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Greta Lovisa Gustafsson

Sept.18, 1905 - Apr.15, 1990

Click on the photo below to hear one of Garbo's favorite songs. The music is Tchaikovsky, the words from a poem by Goethe, and is otherwise known as None But The Lonely Heart. She often requested it played to get her in the mood (for acting, that is!)

Greta was born in hospital in the Blekingegatan district on the southside of Stockholm. The youngest of three children, she grew up in poverty. According to relatives and friends, Greta was a quiet yet precocious child, who was a natural actress from the time she could walk. Her nickname was "Kata" due to the fact that she couldn't pronounce "Greta" when she was a toddler.

Greta's parents, Karl and Anna, and her brother Sven and sister Alva lived in a small walk-up apartment. Greta's favorite subject was History, and really the only thing she liked about school. From all accounts, except her's of course, she had a fairly normal childhood. She often entertained her friends and family by directing and acting in skits, going as far as to set up a little acting company and calling her troupe "The Attic Theater". As a teenager, Greta roamed the streets of Stockholm at night, waiting outside theaters to catch a glimpse of a favorite performer. Her father and brother would have to go looking for her and bring her home after many of these nightly excursions. She was destined to be in world of the theater.


	The Campanile \| home News and Gossip \| The Divine Image \| ~The Campanile~ \| Greta & Friends \| Jack & Flicka \| Filmography \| History \| Arden's Garden \| Posters \| Links To The Divine \| Mailbag Greta Lovisa Gustafsson Sept.18, 1905 - Apr.15, 1990 Click on the photo below to hear one of Garbo's favorite songs. The music is Tchaikovsky, the words from a poem by Goethe, and is otherwise known as None But The Lonely Heart. She often requested it played to get her in the mood (for acting, that is!) Greta was born in hospital in the Blekingegatan district on the southside of Stockholm. The youngest of three children, she grew up in poverty. According to relatives and friends, Greta was a quiet yet precocious child, who was a natural actress from the time she could walk. Her nickname was "Kata" due to the fact that she couldn't pronounce "Greta" when she was a toddler. Greta's parents, Karl and Anna, and her brother Sven and sister Alva lived in a small walk-up apartment. Greta's favorite subject was History, and really the only thing she liked about school. From all accounts, except her's of course, she had a fairly normal childhood. She often entertained her friends and family by directing and acting in skits, going as far as to set up a little acting company and calling her troupe "The Attic Theater". As a teenager, Greta roamed the streets of Stockholm at night, waiting outside theaters to catch a glimpse of a favorite performer. Her father and brother would have to go looking for her and bring her home after many of these nightly excursions. She was destined to be in world of the theater.