, grocer, factory worker, and butcher's assistant. Her older siblings were Sven Alfred (1898–1967) and Alva Maria (1903–1926).

Her parents had migrated from the farming country of southern Sweden to Stockholm, drawn by hopes of work and housing in the capital. The family lived in extreme poverty in a three-bedroom cold-water flat at Blekingegatan No. 32 in Södermalm.

CHILDHOOD Garbo's childhood was marked by extreme poverty and anxiety. She later described the atmosphere: "It was eternally grey—those long winter's nights. My father would be sitting in a corner, scribbling figures on a newspaper. On the other side of the room, my mother is repairing ragged old clothes, sighing. We children would be talking in very low voices, or just sitting silently. We were filled with anxiety, as if there were danger in the air".

Despite the harsh conditions, Garbo was described as having a lively imagination and had already decided she wanted to be an actress. She was naturally bossy and would stage little shows, directing her friends and siblings. However, she was also shy and preferred solitude, often saying "I hated crowds of people, and used to sit in a corner by myself, just thinking". She collected postcards of actors and would wait by theater stage doors to glimpse performers.

EDUCATION Garbo graduated from elementary school at age 13, which was typical for working-class children of the time. Her family could not afford high school, forcing her to leave formal education and go to work. This lack of formal education later caused her to feel an inferiority complex compared to her Hollywood peers.

However, in 1922, after appearing in her first film, director Erik Petschler advised her to audition for a scholarship at the Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten) school. She was accepted and studied there from 1922 to 1924. At Dramaten, she was taught voice training, body movement, recital, fencing, and traditional acting techniques. Her best friends included Mimi Pollak, Mona Mårtenson, and Vera Schmiterlöw. Mimi Pollak later became a lifelong correspondent and friend.

CAREER RECORD At age 14, after her father's death, Garbo began working as a salesperson at PUB department store. Garbo's acting career began in Sweden with minor roles in commercials and films

Garbo became a star in Sweden with her role in The Atonement of Gösta Berling (1924), directed by Mauritz Stiller. Stiller introduced her to MGM’s Louis B. Mayer, and she moved to Hollywood in 1925 at just under 21, requiring her mother's permission to sign her contract.

Her American debut was in The Torrent, which premiered on February 21, 1926.

She became a major box office draw, starred in classics like Anna Christie (1930), Grand Hotel (1932), Queen Christina (1933), and Camille (1936), and retired from film in 1941 after Two-Faced Woman.

APPEARANCE Garbo stood 5 feet 7 inches tall, making her one of the tallest female actors in Hollywood when most contemporaries were no taller than 5'4". She had an athletic build with broad shoulders and was initially considered unconventional by American beauty standards. Critics noted she was "broad shouldered, flat-breasted, awkward in her movements".

However, Garbo's unique look eventually redefined American concepts of beauty. She possessed what was described as a "perfect face" that looked good from any angle and in any lighting. Her face was considered so photogenic that by 1932, Vanity Fair showed how seven other stars had altered their looks to be more "Garboesque". The Guinness Book of World Records once described her as "the most beautiful woman who had ever lived". (1)

Portrait photograph of Greta Garbo, 1925 by Genthe, Arnold,

FASHION Garbo’s style was both revolutionary and timeless, leaving a lasting imprint on fashion that extended well beyond her screen career. Her look was defined by a distinctive blend of androgynous elegance and minimalist restraint. With clean lines, masculine tailoring, and an understated confidence, she blurred gender norms with remarkable grace.

She favored a minimalist aesthetic, often seen in cigarette trousers, crisp blouses, and modest heels. Her preference for simplicity and functionality gave her a modern sophistication that set her apart in an era known for glamour and excess. Among her signature staples were trench coats, oversized hats, and impeccably tailored outerwear—pieces that became central to her mystique and have remained fashion icons ever since.

Garbo’s look was also deeply influenced by Art Deco, earning her the nickname “Art Deco Diva.” The movement’s geometric lines, luxurious textures, and refined modernity were reflected in her wardrobe, reinforcing her image as a woman ahead of her time.

