Greta Garbo is arguably the quintessential embodiment of the Hollywood star system. Her beautiful, glamorous, Sphinx-like image--carefully cultivated by her employer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer--captivated American and European viewers of both the silent screen of the 20s and sound films of the 30s. Garbo's personal decision to leave her film career in 1941 and maintain a notoriously private, reclusive lifestyle has only further enhanced her mystique.As a young model, she made her first screen appearances in Swedish advertising films and as an extra in features as early as 1921. While attending the
