Whitley Heights 101

Garbo Slept Here

The term “Garbo Slept Here” came about in 1941 when a real estate agent listed a house in Brentwood and hung a huge sign in the front of the house stating “GARBO SLEPT HERE”. He eventually took the sign down to ward off the throngs of sight-seers driving by. Today, that phrase is still being used by real estate agents hoping to attract buyers- some are true, while others just a gimmick to lure in fans. In contrary, Garbo did not like the notoriety that comes along in the entertainment industry. She enjoyed her privacy to the point of moving when it became a problem. Based on research of newspaper accounts, censuses, telephone directories, immigration records, travel records, movie magazines, and various biographies of herself and other celebrities, it is estimated that Garbo had stayed in up to 25 different residences (and possibly even more) in the Los Angeles area (not to mention all the hotel stays and nights over with her lovers). 

Greta Garbo (above in 1925) was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 18, 1905. While she was studying acting, a Swedish film director named Mauritz Stiller became her mentor and according to many accounts, MGM’s L.B. Mayer, saw her perform while on a Berlin trip with his daughter. Stiller traveled with Garbo to the United States in July of 1925 where their ship sailed to New York. (In 1923, she legally changed her name to Greta Lovisa Garbo. She took “Garbo” from a farm she lived on as a child called “Garboda”.)

Several months later, they were on a train to Hollywood to meet with Mayer and Garbo signed her first contract with MGM. Garbo lived in Los Angeles from 1925 until her death in 1990 and moved frequently. Perhaps she was homesick and living in one place would mean it would be permanent. She was a very private person who enjoyed seclusion when she was not working and as soon as fans found out where she lived, she moved on to the next furnished rental. Some dates are estimates since there are discrepancies in some of the resources and had to be pieced together based on all the information presented. In the 1940s, when Garbo’s career began to slow down and reporters were not chasing her as often, no documentation could be located as to where she stayed other than in “Brentwood” or “Beverly Hills”. After Garbo finished filming her last film in 1941, she took an extended vacation to her villa that is located just outside of Sweden. In 1951, Garbo bought an apartment in New York city and would become a part-time resident of Los Angeles until her death in 1990.

1920’s

Miramar Hotel (Sept. 1925-Dec. 1928)

When Stiller and Garbo arrived in Hollywood via train on September 10, 1925, Stiller rented a bungalow by the beach in Santa Monica. He asked Garbo if she preferred a house or a hotel. The 19 year old had never lived in a home her entire life-only apartments or hotels. Out of habit, she chose a hotel. The Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica (now called Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows) is located at 101 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica.

The hotel was originally a home built by United States Senator John Percival Jones who helped build Santa Monica. After his death in 1912, King Gillette (yes, the razor family) bought the property and converted the home until a military academy and then opened the Hotel Miramar in 1921. A new six-story wing was built in 1924, to provide apartments for longer stays at the beach. Greta Garbo was one of the first celebrities to move in, and she lived in the historic Palisades wing for more than four years. Other celebrities such as Cary Grant, Doris Day, and Betty Grable, Jimmy Stewart, Marilyn Monroe, and Jean Harlow all stayed in the hotel. Below is Garbo at the beach relaxing with two friends in 1926. (From: Santa Monica Bay : Paradise by the sea : a pictorial history of Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, Ocean Park, Pacific Palisades, Topanga & Malibu by Fred E Basten).

Below is two views of the six story wing where Garbo lived. Garbo did not know how to speak English which was convenient for a silent film; however, MGM quickly provided her an English coach so language would not be a barrier at work. In 1938, the “house” was demolished and replaced with bungalows and more modern buildings. 

While Garbo lived at the Miramar, she filmed 8 of her 26 films with MGM. She had appeared in 7 films in Europe between 1920 to 1925, many were small parts. Garbo stayed at the hotel while filming her first American film “Torrent” which was in production several weeks after Garbo arrived to Hollywood. Ricardo Cortez was her co-star and Monta Bell directed the film. “Torrent premiered February of 1926 at Loew’s State Theater. Her next film was “The Temptress” which was directed by Mauritz Stiller and co-starred Antonio Moreno that went into production early 1926 and aired October. Next came “Flesh and the Devil” which started production in July of 1926, directed by Clarence Brown (who would direct 6 of her films) and co-starred John Gilbert, who she would date on and off before he married actress Ina Claire in 1929. Rumors started circulating that they were engaged in September of 1926. ”Flesh and the Devil” would air early in 1927 and while the press continued to ask when they would marry. 

Miramar Hotel References: The Divine Garbo, by Frederick Sands and Sven Broman, Greta Garbo, by Karen Swenson, Garbo, A Biography, by Barry Paris, The Private Life of Greta Garbo, by Rilla Page Palmborg, and The Movieland Directory, by EJ Fleming. And a 1927 Santa Monica City Directory:

1400 Tower Grove Drive (Jan-July 1927)

John Gilbert fell head over heels in love with Garbo during the shooting of Flesh and the Devil. Garbo moved in with Gilbert about one month after completion (beginning of 1927) of the film at his house located at 1400 Tower Grove Drive in Beverly Hills. Gilbert’s house was located on a hill in Benedict Canyon and directly next to director King Vidor’s house. Gilbert built the 2-story Spanish Style home complete with a swimming pool and tennis court in the mid-1920s. After Gilbert’s death in 1936, actress Miriam Hopkins (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde) bought the home. Producer David Selznick and his wife & actress, Jennifer Jones lived in the house in the 1950s and Elton John in the mid-1970s. Actor Jack Benny resided here also in the 1970s. Sammy Davis Jr. and Eddie Murphy also lived here. The house was demolished in 1981 due to structural problems and another mansion was built to replace it.