Her fashion choices were groundbreaking, particularly her early adoption of menswear-inspired pieces. Although she longed to wear trousers in her films, studio executives often denied her, fearing it would cause a scandal. Offscreen, however, she wore slacks frequently, turning them into her personal trademark and quietly challenging Hollywood’s rigid gender codes.

Garbo was also a devoted client of Salvatore Ferragamo, who designed hundreds of custom shoes for her from the 1920s until her death. She favored his understated craftsmanship and comfort. Another of her go-to designers was Valentina Schlee, whose sculptural, elegant designs echoed Garbo’s own refined sensibility. Together, these collaborations cemented Garbo not only as a film icon but as a lasting figure of fashion history. (2)

CHARACTER Garbo was famously private, reclusive, and intensely shy. She avoided public appearances, interviews, and fan interactions. She was known for her introspection, intelligence, and a deep desire for solitude, encapsulated by her famous line "I want to be alone" (though she later clarified she meant "I want to be let alone"). She was also described as independent, disciplined, and highly professional in her work.

SPEAKING VOICE Garbo's voice was her greatest asset in transitioning to sound films. It was described as a "deep, husky, throaty contralto that possesses every bit of that fabulous poetic glamour". Her Swedish accent was purposefully controlled - she had worked on modifying it while maintaining enough of the accent to suit her characters.

When Anna Christie was released in 1930, critics raved about her voice. Richard Watts Jr. wrote in the Herald Tribune that her voice possessed "every bit of that fabulous poetic glamour that has made this distant Swedish lady the outstanding actress of the motion picture world". The marketing campaign "Garbo Talks!" became one of Hollywood's most famous taglines. (3)

SENSE OF HUMOUR Garbo possessed a dry sense of humor that added charm to her broken English. Despite her serious screen persona, she had a playful and cheeky humor that revealed an unexpected lighter side. This was particularly evident in her comedy Ninotchka (1939), which was promoted with "Garbo Laughs!"

Friends recalled that she could be "gay, fun, and full of mischief" when comfortable. Her ability to balance humor with her dramatic persona showcased her versatility as both an actress and a person. (4)

RELATIONSHIPS Garbo's most famous relationship was with John Gilbert, her frequent co-star. They had a passionate affair during filming Flesh and the Devil (1926), and Gilbert reportedly asked her to marry him. However, according to legend, Garbo failed to show up for their wedding. Their relationship continued on and off, and in 1933, Garbo insisted Gilbert be cast opposite her in Queen Christina.

Garbo was rumored to have had relationships with both men and women. She had close friendships with Mercedes de Acosta, a Spanish-American writer who introduced her to Eastern mysticism and theosophy. According to some accounts, Garbo had an affair with Marlene Dietrich during filming of Joyless Street.

Other rumored relationships included conductor Leopold Stokowski and various aristocrats and intellectuals. In later life, she had a close relationship with George Schlee, a married Russian businessman, which caused a scandal with his wife Valentina Schlee. Garbo never married or had children.

MONEY AND FAME Garbo was extraordinarily wealthy at the height of her career. By 1931, records show she had $1,074,552.70 in a single Beverly Hills bank account—equivalent to about $27.6 million in 2019 dollars. In 1928, she was earning $270,000 per film, an astonishing sum for the era and one that placed her among the highest-paid stars in Hollywood.

At the time of her death in 1990, Garbo’s estate was valued at $32 million—roughly $70 million today. Her fortune was built not only from her film earnings but also from shrewd investments in stocks and bonds, significant real estate holdings—including properties in Beverly Hills—and an art collection of considerable value.

Despite her wealth, Garbo lived with notable frugality. She was careful with money and avoided extravagance. Her relationship with fame remained complex and distant. Famously reclusive, she rejected the public spotlight, avoided premieres, declined autograph requests, and stopped giving interviews early in her career. Though widely quoted as saying “I want to be alone,” her actual line in Grand Hotel was “I want to be let alone”—a subtle but telling distinction that reflected her desire for privacy over isolation.

