EXCLUSIVE: Inside Greta Garbo's Private Life 36 Years After Her Death — From Her Secret Romances With Women to Her Awkward Run-in With Jimmy Stewart
Greta Garbo died at 84 on April 15, 1990.
April 15 2026, Updated 5:08 p.m. ET
Greta Garbo led a storied life of fame and success in the Golden Era of Hollywood.
On the 36th anniversary of her death, RadarOnline.com resurfaces secrets of Garbo's private life, from her alleged romances with women to a literal run-in with It's a Wonderful Life actor Jimmy Stewart.
Greta Garbo's Romances
Greta Garbo was a Hollywood starlet from the 1920s to the early '40s.
Garbo, whose real name was Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish-American actress who starred in a number of classic films, from The Joyless Street in the 1920s to Camille and Anna Karenina in the 1930s.
She never tied the knot nor did she have children by the time of her death at 84 years old. Although she had a number of relationships with eligible bachelors in her time, according to author Axel Madsen, she was one of "many of Hollywood's greatest leading ladies" who privately had relationships with women.
Greta Garbo allegedly had a fling with Marlene Dietrich, according to an author.
Madsen claimed Garbo once had a short-lived fling with Marlene Dietrich after meeting in Berlin. While their alleged romance apparently ended badly, the Wild Orchids actress eventually sparked a new romance with a film writer.
"When Garbo was 24 she met Hollywood writer Mercedes de Acosta, then 36," Madsen revealed years before his death in 2007. "They would be lovers for three years."
However, when Garbo "dumped" de Acosta, she reportedly "turned to" the starlet's ex for "comfort."
"Dietrich attended a party where she found Mercedes de Acosta sobbing in the kitchen after Garbo broke off their affair," Madsen claimed. "Dietrich comforted her and sent flowers to cheer her up. For days, florist vans delivered bouquets of roses, carnations and rare orchids. When de Acosta complained to Marlene she had no more vases, Marlene sent expensive Lalique vases followed by dressing gowns, scarves, pajamas, slacks and lamps. Before long, Mercedes was Dietrich's new lover."
Jimmy Stewart's Humiliating Meeting With Greta Garbo
James 'Jimmy' Stewart recalled accidentally running straight into Greta Garbo.
James "Jimmy" Stewart, who passed away in 1997, once shared his awkward first encounter with Garbo while they worked at the same film studio.
"I never even got a glimpse of her. Her sets were closed to visitors and her comings and goings were very hush hush," he said at the time.
But everything changed when a friend who had been working with Garbo told him that he could see her as long as he "ran over as soon" as he gave him the go-ahead.
Sure enough, Stewart eventually got the phone call that he'd been waiting for from his pal and he took off at break-neck speed.
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Greta Garbo remembered the run-in with Jimmy Stewart years later.
"Well, I must have bumped into a dozen people as I raced to the soundstage ... and suddenly there she was right in front of me!" the Vertigo star continued. "Unfortunately, I was running so fast I couldn't stop! And not only did I bump into her – I knocked the great Garbo off her feet and flat on her back!"
Stewart claimed he was "horrified" and he immediately apologized as he helped her back to her feet.
Unfortunately, his humiliation wasn't to be short-lived. 20 years later, he met her again and assumed that she didn't remember him.
"Oh yes I do," he recalled her telling him. "You're the man who knocked me down."