Above is Gilbert’s living room as photographed in Architectural Digest in 1925. This article mentioned Garbo moving into the house after the filming of Flesh and the Devil was over and residing at this house until July 1927 and then she would move back into the Miramar Hotel. The guest bedroom was a replica of Mae Murray’s bedroom set in “The Merry Widow” and Gilbert hired Harold Grieve to remodel the bathroom into a Louis XIV style blue and gold boudoir and a black marble bathtub. To accommodate Garbo’s need for solitude, Grieve built a cabin on the property with a gentle waterfall built outside the window to alleviate her insomnia and planted pine grove trees to lessen her homesickness. With his neighbor, King Vidor’s assistance, Gilbert taught Garbo to play tennis and held tennis parties on Sunday afternoons. (David Selznick was a guest who would later buy this home). She agreed to marry him but failed to show up on September 8, 1926, but he forgave her.

Garbo also began filming “Love” with John Gilbert, in which he also directed early in 1927. Garbo played the part of Anna Karenina which was based on the Lev Tolstoy novel. Since MGM was thrilled Garbo and Gilbert were an item, the film, originally titled “Heat” was changed to “Love” so it could be advertised as “Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in”Love “. Garbo began filming “The Divine Woman” with costar Lars Hanson. ”Love” and “Divine Woman” both aired in early 1928. By May of 1928, Garbo began filming “The Mysterious Lady” with co-star Conrad Nagel which aired by July. Then in August, she and John Gilbert began filming “A Woman of Affairs” with the direction of Clarence Brown. Garbo was in the middle of shooting her next film, “Wild Orchids” with co-stars Lewis Stone and Nils Astor with Sydney Franklin directing, and found out on the set that Stiller had died so she boarded the Kungsholm ship in New York in December of 1928 to head back to Sweden.

References: Architectural Digest 1925, Greta Garbo: A Divine Star, by David Bret, Garbo: A Biography by Barry Paris, and Greta Garbo by Karen Swenson.

Beverly Hills Hotel (March-April 1929 )

Garbo arrived in New York City aboard the Drottingholm on March 19, 1929 and headed back to Los Angeles via train. Her manager at MGM studios, Harry Edington thought she should be living more like a movie star, so she packed up her things at the Miramar Hotel and stayed at the Beverly Hills Hotel at the end of March 1929. ”Feeling more secure financially, I decided to leave the Miramar Hotel for the Beverly Hills Hotel. My cottage there was surrounded by a gray wooden fence”. (from:Garbo: Her Story, by Antonio Gronowicz).

References: Garbo: Her Story, by Antonio Gronowicz, The Private Life of Greta Garbo by Rilla Page Palmborg, and The Divine Garbo by Frederick Sands.

1930s

1027 Chevy Chase Drive (May 1929-May 1930)

Producer Harry Edington (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) and his wife, actress Barbara Kent, who worked on the set of Flesh and the Devil with Garbo, helped her find 1027 Chevy Chase Drive in Beverly Hills in which she rented for one year from Spring of 1929 to Spring of 1930. This U-shaped 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom house was built in 1926 and had a pool and a patio in the middle as Garbo would go swimming every morning before she went to work. Most importantly, as Garbo liked her privacy and there was a high wall that surrounded the house. The house just off of Benedict Canyon Drive, where Harold Lloyd lived up the winding hill and Garbo would go walking.

Edington and Kent also helped her find a Swedish couple to cook and take care of the property. Through an agency, they found Gustaf and Sigrid Norin. Gustaf was a make-up artist, who at times, would do domestic work to make extra money. Gustaf worked on 95 films and television shows including; The Wizard of Oz, The Grapes of Wrath, High Noon and Witness for the Prosecution. A costume designer named Adrian Gilbert, who began designing Garbo’s gowns in the film “Love”, became acquainted with her and she trusted him enough to let him in her inner circle. She asked Aiden to come over to the house to help her rearrange the furniture. This was the first house that she ever lived in at age 24.

During the year she stayed at this house, she was cast as Ardin Stuart in “The Single Standard” with co-star Nils Asther which aired in 1929. While on location in Catalina Island in May of 1929, she learned of Gilbert’s marriage to actress Ina Claire which he had met one week after Garbo returned from Sweden; they went to Vegas to elope. In July, Garbo began filming her last silent film, “The Kiss” with co-star Conrad Nagel. After vacationing to Northern California and Yellowstone National Park, she returned to begin shooting her first talking movie, “Anna Christie” in October of 1929. Once filming wrapped up Garbo spent a few days in Palm Springs. In January of 1930, “Anna Christie” premiered and then in March, Garbo began the filming of “Romance” co-starring Lewis Stone and directed by Clarence Brown. 