FOOD AND DRINK Garbo’s diet was often considered eccentric, even by the standards of her time, though much of it aligned with mid-century health food trends. She was close friends with nutritionist Gayelord Hauser, a health guru to the stars, and followed many of his unconventional dietary recommendations.

Among her more curious food habits was her most infamous breakfast: cornflakes topped with jam and coffee—a combination that baffled even her closest acquaintances. She also drank raw egg mixed with orange juice, essentially a homemade Orange Julius, and was known to consume buttermilk and raw yeast regularly, believing in their digestive and skin benefits.

Garbo occasionally embarked on extreme food regimens, including spinach-only diets that she maintained for extended periods. Her vegetarian leanings were also reflected in her preference for vegetable and nut loaves, common in the health-conscious circles she frequented.

Her peculiar habits drew attention wherever she went. During a 1938 trip to Italy with conductor Leopold Stokowski, the local press reported on her dining routines, noting her all-carrot lunches and documenting her signature cornflake breakfast. Despite her disciplined health habits during the day, Garbo was known to enjoy a scotch in the evening, accompanied by a Nat Sherman cigarettello, elegantly held in a gemstone-studded Van Cleef & Arpels holder. (5)

MOVIE CAREER Greta Garbo’s entire film career lasted just 16 years—less time than it takes most actors to get a decent table at the Ivy. Between 1925 and 1941, she made a grand total of 28 films and somehow managed to become one of the most iconic, mysterious, and revered figures in cinematic history. The American Film Institute—never ones to overstate—ranked her the fifth greatest female screen legend of classic Hollywood. Which is saying something, considering she more or less walked away from it all without explanation. 

Garbo’s cinematic journey began in Sweden, where she had a few modest roles in advertising films (including, charmingly, one promoting department store hats). But her real break came when the director Mauritz Stiller cast her in The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924), renamed her Garbo (Gustafson apparently didn’t have the right marquee snap), and proceeded to reinvent her as Sweden’s greatest cinematic export.

Garbo in The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924) with Lars Hanson

Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM and no slouch when it came to star-spotting, saw her on screen and promptly booked her on the next ship to Hollywood in 1925. Since she wasn’t quite 21, her mother had to sign her contract for her. It turned out to be a good call.

Her American debut, Torrent (1926), made some waves, but it was her third film, Flesh and the Devil, that really sent pulses racing. Audiences were stunned. Silent film expert Kevin Brownlow once observed that “she gave a more erotic performance than Hollywood had ever seen,” which is a polite way of saying she practically melted the celluloid. She was paired with the dashing John Gilbert—on-screen lovers who quickly became off-screen lovers too, to the delight of the gossip columns.

During the silent years, Garbo appeared in a string of hits, including The Temptress (1926), Love (1927), The Mysterious Lady (1928), and A Woman of Affairs (1928), which officially knocked Lillian Gish off her pedestal as MGM’s reigning queen. By the time Wild Orchids (1929) rolled around—earning over $1 million in a year when that was still a ludicrous amount of money—she was unarguably a star. Her last two silent films, The Single Standard and The Kiss (both 1929), cemented her status as the studio’s top draw.

The arrival of talkies decimated many silent film careers—screen idols with voices like kazoo-playing geese found themselves out of work in a matter of months. Garbo, however, triumphed where so many stumbled. Though MGM executives initially fretted about her thick Swedish accent, her deep, husky voice only added to the allure. In Anna Christie (1930), her first sound film, she was introduced to audiences with a simple tagline: “Garbo Talks!”—which, in studio marketing terms, might as well have been the Second Coming.

Her opening line in the film—“Gimme a whiskey, ginger ale on the side, and don’t be stingy, baby”—instantly became part of pop culture lore. The film was the top-grosser of 1930 and earned her the first of four Oscar nominations. Incredibly, she snagged a second nomination that same year for Romance (1930). It was quite the vocal debut.

