Notable Lesbians
This week’s Notable Lesbian is:
Greta Garbo
September 18, 1905 – April 15, 1990
Greta Garbo was a Swedish-born actress during Hollywood’s silent film period and part of its Golden Age. The most important of Garbo’s silent movies were The Torrent, The Temptress (1926), Flesh and the Devil (1926) and Love (1927). She starred in the latter two with the popular leading man John Gilbert. Her name was linked with his in a publicized romance, and she was said to have left him standing at the altar when she changed her mind about getting married. 
Later in her career, Garbo gradually withdrew from the entertainment world completely and moved to a secluded life in New York City, refusing to make any public appearances. Some people suggest that Garbo remained single in the United States because of an unrequited love for her drama school sweetheart, the Swedish actress Mimi Pollak. Garbo’s personal letters recently released to the public indicate that she remained in love with Pollak for the rest of her life. When Pollak announced she was pregnant, Garbo wrote: “We cannot help our nature, as God has created it. But I have always thought you and I belonged together.”
Interesting tid bit:
Garbo’s biographer Barry Paris notes that she was “technically bisexual, predominantly lesbian, and increasingly asexual as the years went by.” The Guinness Book of World Records named Garbo as “the most beautiful woman who ever lived.”
“Her instinct, her mastery over the machine, was pure witchcraft. I cannot analyze this woman’s acting. I only know that no one else so effectively worked in front of a camera. ” ~ Bette Davis on Garbo
If you have a suggestion for a Notable Lesbian, e-mail me at lyndsey.darcangelo@451press.net or use the contact form above and I’ll highlight her in an upcoming post.
greta garbo, the torrent, the temptress, flesh and the devil, love, john gilbert, mimi pollak, barry paris, the guinness book of world records, bette davis
July 12th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
If you haven’t already, watch the 1930 Garbo film, Anna Christie, based on an Eugene O’Neill play. Watch it not just for Garbo but for the actress, Marie Dressler.
July 19th, 2007 at 9:15 am
[...] poet, playwright, costume designer, and socialite best known for her lesbian affairs with Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Alla Nazimova, Tamara Karsavina, Eva Le Gallienne, Isadora Duncan, Katharine [...]