Notable Lesbians
This week’s Notable Lesbian is:
Mercedes de Acosta
March 1, 1893 - May 9, 1968
Mercedes de Acosta was a Cuban-American 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 Cornell, Maude Adams, Ona Munson (”Belle Watling” in the movie Gone with the Wind), Adele Astaire, and others. Four of her plays were produced, and she published a novel and three volumes of poetry. Her memoir, Here Lies the Heart, was published in 1960 because she was seriously ill with a brain tumor and in need of money.
Interesting tid bit:
De Acosta married Abram Poole (1882–1961), a noted painter and socialite, in 1920. They divorced in 1935. Both he and she were homosexuals. Although talented in her professional field, it is no doubt her personal life that has made her famous in Hollywood circles. Her relationship with Garbo has often been described as “the love of her lifetime”.
“you can’t dispose of Mercedes lightly – she has had the two most important women in the US – Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich.”
~ Alice B. Toklas on de Acosta
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.
Purchase Here Lies the Heart
greta garbo, mercedes de acosta, alice b. toklas, here lies the heart, marlene dietrich, notable lesbians
July 19th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
My goodness, Mercedes had excellent taste in women! I should be so lucky.