Known for her roles in both silent and talking films, Swedish actress Greta Garbo was born in 1905 in Stockholm. Garbo began her career in Europe before moving to the United States to work for MGM at 19.
Before signing the contract, Louis B. Mayer, film producer and the co-founder of MGM, wasn’t sure of Garbo’s talent until he saw the initial rushes of her first American film, The Torrent.
Garbo‘s roles were mostly romantic dramas such as Flesh and the Devil, Love, and The Kiss. She often appeared with John Gilbert, with whom she had a connection not only on film sets, but also in real life.
Garbo’s first three films for MGM covered 13 percent of the company’s profits. After a contract dispute with MGM, Garbo threatened to return to Sweden, so they offered her a new contract paying $270,000 per movie and giving her control over her roles.
Garbo became Hollywood’s new face and drew attention until it was time to move to sound film. Executives worried that her mysterious personality, which everyone was interested in, would disappear, and they hesitated to let audiences hear her speak because of her accent.
She maintained her on-screen silence for two years after sound came to Hollywood. Her first vocal role in the film Anna Christie was carefully chosen so it fit her Swedish accent.
“Garbo talks!” was MGM’s promotional tagline for the film, and her first spoken words were “Give me a whiskey. Ginger Ale on the side. . . . And don’t be stingy, baby.”
In the late 1930s, however, people’s interest in Garbo began to fade. To try to revive her career, Garbo was given roles in two comedies, Ninotchka and Two-Faced Woman, neither of which matched her previous successes. However, she received her final Oscar nomination for Ninotchka.
After her contract ended with MGM, she retired from acting. In 1955, Garbo received a special Academy Award honoring her career.
After that, Garbo started investing in real estate and art; she left California and settled in New York.
In the late 1980s, Garbo had kidney failure and started to isolate herself from the outside world. She died on April 15, 1990, at a New York City hospital.
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