The Norins started work for Garbo in March of 1929 and as Garbo was very particular and set in her ways, they lasted only a year. Garbo gave Gustav a gun to protect the house and told them never to let anyone in the house. She also gave them a limit to spend $75 per month on food and household items as she was very frugal but Gustav protested and said it would not be enough to live on and threatened to quit so Garbo raised the limit to $100 per month. He was also instructed to buy all the fan magazines so Garbo would know what others were saying about her and then send the favorable ones to her mother in Sweden.

Garbo kept a strict schedule, getting up at 7 a.m. to be at the studio by 9 a.m. She would first go for a 30 minute swim, eat a hearty breakfast and scan the papers for any news about her to be cut and placed in a scrapbook. Garbo would eat breakfast in her bed as her dog, four cats, and parrot sat nearby. She often procrastinated and was late to work which the studio did not like. Although the studio would film until 6 p.m, Garbo would promptly leave at 5 p.m. even in the middle of a shoot. When she arrived home, she would take a leisurely bath, then read and study her lines for the next day. She would be in bed by 9:30 p.m. reading a book or fan magazines.

When Garbo was off from work, she would stay in bed until noon and lounge around the house in her pajamas. This made it hard for the Norins to prepare meals as sometimes, Garbo would be three hours late to eat. She sometimes suffered from insomnia from going to bed too early or eating late after going out. When Garbo could not sleep, the Norins still had to wait on her, even in the middle of the night. Garbo was demanding of them and could even be mean, causing Mrs. Norin to burst out in tears. The Norins quit in January of 1930 and Edington was in search of a new couple for Garbo. Garbo decided not to renew the lease which expired May of 1930; the neighbors were starting to look into her backyard and she felt it was an invasion of her privacy. When the lease was up, the owner would not also Garbo to live there month-to-month while she was looking for a new place to live.

After Garbo moved out George, Ira and Lee Gershwin moved in. “I am sleeping in the bed that she used,” George noted. “It hasn’t helped my sleep any.” Actor Gary Cooper also rented the home. In July of 1933, Cooper’s landlord sued him for $1,014 for damage done to the property, particularly to the glassware and a bronze statue. Whether the damage was caused by the chimp or Cooper’s now frequent parties was never made clear. Actor Orson Welles (Citizen Kane) also lived here.

Sources: Greta Garbo: A Divine Star by David Bret, Garbo by John Bainbridge, Photoplay 1930-10 Vol. 38, No. 5 article written by Rilla Page Palmborg, Garbo: Her Story by Antoni Gronowicz, The Los Angeles Times 2/22/31 and 2/16/30,

527 N. Camden Drive (May 1930)

Since the landlord at Chevy Chase did not let Garbo extend her lease, she hastily found another rental from actress Marie Provost, for $600 per month located in the Beverly Hills flats at 527 N Camden Drive. Garbo liked that the house was on a corner so there were no neighbors to look down from her window and that it had a garden and a swimming pool. The garage opened into an alley so she could leave without anyone knowing. Although Garbo signed a one year lease, she quickly found out the home was situated near a streetcar station and the noise would keep her awake which did not help her already present insomnia issues. After about a month of lack of sleep, Garbo moved out of this house and subleased it to actor Tom Gallery on November 3rd 1930 until the lease expired on May 3, 1931. Gallery was the ex-husband of actress Zasu Pitts and while they were married, they adopted actress Barbara LaMarr’s baby after she died, naming him Don Gallery. In April of 1934, Provost sued Tom Gallery for wrecking the home.

Producer George Haight (The Adventures of Marco Polo) lived here in the late 1930s. Actor Ed Wynn (Mary Poppins) lived here in the 1950s. Actress Maureen O’Sullivan lived here between 1936 to 1940. Actor Basil Rathbone (Adventures of Robin Hood) lived here in 1929. Below is what the house looked like in the 1920s before the extensive remodeling of the former bungalow. Silent screen actress Marie Provost had married actor Kenneth Harlan into the bungalow and then remodeled it.

Sources: Greta Garbo by Karen Swenson and The Long Beach Sun 4/13/1934, The Daily News 4/13/34.

1717 San Vicente Boulevard (May 1930- Jan. 1931)

Luckily, Garbo was able to find a home at 1717 San Vicente Boulevard, just north of Montana Avenue in Brentwood. The long driveway was lined by high cypresses which led to the house that had a beautiful garden. The two-story cream-painted stucco house included three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Garbo signed a one year lease and claimed she loved the property so much that she would never move again. The house was built in 1926 for Donald Armstrong and then later remodeled in Monterey Colonial style when screenwriter Irwin Cobb bought the home in the 1930s by architect John Byers.

Harry, her Japanese gardener, put in a hammock and a sitting area around the garden. Garbo would exercise in her yard and was surprised to find on-lookers invade her privacy. One drawback of the house was that it did not have a pool so Garbo would walk 5 minutes to the beach to go swimming. When she moved in, the production of “Romance” was still going on and aired in August of 1930. In October, the production of Clarence Brown’s “Inspiration” began in which Garbo starred opposite Robert Montgomery. At the end of November of 1930, Garbo was sunning out in her backyard when a photographer crawled through the hedge and asked her to pose for his picture. Startled by the strange voice, Garbo sprung out of her chair and the photographer snapped a picture and fled.