The 1930s were Garbo’s peak—artistically, commercially, and sartorially. She was earning record salaries, choosing her co-stars, and shaping her own projects, which in the studio-controlled world of old Hollywood was almost unheard of. If anyone in Tinseltown was going to do things on their own terms, it was Garbo.

In Mata Hari (1931), she played the sultry World War I spy with such conviction that police were reportedly needed to control the crowds at the film’s premiere. Grand Hotel (1932), with its ensemble cast and Garbo’s now-legendary line “I want to be alone” (which, for the record, she never actually said in real life), won Best Picture and made MGM so much money that even the studio's accounting department smiled.

Then came Queen Christina (1933), arguably her masterpiece. Garbo demanded that John Gilbert, by then considered box office poison, be cast as her love interest—because she could. The film was a massive hit and featured scenes that scandalized moral guardians and helped usher in the Production Code.

Her second go at Anna Karenina (1935) proved much more successful than her 1927 attempt, and Camille (1936) earned her yet another Oscar nomination. Critics raved about her performance as the doomed courtesan, with some declaring it her finest role.

And just when everyone thought her career might be on the wane, Ninotchka (1939) arrived. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch and marketed with the tagline “Garbo Laughs!”—a nod to her famously frosty persona—the film proved she had comedic chops, earned her a fourth Oscar nomination, and charmed the pants off critics and audiences alike.

Garbo’s financial clout was nothing short of jaw-dropping. By 1931, she had over a million dollars sitting in a Beverly Hills bank account (which is something like $27 million today), and by 1935, she had generated more than $35 million for MGM. She started at $400 a week, which quickly ballooned to $5,000, and by the time Queen Christina came out, she was pulling in $300,000 per picture. Cole Porter famously captured it best in "You're the Top": “You're the top! You're Garbo’s salary...”

Part of her brilliance was that she didn’t act like a silent movie star. Where others gestured madly and rolled their eyes like silent-era emoji, Garbo did almost nothing—and made it riveting. She could communicate longing, rage, heartbreak, and joy with the smallest turn of her head or flicker of the eyes. A New York Times review from 1927 praised her “intelligent acting” and her “restraint,” noting she could raise her chin by a fraction and suggest an entire monologue. It was screen acting before screen acting knew what it was.

Garbo’s final film, Two-Faced Woman (1941), was a romantic comedy that tried to drag her into the modern age. It didn’t work. The reviews were harsh, and the Catholic Legion of Decency condemned it for its “immoral attitude toward marriage,” which didn’t help the box office.

Still, Garbo hadn’t planned on disappearing forever. She signed on for another film, The Girl from Leningrad, but the project collapsed, and with the outbreak of World War II cutting off European markets, MGM no longer saw her as a guaranteed hit. At age 36, with 28 films to her name, she walked away—quietly, privately, without a farewell tour or dramatic announcement.

Garbo was nominated for four Academy Awards and received an honorary Oscar in 1955 “for her luminous and unforgettable screen performances.” She got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inspired generations of actors, directors, and anyone who ever wondered if mystery might be more powerful than publicity.

Director George Cukor once said, “What really happened was that she just gave up. She didn’t want to go on.” But what a run she had. In 16 short years, Garbo changed movies, redefined celebrity, and left us all wanting more. Which, in the end, might be the most Garbo thing of all.

MUSIC AND ARTS  Garbo was a passionate and sophisticated art collector who began seriously collecting in the 1940s after retiring from films. Her Manhattan apartment was filled with an impressive collection of 20th-century masterpieces including works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Pierre Bonnard, Kees van Dongen, Robert Delaunay, Chaim Soutine, and Alexej von Jawlensky.

Her favorite painting was Robert Delaunay's "La femme à l'ombrelle ou La Parisienne" (1913), which she purchased for $30,000 in 1964 and often said "it makes a dour Swede happy"

Color was always the essential component in her choices. Her apartment featured salmon pinks, bright greens, and glowing gold throughout

At her death, three paintings from her collection sold at Christie's for potentially over $12 million. Her art collection was worth more than her real estate holdings. (6)

LITERATURE Garbo was well-read in multiple languages. Her apartment contained an extensive library with classics bound in red and green morocco, and she could read in French and German. She particularly loved German poetry, especially Heinrich Heine. The breadth of her reading, spanning multiple languages and classical works, demonstrated the depth of her education despite leaving formal schooling early.

