三十年代因主演《大饭店》《茶花女》而名噪一时。她十四岁丧父，辍学回家，从理发店的洗发女工到百货商店的广告模特再到米高梅公司的性感女神，最终在星光大道上留下芳名的葛丽泰嘉宝再写了好莱坞的神话。——在她从影之路上谁是她的教父？退隐之后的她怎样过着低调节俭的生活？试着走近她看看。 

                    Becoming an actress

When Greta was fourteen, her father, to whom she was extremely close, died, and her relationship with her mother was, at best, strained. Consequently, she was forced to leave school and go to work. Her first job was as a lather¹ girl in a barbershop. She then became a clerk in a department store, where she would also model for newspaper ads. Her first motion picture aspirations³ came when she appeared in an advertising⁴ short for the department store where she worked. That led to another short movie, which was seen by comedy director Eric Petscher. He cast her in a small part for the movie Peter The Tramp (1922).

From 1922 to 1924, she studied at the prestigious⁵ Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. While she was there, she met the Swedish director Mauritz Stiller. He trained her in cinema acting⁶ technique and cast her in a major role in Gösta Berlings Saga⁷ (1924) (English: The Story of Gösta Berling). He also gave her the stage name Greta Garbo. She starred in two movies in Sweden and one in Germany.

When Stiller went to the United States in 1925 to work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he insisted that Garbo be given a contract as well. But their relationship came to an end as her fame grew. He was fired by MGM and returned to Sweden in 1928, where he died soon after.

barbershop n. 理发店                                  lather v. 涂肥皂泡沫
lather girl n. 理发店里为客人洗头发的人     aspiration² n. 热望，渴望
department store n. 百货公司                     model v. 作模特
short n. 短片                                               cast in v. 派（角色）
prestigious a. 享有声望的，声望很高的      star v. 作主演，主演
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer n. 米高梅电影公司   Royal Dramatic Theatre n. 皇家剧院

                                        Secluded⁸ retirement⁹

Garbo felt her movies had their proper place in history and would gain in value. On February 9, 1951, she became a naturalized citizen of the United States. She was awarded a special Academy Award for her unforgettable performances in 1954. In the mid-1950s, she bought a seven room apartment in New York at 450 East 52nd Street, where she lived for the rest of her life.

She would at times jet-set with some of the world's best known personalities¹⁰, such as Aristotle Onassis and others, but chose to live a private life. She spent time gardening flowers and vegetables and was known for taking walks through New York streets dressed casually¹¹ and wearing large sunglasses, always avoiding prying¹² eyes, the paparazzi and media attention.

Garbo lived the last years of her life in absolute seclusion¹³. She had invested very wisely, was known for extreme frugality¹⁴, and was a very wealthy woman. It is rumored¹⁵ that she wrote an autobiography¹⁶ just before her death but this book has yet to be published if it exists.

She died at age 84 as a result of renal failure in New York and was cremated¹⁷. She had previously¹⁸ been operated and treated for breast cancer, which she apparently¹⁹ beat. She left her estate to her niece. Her ashes are buried at the Skogskyrkogården Cemetery²⁰ in Stockholm, Sweden.

Greta Garbo has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.

Jet-set v. 乘喷气客机到处旅游                 prying a. 爱打听的
paparazzi n. 无固定职业的摄影师            seclusion n. 隔离
frugality n. 节俭，俭省                            rumour v. 传闻
renal a. 肾脏的，肾的                             cremate v. 火葬
operate v. 动手术，开刀         Hollywood Walk of Fame n. 好莱坞星光大道

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