When Garbo starting filming “Susan Lennox (Her Fall and Rise)” with co-star Clark Gable, she met a screenwriter named Mercedes de Acosta (below right) whom she formed a very close friendship (some say Acosta became obsessed being around her; others say they had a love affair). Acosta found this home too “gloomy” and persuaded her to rent a larger house on North Rockingham Road for $1,000 per month.

Screenwriter Irvin Cobb (The Woman Accused) bought the home in July of 1934 and lived here in the 1940s. Actress Miriam Hopkins (The Heiress) rented the house in 1933. Bette Davis also lived here in the 1940s.

Sources: Lamparski’s Hidden Hollywood : where the stars lived, loved, and died by Richard Lamparski, Greta Garbo: A Divine Star by David Bret, Greta Garbo by Karen Swenson, Garbo: A Biography by Barry Paris, LA Times 12/1/30.

301 N. Rockingham Avenue (Jan. 1931- June 1932)

The LA Times reported Garbo took a house with a swimming pool, a few doors down from Zasu Pitts (241 Rockingham) and a few blocks from Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (426 Bristol). This Spanish Colonial, located at 301 N. Rockingham Avenue, on Brentwood Park’s Rockingham Rim, was designed by Reginald D. Johnson, architect of Santa Barbara’s grand Biltmore Hotel and Baldwin Hills’ Village Green. Built in 1926, the 1.22-acre estate features seven bedrooms, five baths, a formal dining room, an inner courtyard, three fireplaces, a pool with pool house, three garages, a chauffeur’s quarters, and a potting room. Below is a current photo of 301 Rockingham with the red roof tile to the right where Garbo stayed. Zasu Pitts house is the grey structure to the farthest right. The house in the middle was not built until 1960. (Linda Ronstadt lived in Pitts home in the 1980s!)

Sometime before April of 1933, Claudette Colbert moved into the 301 Rockingham house. Colbert indicated that Garbo used just one room in the house and the rest looked like a “cold, barren museum”. Colbert hired Bill Haines to redecorate the home so that it “radiated life”. Bette Davis moved into the home for just a few months after moving out of her Coldwater Canyon rental. Colbert further indicated that Zasu Pitt’s children used to look into her backyard while she was sunbathing and two days later, a workman came to put up a tall fence between the two houses.

Garbo was here on Christmas of 1931 when she slipped away to New York without telling anyone, staying at the St. Moritz. In October, Garbo began shooting “Mata Hari” with co-star Ramon Navarro. In March of 1932, Garbo began shooting “As You Desire Me” co-starring Melvyn Douglas and “Grand Hotel” with co-stars John Barrymore and Joan Crawford.

Then in June of 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression, the banks began to fail and she lost a large sum of money. However, Garbo had made investments in Sweden, so she would survive. Garbo was set to retire and go home to Sweden when her contract with MGM expired, but with so much money, she changed her mind. As her lease ran out, she could not afford the rent and de Acosta suggested she move her rented house two blocks away at 407 North Rockingham Avenue. 

Sources: LA Times 1/3/32, Modern Screen Magazine (April 1933), Movie Mirror Magazine (October 1933)

407 N. Rockingham Avenue (June-July 1932)

Originally built in 1925 and renovated in 1943, the 2-story house located at 407 N. Rockingham Avenue, had a tennis court and gardens that backed up into a canyon. Garbo did not like the fact that the rental did not have a gate so de Costa persuaded a carpenter to break into a lumber yard and erect a gate. By the time Garbo woke up the next morning, there was a gate surrounding the other house. Garbo decided to leave for Sweden for eight months in July of 1932 and left on a ship from New York under a false name. Below, Brentwood Heights, the red arrow showing where Garbo lived, yellow was Joan Crawford and blue was ZaSu Pitts.

After Garbo moved out, motion picture director Henry Hattaway (True Grit, Airport) bought the home in April of 1935. Actor Tyrone Power then purchased the home from Hattaway in the 1950s. He lived here when he had a love affair with actress Lana Turner. According to the LA Times (12/19/37), Garbo, Gary Cooper, and Clifton Webb had all lived at this house.

Sources: The Divine Garbo by Frederic Sands and Sven Broman, Los Angeles Times 12/19/37 & 1/3/32.

165 Mabery Road (April 1933)

Garbo came back to California at the end of April of 1933 via a ship through the Panama Canal and was picked up by her friend, screenwriter Salka Viertel who invited Garbo to stay at her house located at 165 Mabery Road in Santa Monica. This house is just down the street from the famed Beach Club on Palasades Beach Road. Garbo would use this address as a “permanent address” even after she moved out. Viertel would be one of the writer’s in Garbo’s next three film’s “Queen Christina” in 1933, “The Painted Veil” in 1934, and “Anna Karenina” in 1935. Viertel was renting this house from Irving Thalberg who built it for his mother.