NATURE Garbo had a profound and enduring bond with nature—one that bordered on the spiritual. Her connection was often described as “kosmocentric,” a term suggesting a deep, almost pagan sense of unity with the cosmos. This innate reverence for the natural world was distinctly Swedish, and it remained a defining feature of her character throughout her life.

Her relationship with the outdoors was reflected in her daily habits and the places she chose to live and travel. Garbo was famous for her long walks—often solitary, always purposeful. Whether wandering through the streets of New York, the hills of California, or the forests of Europe, she walked not for exercise or publicity, but as a way to exist quietly in the world.

When staying in the south of France, she reportedly sunbathed nude each afternoon, embracing the sun and sea in the most direct way possible. In Klosters, Switzerland, she took meditative walks through the forest, drawn to the quiet and the trees. She loved the sea deeply—so much so that she chose her Santa Monica hotel specifically for its proximity to the ocean, wanting to fall asleep to the sound of the waves.

Even in New York City, Garbo sought nature where she could. She selected her East Side apartment because its views of the East River reminded her of her native Stockholm. 

A friend once observed, “She had a deep love of nature—typical of any Swede—and now she has come home to the beautiful Skogskyrkogården cemetery,” a serene forest cemetery in Stockholm where she was finally laid to rest. In life and in death, Garbo remained close to the natural world that had always grounded her.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Garbo maintained what one friend described as a “Spartan physical-fitness regimen” throughout her life—a disciplined yet understated commitment to health and well-being that was ahead of its time. Her daily routine centered around walking, which became her signature activity. In New York, she was famously seen walking everywhere, often alone, dressed inconspicuously to avoid attention. It was more than exercise—it was a form of meditation, independence, and escape.

Image of Garbo walking in New York by Perplexity

Tennis was another of her favored pastimes, especially during her prime. Friends recalled that she played a “damn good” game, with intensity and grace. 

While staying in Klosters, Switzerland, she kept to a routine of light lunches and regular exercise, combining physical care with the tranquility of the alpine environment. Garbo also embraced a natural foods diet long before it became fashionable, pairing it with her lifelong commitment to movement and moderation.

Beyond physical activity, her retirement years were filled with quieter, intellectual pursuits. Art collecting became her primary passion after she left Hollywood, and she built an impressive collection over the decades. She also remained an avid reader, fluent in several languages, and often immersed herself in books—another private pleasure that reflected her curiosity and cultivated inner life.

SCIENCE AND MATHS  Garbo's school reports showed she received A's or AB's in science and mathematics, along with high marks in history and geography. She had consistently high marks for penmanship as well. Despite leaving formal education early, she demonstrated aptitude in quantitative subjects during her school years. (7)

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Garbo was deeply philosophical and spiritual.  She developed a deep interest in Eastern mysticism and spirituality, guided largely by her friend and lover Mercedes de Acosta. Garbo sought inner peace and understanding, which contributed to her reclusive lifestyle. 

POLITICS Garbo was never overtly political in the traditional sense—she avoided public endorsements, campaigns, or declarations—but her films and personal choices quietly reflected the social undercurrents of her time. Through her work and lifestyle, she engaged with themes of feminism, autonomy, and individual freedom in ways that were remarkably progressive for the era.

Many of her film roles portrayed women who defied expectations. In The Single Standard (1929), she played a woman who challenged the double standards of gender and morality, while Queen Christina (1933) explored the complexities of female identity, power, and personal agency. These characters resonated with women who were beginning to question traditional roles, and Garbo's portrayals offered something rarely seen in mainstream cinema: a woman in charge of her own destiny.

