Greta Garbo Timeline

September 18, 1905

Greta Lovisa Gustafson is born in Stockholm, Sweden

June, 1920

Greta gets her first job as a lather girl in a barber shop

Fall 1920

Greta is selected to model hats in a PUB catalog, entitled "How Not to Dress."

September 1926

Greta meets John Gilbert (right) while working on Flesh and the Devil. Despite his stupid moustache, they begin a romantic relationship.

October 1930

Greta is nominated for two Academy Awards (for Anna Christie and Romance, her second sound film). She doesn't win, but she didn't want the stupid Oscar anyway.

June 1931

Greta is photographed hiking topless (watch out for that branch!) with scriptwriter Mercedes de Acosta (right), who later denies having an intimate relationship with Garbo.

April 12, 1932

Grand Hotel, which would later win the Academy Award for Best Picture, opens. In this film Garbo says her famous line, "I want to be alone."

August 30, 1935

Anna Karenina is released, for which Greta wins the New York Film Critics' Award. She does not receive an Academy Award nomination, which doesn't matter because she didn't want one anyway, remember?

January 22, 1937

Camille is released. Greta wins another New York Film Critics' Award and is nominated for an Oscar, which she does not win. She spends the next several months chewing tin cans and insisting she didn't want the damn award.

November 9, 1939

Ninotchka is released. Greta receives her final Academy Award nomination, which she loses to Vivien Liegh for Gone With the Wind. Greta smiles smugly while kicking Vivien's ass at the after-party. Midway through the brawl, Garbo and Leigh inexplicably start making out.

1942-1952

Greta makes plans to star in films about the lives of Joan of Arc and George Sand, as well as the films La Duchess de Langeais and My Cousin Rachel, all of which fall through.

March 1960

Mercedes de Acosta publishes the autobiography, Here Lies the Heart, which includes the infamous topless hiking photos of Greta. Greta never speaks to her again.

April 15, 1990

Greta Garbo dies at the age of 84.




	September 18, 1905 Greta Lovisa Gustafson is born in Stockholm, Sweden
			1912-1919 Greta attends Katarina Grammar school; determines self "too cool for school;" leaves.
	June, 1920 Greta gets her first job as a lather girl in a barber shop
			July, 1920 Greta, sick of touching old men's faces, gets a job at PUB department store.
	Fall 1920 Greta is selected to model hats in a PUB catalog, entitled "How Not to Dress."
			July 1922 Greta meets director/producer Erik Petschler who offers her a part in his film "Peter the Tramp."
	Semptember 1922 Greta is accepted as a student at the Royal Dramatic Theater Academy.
			Spring 1923 Greta is selected by the school to audition for noted Swedish film director Mauritz Stiller. She gets a part in his film The Saga of Gosta Berling
	November 9, 1923 Greta legally changes her name to Greta Garbo.
			March, 1925 G.W. Pabst hires Greta for his next film, The Joyless Street
	September 10, 1925 Mauritz Stiller and Greta Garbo arrive in Hollywood
			February 21, 1926 The Torrent, Greta's first American film, is released by MGM pictures.
	September 1926 Greta meets John Gilbert (right) while working on Flesh and the Devil. Despite his stupid moustache, they begin a romantic relationship.
			Summer 1928 Greta is romantically linked to actresses Lilyan Tashman (left) and Fifi D'Orsay (right). Her official statement to the press is "Goddamn Gilbert and his stupid moustache drove me to a life of sapphic love."
	April 1929 John Gilbert proposes to Greta for the third and final time. She says, "Screw you, Moustache-Boy. I've turned to the Dark Side, if by the Dark Side I mean life without you, which is actually not dark at all, JERK."
			March 1930 Greta's first sound (non-silent) film, Anna Christie, opens and breaks box office records.
	October 1930 Greta is nominated for two Academy Awards (for Anna Christie and Romance, her second sound film). She doesn't win, but she didn't want the stupid Oscar anyway.
			March 1931 Clarence Sinclair Bull, a well-known Hollywood photographer and one of Greta's personal favorites, creates his famous photo montage of the Sphinx with Garbo's face.
	June 1931 Greta is photographed hiking topless (watch out for that branch!) with scriptwriter Mercedes de Acosta (right), who later denies having an intimate relationship with Garbo.
			December 31, 1931 Mata Hari, one of Greta's most successful films, is released
	April 12, 1932 Grand Hotel, which would later win the Academy Award for Best Picture, opens. In this film Garbo says her famous line, "I want to be alone."
			March, 1933 Garbo begins work on Queen Christina. The film originally co-starred Laurence Olivier, but on Garbo's urging, he is replaced by John Gilbert. Garbo is romantically linked with director Rouben Mamoulian (left), despite his resemblance to Larry King.
	August 30, 1935 Anna Karenina is released, for which Greta wins the New York Film Critics' Award. She does not receive an Academy Award nomination, which doesn't matter because she didn't want one anyway, remember?
			January 9, 1936 John Gilbert dies at the age of 40 of a heart attack. Greta makes the statement "I'm surprised it wasn't a moustache attack considering how stupid his moustache was."
	January 22, 1937 Camille is released. Greta wins another New York Film Critics' Award and is nominated for an Oscar, which she does not win. She spends the next several months chewing tin cans and insisting she didn't want the damn award.
			June, 1939 Greta begins work on Ninotchka
	November 9, 1939 Ninotchka is released. Greta receives her final Academy Award nomination, which she loses to Vivien Liegh for Gone With the Wind. Greta smiles smugly while kicking Vivien's ass at the after-party. Midway through the brawl, Garbo and Leigh inexplicably start making out.
			December 31, 1941 Greta's final film, The Two-Faced Woman, is released. It is condemned by the Catholic Church for immorality.
	1942-1952 Greta makes plans to star in films about the lives of Joan of Arc and George Sand, as well as the films La Duchess de Langeais and My Cousin Rachel, all of which fall through.
			March 30, 1954 Greta receives an honorary Academy Award for her "unforgettable screen performances." She does not attend the ceremony. Her official response: "Too little, too late, jerks."
	March 1960 Mercedes de Acosta publishes the autobiography, Here Lies the Heart, which includes the infamous topless hiking photos of Greta. Greta never speaks to her again.
			1960-1990 Greta, living in New York, establishes a reputation as an eccentric recluse. She terminates many other friendships, including the one with Cecil Beaton. She is sometimes seen walking the streets of New York with her few close friends, including Cecile de Rothschild (on the right).
	April 15, 1990 Greta Garbo dies at the age of 84.
			June 17, 1999 Greta's ashes are finally laid to rest near Stockholm, Sweden.