The Great Garbo

One Old Hollywood star that has greatly impressed me is Greta Garbo, and she is known for her famous line “I want to be alone” when she left Hollywood for good. She was a beautiful Swedish actress with a sexy, husky voice. Her Hollywood debut came in the film The Torrent in 1926.

Garbo was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson in 1905 in Stockholm, Sweden. She began working at the young age of 13, first as a lather girl in a barbershop and later went to work at a department store. A bakery requested that she appear in a publicity film. She was successful and chose acting for a career, winning a scholarship to the Royal Dramatic Theater.

There she was discovered by Director Mauritz Siller who at that time was one of the most powerful directors in the Swedish cinema. Her first role was the part of Countess Elizabeth Dohna in the 1924 film The Legend of Gosta Berling. This film was four hours in length and the director also gave her the stage name of Garbo.

When sound came to films Garbo was among the lucky actresses who easily translated from silent films to sound productions. Her first talking picture was Anna Christie in 1930, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her finest film role is considered to be that of the doomed courtesan Marguerite Gautier in Camille in 1936. For this portrayal she got her second Academy Award nomination. It was unfortunate that, by 1938, Garbo was labeled box office poison, and even though she was nominated a third time for an Academy Award for her portrayal in the comedy Ninotchka, nothing could save her when her final film Two-Faced Woman failed to draw audiences in 1941. She was often linked with many handsome actors, among them, John Gilbert but she never married. The line “I want to be alone” came from her film Grand Hotel in 1939.

So Greta Garbo knew to retreat gracefully from the screen after 25 films. She was only 35, but left behind her legendary memory saying simply that she wanted to be alone. She always hid behind dark glasses and large hats when she was traveling. In 1941, she retired from Hollywood and was chosen by Variety as the best actress of the first half of the 20th century in 1951. Garbo was honored with a special Academy Award for her part in films in 1954.

She lived out her life in an apartment in my hometown, NYC in Manhattan. Being a naturalized citizen of the U.S., she had an apartment on East 52nd Street often taking walks about the streets either alone or with a companion. She always shied away from the public. Many years later, when I was already grown I had some dreams about acting and I would stand outside of that building hoping to catch a glimpse of her and hoping to find a way to talk to her but I never had the courage to approach the great Garbo. She passed away on April 15, 1990 at the age of 84. She was laid to rest in Skogskyrkogarden Cemetery, near Stockholm, Sweden.