36 Years Ago, an Actress Named One of the ‘Greatest Female Stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema’ Died

Greta Garbo was a silent film star during the golden era of Hollywood. She was ranked No. 5 on the American Film Institute’s list of the “Greatest Female Stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema” and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress three times.  

Garbo was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1905. She started her acting career in The Saga of Gösta Berling, a 1924 Swedish film that drew the attention of the chief executive of MGM. She ended up moving to Hollywood in 1925 and starred in her first American film, Torrent, then went on to act in other silent films like Flesh and the Devil, A Woman of Affairs, The Mysterious Lady, The Single Standard, and The Kiss.

In 1930, Garbo appeared in her first film with sound, Anna Christie, about a young woman who reunites with her estranged father and falls for a sailor, but struggles to tell them about her dark past. It was advertised with the tagline, “Garbo talks!” This film, along with Romance, which released the same year, earned her two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Garbo appeared in more films throughout her career, including Grand Hotel, Queen Christina, Anna Karenina, and Camille. However, in 1941, when she was only 36, she retired from acting and stopped making public appearances. She later told Sven Broman, a Swedish biographer, “I was tired of Hollywood. I did not like my work. There were many days when I had to force myself to go to the studio … I really wanted to live another life.”

Although she might not have wanted public attention, many viewers are still fans of her work to this day. As one comment on Reddit said, “She was one of the biggest stars for a few years in the late 20s early 30s, and was a great actor. And how she disappeared herself from Hollywood and lived the rest of her life in seclusion from the public is fascinating. My favorite film of hers is Flesh and the Devil. Gilbert and her were HOT.”

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Another said, “She was gorgeous, talented, captivating, and mysterious. Her legend lingers 100 years after her debut. Even Bette Davis said she was the greatest there ever was. That’s huge praise from someone who was notoriously critical of her peers.”

Garbo died on April 15, 1990 when she was 84 due to pneumonia and renal failure.