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Greta Garbo was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson on September 18, 1905, in Stockholm, Sweden, to Anna Lovisa (Johansdotter), who worked at a jam factory, and Karl Alfred Gustafsson, a laborer. She was fourteen when her father died, which left the family destitute. Greta was forced to leave school and go to work in a department store. The store used her as a model in its newspaper ads. She had no film aspirations until she appeared in short advertising film at that same department store while she was still a teenager. Erik A. Petschler, a comedy director, saw the film and gave her a small part in his Luffar-Petter (1922). Encouraged by her own performance, she applied for and won a scholarship to a Swedish drama school. While there she appeared in at least one film, En lyckoriddare (1921). Both were small parts, but it was a start. Finally famed Swedish director Mauritz Stiller pulled her from the drama school for the lead role in The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924). At 18 Greta was on a roll.
Following The Joyless Street (1925) both Greta and Stiller were offered contracts with MGM, and her first film for the studio was the American-made Torrent (1926), a silent film in which she didn't have to speak a word of English. After a few more films, including The Temptress (1926), Love (1927) and A Woman of Affairs (1928), Greta starred in Anna Christie (1930) (her first "talkie"), which not only gave her a powerful screen presence but also garnered her an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress (she didn't win). Later that year she filmed Romance (1930), which was somewhat of a letdown, but she bounced back in 1931, landing another lead role in Mata Hari (1931), which turned out to be a major hit.
Greta continued to give intense performances in whatever was handed her. The next year she was cast in what turned out to be yet another hit, Grand Hotel (1932). However, it was in MGM's Anna Karenina (1935) that she gave what some consider the performance of her life. She was absolutely breathtaking in the role as a woman torn between two lovers and her son. Shortly afterwards, she starred in the historical drama Queen Christina (1933) playing the title character to great acclaim. She earned an Oscar nomination for her role in the romantic drama Camille (1936), again playing the title character. Her career suffered a setback the following year in Conquest (1937), which was a box office disaster. She later made a comeback when she starred in Ninotchka (1939), which showcased her comedic side. It wasn't until two years later she made what was to be her last film, Two-Faced Woman (1941), another comedy. But the film drew controversy and was condemned by the Catholic Church and other groups and was a box office failure, which left Garbo shaken.
After World War II Greta, by her own admission, felt that the world had changed perhaps forever and she retired, never again to face the camera. She would work for the rest of her life to perpetuate the Garbo mystique. Her films, she felt, had their proper place in history and would gain in value. She abandoned Hollywood and moved to New York City. She would jet-set with some of the world's best-known personalities such as Aristotle Onassis and others. She spent time gardening and raising flowers and vegetables. In 1954 Greta was given a special Oscar for past unforgettable performances. She even penned her biography in 1990.
On April 15, 1990, Greta died of natural causes in New York and with her went the "Garbo Mystique". She was 84.- Henry Kendrick was born on 25 September 1933 in Bisbee, Arizona, USA. He was an actor, known for Raising Arizona (1987), Revenge of the Nerds (1984) and Hell's Belles (1969). He was married to Kathryne Marie Sullivan. He died on 15 April 1990 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
- Actress
Strikingly beautiful Dorothea Durham was a popular dancer in the 1930's and 1940's, who also appeared in Hollywood films. Dorothea's beauty and graceful, sensual dancing style was often written about in African American newspapers of the time. She headlined at popular clubs such as Sebastian's Cotton Club and Rhumboogie, and theater revues billed as Garbo, after the actress Greta Garbo, possibly because her of her aloofness, like the actress.
Dorothea started her dance career in popular Chicago and Harlem nightclubs and was one of the women brought out to California to become apart of the thriving African American nightclub nightlife on Central Avenue in the 1930's and 1940's, known as the Harlem of the West. Her beauty and talent got her into films. She appeared in most of all the black cast musical numbers in Hollywood films, including "Cabin In The Sky" and "Stormy Weather." Dorothea also was a sensation in Duke Ellington's Jump For Joy. She was once married to musician Jackie Kelso.- Anna Carena was born on 30 January 1899 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. She was an actress, known for The Mill on the Po (1949), Sissignora (1942) and Café chantant (1953). She was married to Fraschini, Alcide. She died on 15 April 1990 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.
- Ulrich Becher was born on 2 January 1910 in Berlin, Germany. He was a writer, known for Der Bockerer (1981), Teatro de siempre (1966) and Samba (1966). He was married to Dana Roda. He died on 15 April 1990 in Basel, Switzerland.