Sources: Greta Garbo: A Divine Star by David Bret, Greta Garbo by Karen Swenson, 1933 US Federalization Papers.

1201 San Vicente Boulevard (1933-1934)

Sometime in 1933, Garbo was able to rent a house from architect John Parkinson on 1201 San Vicente Boulevard in Santa Monica, according to a city directory and had moved in before June of 1933 for 600 per month. The house was designed by architect John Parkinson and lived here until his death in 1936. In the fall of 1933, Garbo began the production of “Queen Christina” with John Gilbert her co-star. One fan was even arrested here for trying to give her a love letter in October of 1933. In January of 1934, Garbo left with the producer of “Queen Christina” Rouben Mamoulian for a two week trip to Arizona and it was rumored they would elope there. There were also rumors that she was romancing with actor George Brent.

Sources: LA Daily News 10/12/33 and 1933 City Directory, Daily News 6/27/33.

12741 Evanston Street (1935-June 1935)

Henry Fonda was renting the house next door at 12731 Evanston Street in Brentwood from Fox Studios in 1935. He picked up actor and friend James Stewart from a train station and said he could live with him. Fonda moved out to 233 Carmelina, but Stewart would remain in the house until 1949 (which has since been torn down and replaced). This house, located at 12741 Evanston Street, was originally built in 1925, has 7 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms.

Stewart was intent on meeting Garbo, who liked her privacy. He and Fonda rang Garbo’s doorbell with a dozen roses, only to have the maid tell them that she was “indisposed”. One night they were drunk and decided to dig a tunnel underneath the wall Garbo built and had to quit digging when they hit a water main. Below is 12731 Evanston with the red arrow where Fonda and Stewart lived (the house has since been torn down). Garbo resided to the left at 12741 Evanston Street where the Country English home remains. Garbo then went to Sweden in June of 1935 and took a long break from work.

Sources: James Stewart: A Biography by Marc Eliot, Everybody’s Man: The Biography of Jimmy Stewart by Jhan Robbins.

193 Carmelina Avenue (Nov. 1935-June 1936)

In November of 1935, when Garbo returned to Los Angeles, she took over actress Jeanette MacDonald’s lease at 193 Carmelina Avenue in 1935 from actor Neil Hamilton. Garbo started filming “The Painted Veil” with Mamoulian as the director and co-star Clark Gable in July of 1934 and then “Anna Karenina” with co-star Fredric March and teamed up again with director Clarence Brown. One Hollywood reporter soon discovered that Mercedes de Acosta was renting “a shack next to the Garbo menage. Actor Neil Hamilton (Batman & Tarzan) lived in this Monterey farmhouse in 1934, according to a voter’s registration document. Director H.C. Potter lived here in the 1940s and 1950s. This house has since been demolished. Actor Tobey Maguire bought the property in 2008 and tore the house down and sold the land. 

In an LA Times article dated 6/15/37, actor Neil Hamilton returned to his home in Brentwood after working films in England for two years and discovered an 8-foot wall was placed around his property by Greta Garbo and was unable to get the attention of the new tenants and had to come back the next day. In a Daily News article dated 6/16/37, Hamilton indicated that Garbo leased the property and increased the home’s market value by 90%.

Sources: The Movieland Directory EJ Fleming, Greta Garbo by Karen Swenson, The Divine Garbo by Frederik Sands and Sven Broman, Garbo: A Biography by Barry Paris, LA Times 6/15/37, Daily News 6/16/37.

12991 San Vicente Blvd. (June 1936-June 1937)

In August, Garbo went back to MGM and began working in the film, “Camille” with co-star Robert Taylor and director, George Cukor. August of 1936, it was reported by the LA Times, that Garbo was rented a Colonial house in Brentwood. 12991 San Vicente Boulevard was built in 1927, has 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and a pool in the secluded backyard.

In the beginning of 1937, Garbo began filming “Conquest” with co-star Charles Boyer and director Clarence Brown. Garbo was introduced to composer Leopold Stokowski at actress Anita Loos Santa Monica beach house for Sunday brunch in February of 1937. Stokowski was 23 years older than she and married. 

Sources: The Divine Garbo by Frederick Sands and Sven Broman and LA Times (8/13/36) & Daily News (11/14/36). Below: Advertisement for sale of 11976 San Vicente Blvd. indicating near Greta Garbo’s home (exactly 1 mile away).

In September of 1936, it was reported that Garbo purchased an 1,000 acre estate with a 15 room house and a park, in Harby, which is located just outside of Stockholm. She owned the property until 1947. The property was last sold in 2018. When Garbo visited Sweden, she now had her own house to stay in.

350 Cliffwood Avenue (July 1937-Dec. 1937)

Garbo moved to 350 N. Cliffwood Avenue in July of 1937 after taking drastic steps to renew her privacy by firing her staff and moving to this house. Actor Allan Jones, who was married to actress Irene Hervey, references Greta Garbo being his neighbor in a 6/25/37 article in Daily News. According to a 1940 census, Jones lived at 120 Cliffwood Avenue. The home was built in 1931 but was renovated in 1991. Garbo and Stowkowski continued their relationship which remained hidden until October of 1937 Stowkowski’s wife moved to Nevada to establish residency to obtain a divorce which was granted in December of 1937. To avoid all the negative press, Garbo returned to Sweden in December of 1937. Cinematographer George Fosley (Meet Me in St. Louis) resided here in the 1940s and 1950s. (Note: In February of 1938, this house is listed for sale being “Greta Garbo’s Brentwood residence prior to sailing”.