Off-screen, Garbo’s insistence on privacy and control over her public image further demonstrated her resistance to the constraints placed on women in the spotlight. She refused to be molded by the Hollywood publicity machine, declining interviews, photographs, and premieres—choosing, instead, to define herself on her own terms. Many later described her as an early feminist, not because she spoke the language of the movement, but because she lived its values decades before they were widely embraced.

Ironically, her 1939 film Ninotchka, a romantic comedy that gently satirized Soviet communism, took on unexpected political weight during the Cold War. After anti-communist parties gained traction in European elections, newspapers ran headlines like “Greta Garbo Wins Elections,” reflecting how even Garbo’s apolitical choices could be swept up into the currents of global ideology

SCANDAL Garbo's life and career were not without their share of scandals and whispered controversies—though, in true Garbo fashion, many were cloaked in ambiguity, fueling rather than extinguishing public fascination.

Romantic entanglements were a frequent source of intrigue. Her intense relationship with fellow actor John Gilbert, both on and off screen, was the subject of endless speculation. The most dramatic episode came when Garbo reportedly left him standing at the altar, abruptly calling off their wedding—an act that added to her mystique and reputation for emotional elusiveness.

Garbo with John Gilbert in A Woman of Affairs (1928)

Persistent rumors about her bisexuality circulated throughout her life. She was linked romantically not only to men but also to women, including playwright Mercedes de Acosta and, according to some accounts, fellow screen legend Marlene Dietrich. Garbo herself never publicly addressed these rumors, which only deepened the speculation and her carefully maintained privacy.

Another scandal involved George Schlee, a businessman and husband of designer Valentina Schlee. Garbo’s long-standing companionship with Schlee, who was still married, caused a stir in social circles, especially among New York’s fashion elite. The relationship was never officially acknowledged, but it strained public perceptions of both women.

Professionally, Garbo was no stranger to controversy. Her final film, Two-Faced Woman (1941), was condemned by the National Legion of Decency for its “immoral attitude toward marriage.” The backlash was intense and likely contributed to her decision never to make another movie.

Many of her earlier films flirted with the limits of what was considered acceptable at the time, pushing boundaries in ways that helped prompt Hollywood’s adoption of the Production Code. Films like Queen Christina and Mata Hari featured content that censors found provocative, both in their sexual undertones and their depiction of independent women.

Perhaps most mysterious were Garbo’s periodic disappearances in the late 1920s. At least one occasion reportedly required MGM to employ a lookalike to maintain the illusion of her presence. Some biographers have even speculated that these absences were used to conceal a pregnancy, though no definitive evidence has ever surfaced. As with much of Garbo’s life, the line between fact and legend remains intriguingly blurred.

MILITARY RECORD There are intriguing suggestions that Garbo may have played a discreet role in Allied intelligence during World War II. While concrete evidence remains limited, some accounts indicate she "played a small role in the Allies' wartime intelligence apparatus," adding an unexpected dimension to her already enigmatic life.

British spy chief William Stephenson reportedly claimed that Garbo helped identify key Nazi sympathizers, a significant contribution given Sweden’s officially neutral status during the war. Sweden’s neutrality turned it into a hotbed of espionage activity, making it an ideal location for covert operations and intelligence gathering.

When Garbo’s niece, Gray Reisfield, was asked about these rumors by her husband, she simply noted that Garbo “didn’t deny it,” leaving the truth tantalizingly ambiguous. Adding to the intrigue, Garbo had portrayed spies in several films, including The Mysterious Lady (1928) and Mata Hari (1931), blurring the lines between her on-screen roles and possible real-life activities.

Although the full extent of her involvement remains unconfirmed, the possibility that she contributed to wartime intelligence adds yet another layer to the mystery surrounding Garbo’s private and elusive wartime years. (7)

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Garbo maintained a healthy lifestyle, with a focus on diet and exercise, particularly walking. She remained physically active throughout her life. 

Garbo suffered from pernicious anemia for more than a year during her Hollywood career, which sapped her strength and caused easy fatigue. This condition was often mistakenly attributed to temperament when she would announce she was going home mid-workday.