Did Garbo moved to a house the next block over on Carmelina Avenue in 1937 based on this Picturegoer (9/11/37) article?

Sources: Hope Star Newspaper (9/9/37), Modern Screen Magazine (11/37), Huntington Digital Library Brookwell photo, Daily News 6/25/37, LA Times 2/3/38 & California: A Guide to the Golden State (1939).

9330 Beverly Crest Drive (1937)

Garbo would stay at Stokowki’s house located at 9330 Beverly Crest Drive with Leopold Stokowski before she went home to Sweden in December of 1937. Garbo stayed in Sweden for most of 1938, where he would join her in February as they were spotted in Rome, sparking rumors there were getting married. They traveled Europe together until he returned to the United States in July of 1938. Garbo temporarily stayed here upon her return home in October of 1938 while looking for a new home. Their romance seemed to fizzle out by the end of the year. Stokowski built this house in 1937 and remained here until 1957, living here while he was married to Gloria Vanderbilt. Costume designer Elois Jenssen (I Love Lucy) lived here in the 1990s.

Sources: Garbo: A Biography by Barry Paris and The Divine Garbo by Frederick Sands and Sven Bowman.

9091 Alto Cedro Drive (1938-1939)

In 1938, Garbo was said to have rented 9091 Alto Cedro Drive and referred to this home as her “country retreat”. Actress Candace Bergen would later live in the home with her husband director Louis Malle who died in the home at the age of 63 in 1995. The home has since then been demolished.

Sources: The Movieland Directory, Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites both by EJ Fleming.

1461 N. Amalfi Drive (1939)

During the filming of “Ninotchka” starring Melvyn Douglas, Garbo was living at 1461 N. Amalfi Drive. In June of 1939, it was reported Garbo was building a home in Palos Verdes Hills and had hired a Santa Barbara architect who leaked the news, which probably never occurred since the story leaked out.

This house was built in 1933, but renovated in 1960. Best-selling author Vicky Baum owned the house from when it was built until 1942 rented it to Garbo. She wrote “Grand Hotel”, a movie Garbo starred in. Actor David Niven (The Pink Panther) lived in the “Pink House” from 1945 to 1960. This became known as “The Pink House” when Niven lived here because the house and the surrounding walls were painted pale pink (they still are today). Niven lived in the Pink House until the early 1960s, then moved to Switzerland. Richard Nixon also lived here. More recently, Whoopi Goldberg has lived in the home.

Sources: Greta Garbo by Karen Swenson and The Divine Garbo by Frederick Sands and Sven Bowman.

1940s

808 N. Linden Drive (Nov 1939-Feb 1940)

In November of 1939, Garbo took a 3 month lease at 808 N. Linden Drive in Beverly Hills, home of the late washing machine magnet, F.L. Maytag. (This house is next door to the famed Bugsy Siegal murder in 1947). This is also the area where Howard Hughes would crash an experimental aircraft directly across the street on June 7, 1946. At the time the owner, Martin Belousoff, owned famed Schwab’s Pharmacy located at 8024 Sunset Blvd.

During this time, Garbo was linked to dietician Dr. Gayelord Hauser and she was trying to cancel the lease of this home due to all of the publicity. She traveled to Florida and the Bahamas in February of 1940, allegedly to meet Dr. Hauser and stay on the Wenner Glen yacht. During 1940 and 1941, it was reported that Garbo was traveling to Palm Springs and had a home there-she was not filming at the time. She also traveled to New York City during this time period. In March of 1941, it was reported she tried to break the lease on her Santa Monica mansion because the gardeners clipped to hedges too low for spectators to look on the property. During 1941, Greta filmed her last film, “Two Faced Woman” with co-stars Melvyn Douglas and Constance Bennett and George Cukor directing. It would be the last film she would ever make. The film debuted in January of 1942. Her MGM contract was not renewed even though she was supposed to make one last picture for them. In June of 1942, it was rumored that she finally purchased her first home in Los Angeles-in Santa Monica (proved to be false). Garbo’s residences are a mystery between March of 1942 until 1944-she may have traveled to her Sweden house and had been staying with Hauser and his partner, Frey Brown, in their Beverly Hills house which had a guest house in the back.

Los Angeles Times (11/8/39), (11/20/39), (3/6/41), (6/8/42)

603 N. Beverly Drive (1944-July 1944)

Garbo rented 603 N. Beverly Drive in 1944 and by now, she was retired from making movies. This 5 bedroom house was built in 1922, but renovated in 1977. While she was living here, in July of 1944, a thief broke into the house while she was sleeping. To avoid the thief, she slid down the drain pipe that was outside her second-story window and ran to a neighbor’s house. The article indicated that she had recently moved to the house. Obviously, she was not going to stay in this house so she temporarily moved into her friend’s house in Beverly Hills. After Garbo moved out, actress Anne Shirley (Stella Dallas, Anne of Green Gables) purchased the property in 1944. 