In her later years, she suffered from kidney disease and underwent thrice-weekly dialysis treatments for several months.

HOMES During her Hollywood career, Garbo lived in a large, old-fashioned hotel in Santa Monica, deliberately choosing a residence far from the bustling film colony. She prized the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, drawn especially to the soothing sound of the sea. This retreat allowed her to maintain distance from Hollywood’s social scene and its relentless spotlight, preserving the privacy she so deeply valued.

After retiring from films, Garbo settled into a spacious and elegant apartment at 450 East 52nd Street in Manhattan’s exclusive Campanile building. Occupying the entire fifth floor, the 2,855-square-foot residence offered expansive views of the East River from nearly every room—views that reminded her fondly of her native Stockholm.

Her home was thoughtfully decorated with rose-hued Fortuny silk walls and a wood-paneled living room, featuring a salmon pink and green color scheme that added warmth and sophistication. The apartment was filled with her valuable art collection and elegant Louis XVI furnishings, reflecting her refined taste and love of beauty.

Garbo’s real estate portfolio also included properties in Beverly Hills, where she owned several residences. In addition, she maintained homes in France and Switzerland, spending time at places such as Castellaras (the residence of Leon Kaplan) and Klosters, blending the serenity of the countryside with her cosmopolitan lifestyle.

TRAVEL Garbo was an avid traveler, especially in her later years, maintaining strong ties across Europe while carefully managing her desire for privacy.

Her European connections were varied and significant. She made regular trips to Sweden, though she never returned after 1975, wary of attracting press attention in her homeland. In southern France, she often stayed at Castellaras, the elegant estate of French industrialist Leon Kaplan. In Switzerland, Klosters provided her with a peaceful retreat where she enjoyed light lunches, exercise, and contemplative forest walks. One particularly notable journey was her 1938 trip to Italy with conductor Leopold Stokowski, during which her famously unusual eating habits attracted curious observers.

In her later life, Garbo traveled extensively, moving fluidly between California, New York, and various European locales. These journeys reflected not only her quest for solitude but also the breadth of her sophisticated social network that spanned continents, allowing her to maintain connections while staying true to her fiercely private nature.

DEATH Greta Garbo died on April 15, 1990 (Easter Sunday), at age 84 at New York Hospital. She had been undergoing thrice-weekly dialysis treatments at the Rogosin Institute for several months. The cause of death was cardiac arrest with complications.

Her body was cremated secretly according to her wishes. Nine years later, in June 1999, her ashes were finally interred in Skogskyrkogården Cemetery in Stockholm. Only 35 people were invited to the memorial service

Her grave features a simple stone with her signature in gold. The burial site is in a wooded grove apart from other graves, with paths forming a cross leading to her gravestone

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Garbo was famously reclusive regarding media appearances. She refused all interviews, autographs, premieres, and fan mail throughout her Beverly Hills years. After retiring in her thirties, she became even more private.

Rare Media Moments:

1929 interview in Screenland magazine called "The Swedish Sphinx Speaks" by Ralph Wheelwright

Very few interviews in her early MGM career before she felt secure enough to refuse all requests.

Her final years saw increasingly rare public sightings as she became more reclusive.

1986 film Garbo Talks by Sidney Lumet reflected the continuing popular obsession with the star

"Garbo-watching became a sport" among paparazzi and media, but she remained elusive until her death

ACHIEVEMENTS One of the most iconic and influential actresses of the 20th century.

Successfully transitioned from silent films to talkies, a feat many stars failed to achieve.

Nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Actress (Anna Christie, Romance, Camille, Ninotchka).

Received an honorary Academy Award in 1954 "for her unforgettable screen performances."

Ranked 5th on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest female screen legends of classic Hollywood cinema.

Her enigmatic persona and reclusive lifestyle created a lasting legend that continues to fascinate

Sources: (1) Gretagarbo.com (2) Blue17 (3) Literary Hub (4) Benjamin Button (5) Movies Silently (6) Hamptons Art Hub (7) Garbo Forever

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