Source: LA Times (7/9/44)

618 N. Crescent Drive (July 1944)

Garbo temporarily stated at 618 N. Crescent Drive that movie talent agent, Minna Wallis was living in. Wallis was the sister of producer Hal Wallis who took over for Darryl Zanuck when he left Warner Brothers and was said to have started Clark Gable’s career. This Connecticut farmhouse was built in 1922, renovated in 1936 and then sold and demolished in 2011. According to the LA Times, when Marilyn Monroe lived here in 1951, she forgot to pay her phone bill and the telephone company was looking for her while she was on location filming in Niagara Falls.

Sources: Greta Garbo by Karen Swenson, 1944 & 1946 Voter Registrations for Minna Wallis listed at this address, LA Times (7/22/44).

904 N. Bedford Drive (1944-1951)

It took Garbo nearly 20 years before she purchased a home in Los Angeles located at 904 N. Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills. She had spent her life living in hotels or renting furnished homes only taking her personal items with her from house to house. She purchased the property from actress Loretta Young. Actor Anthony Quinn had been renting the house from Young who was living on Carolwood Drive. The first thing Garbo did was hire decorator Barbara Barondess MacLean, a former actress, to remove the overly “religious presence” in the house-removing the shrines and the holy water stoups that were installed in almost every room. According to MacLean, “After purchasing two Renoir paintings for Greta Garbo at auction]: She was the tightest, most miserly figure who ever lived. She paid for the paintings that day, but never paid me my commission. I never asked for it. I knew she was a tightwad. She used people and rarely gave anything back”. 

Ava Gardner moved in with Artie Shaw next door to Garbo and according to her biography, “When Artie Shaw and I were married, Garbo had lived right next door on Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills, but in spite of peering over walls, through hedges, and over curtains I never caught so much as a glimpse of her. So now, when my old friend Minna Wallis called the house at Palm Springs and said she and Garbo would like to spend the weekend there and didn’t care if Bappie and I stayed along for the ride, you better believe I was pleased at the opportunity”.  In March 1948, Garbo invited Cecil Beaton to her house on Bedford Drive to take pictures of her at the house. These pictures were shot outside in the garden on the grounds (see below). Garbo would sell the property to director Jean Negulesco (How to Marry a Millionaire). Other notables living at 904 N. Bedford Drive included: Rex Harrison, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Ringo Starr.

While she resided on Bedford Drive, Garbo finally became a US citizen in 1951. Occasionally, it was reported that Garbo would hide out down the street at columnist Harry Crocker’s home at 622 N. Bedford Drive. Soon after Garbo received her citizen status, she sold the Bedford Drive house and moved to New York City. She would continue to travel from New York to California until her death in 1990.

Sources: Greta Garbo: Divine Star, by Bret David, LA Times (11/25/50 & 2/10/51), Greta and Cecil, by Diana Souhami,

Chateau Marmont 8221 Sunset Blvd. (1953)

In March of 1953, Garbo checked into the Chateau Marmont, located at 8221 Sunset Boulevard, under the name of Harriet Brown checking into a $100 per week suite on the forth floor. Since Salka’s home was no longer available, she sold it in 1953 due to financial problems. Garbo chose this hotel for the privacy. The following fall of 1954, Garbo would purchase an apartment in New York City.

Source: Greta Garbo by Karen Swenson.

1315 Angelo Drive (1950s-her death)

Garbo’s friend and nutritionist, Gayelord Hauser owned this house, located at 1315 Angelo Drive, in Beverly Hills, until his death in 1984 and lived in it with his partner, actor Frey Brown. This house was owned by actress Colleen Moore and her first husband, producer John McCormick in the 1920s. There is a guest house in which Garbo would stay in when she visited from New York. When Hauser died, the house was put into a trust and Garbo would continue to use the property as her “west coast” home up until her death. With the help of designer, Miriam Whalen, Brown helped decorate the home complete with Picasso paintings. In 1936, a swimming pool was added complete with private walls around it for privacy. The house was featured in Architectural Digest in 1977. Hauser would travel often to his apartment in New York City and would lease this home at time. In 1955, he leased the home to actress, Grace Kelly for two months, while she was filming, “The Swan”. Below is Grace Kelly photographed in 1955 at the Angelo Drive home.

Sources: Remembering Grace by Howell Conant, Architectural Digest, 1938 L.A. City Directory, “Garbo’s winter house offered at 2.7 million”, Tampa Bay Times (5/20/90).

Unconfirmed or Debunked

2074 Watsonia Terrace (Villa Vallambrosa)

The Movieland Directory has Garbo residing at 2074 Watsonia Terrace in Whitley Heights sometime during the 1930s. The house was built in 1928 by architect Nathan Coleman for New York socialite Eleanor DeWitt who owned several other properties in Whitley Heights. According to the city directories, DeWitt lived here until 1933 when she rented the home to MGM fashion designer, Gilbert Adrian, who lived here with his mother between 1933 to 1935. He moved to Sunset Blvd. the following year according to the city directory. Villa Vallambrosa continued to be used as a rental property, but there are no records of anyone living in the house between 1936 to 1938. It does not seem likely the villa would remain empty for two years so perhaps there were short term renters, such as Garbo. David Wallace also references Greta Garba residing in Whitley Heights in his novel, “Lost Hollywood”. 

If anything, Garbo at least visited Villa Vallambrosa while Adrian was living in the home. According to Christian Esquevin, author of “Adrian: silver screen to custom label”, Mercedes de Acosta was a frequent houseguest of Adrian while he was residing here as she often helped out as a hostess to his dinner parties. An article in Architectural Digest in 1986 indicated that Garbo came for dinner at the house with Mercedes de Acosta. Conclusion: Garbo visited here and may have lived here short-term.

558 N. Bristol Avenue

Mercedes de Acosta rented 558 N. Bristol Avenue during the 1930s and it unconfirmed if Garbo stayed with her temporarily. De Acosta offered Garbo to stay here when she was between homes in 1936. In the book, “Greta and Cecil” by Diana Souhami, in December of 1933 as De Acosta wrote a letter to photographer Cecil Beaton from this address.This house was built in 1925 and had a 3 room guesthouse on the property. The house was demolished in 2019. Actress Jeanette MacDonald rented this house during the 1930s. Conclusion: De Acosta rented the house; Garbo may have temporarily stayed here between houses.

1919 N. Argyle Avenue (Castle Argyle Apts.)

The Movieland Directory has Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper, Mickey Rooney, and Gloria Swanson all residing at the Castle Argyle Arms Apartments during the 1930s. The seven story luxury apartment building was designed by San Francisco architect Leonard L. Jones in 1928 and is located at 1919 N. Argyle Avenue near Franklin Avenue and Vine Street in the Hollywood Dell. Dr. Alfred Guido Randolph a.k.a.”A. G.” Castles, destroyed his own personal estate known as “Castle Sans Souci” to build this apartment building. Conclusion: Garbo may have stayed here on a short-term basis.

1050 Woodland Drive

The Movieland Directory indicated Greta Garbo lived at 1050 Woodland Drive during the 1930s. The house located on this property was built in 1962 and there are no records of any inhabitants prior to this house being built. Conclusion: This is likely an error since there was no house on the property until 1962, unless she stayed here on a visit during the 1960s.

345 St. Pierre Road

Actress Colleen Moore and her husband, banker John McCormick, built the 16 room house in located at 345 St. Pierre Road in Bel Air in 1927 and Moore kept the property and used it as a rental after they divorced. Moore rented the home out to actress Marlene Dietrich during the 1940s. In her autobiography published in 1968 called “Silent Star”, Moore indicated Garbo came to look at the house and when she saw Moore’s yellow onyx bathroom covered with mirrors, she said, “Ah Colleen, those were the good old days”. (Sounds like she just looked at the house, but did not rent the huge 16 room house). In 1942, actor Errol Flynn was accused of raping 17 year old would-be actress Betty Hanson in one of the bedrooms and eventually acquitted on the charges. Other notables included; David Selznick, Kirk Douglas, and Helen Hunt. Robert Stack and his family bought the property from Moore and lived here during the 1950s and 1960s. (Source: Movieland Directory). Conclusion: Garbo visited house when Moore was renting and Moore owned 1315 Angelo Drive which is where the confusion may have come. Garbo visited here, but did not stay here.

615 N. Faring Road

615 N. Faring Road in Beverly Hills was actress Claudette Colbert’s former home and later demolished. Lloyd Wright was the architect of the Colonial Revival which was built for her in 1936.. Colbert resided in this home with her husband, Dr. Joel Pressman through the 1950s. The Movieland Directory indicated Greta Garbo lived here in the 1930s and Claudette Colbert lived here in the 1940s, which is unlikely since Colbert had the house built according to architect Wallace Neff in the book: Wallace Neff: The Romance of Regional Architecture. Conclusion: Garbo did stay in the same house as Colbert, but not this one; they both rented 301 N. Rockingham Avenue. Garbo did not stay here.

Conclusion

After Garbo became a United States citizen and bought a seven-room apartment at 450 East 52nd Street in Manhattan in 1953, she lived for the rest of her life and traveled to Los Angeles and stayed at Hauser’s estate. She died in a New York hospital on April 15, 1990 at the age of 84 of pneumonia and renal failure from suffering on-going health ailments. The irony of Garbo’s life is that she wanted to live alone and in seclusion but engaged in a career that would bring nothing but notoriety and publicity for over her entire life. She choose her love for acting over the constant struggle of moving to stay away from being in the limelight. There are other places Garbo stayed in Hollywood, but she was so good at hiding, they may never be known. As for the possibility that she lived at 2074 Watsonia Terrace in Whitley Heights, she may have. According to some, she at least visited Adrian in the home. She may have even stayed with him a few nights as she allowed him in her inner circle of confidents that was air tight. She could have even lived at Watsonia on her own as dates are vague and she had moved around a lot. One thing is certain, Garbo wanted to maintain her privacy so she was always on the move, trying to be one step ahead of the press. Conclusion: Garbo might have slept here.

Note: Any additional information about where Garbo might have lived is welcomed and will be added to this story!