‘30s star Greta Garbo ‘had a very active social life' after leaving Hollywood behind, great-nephew says

Known as “the Swedish sphinx” because of her deep fear of reporters and other strangers, Greta Garbo ironically became one of the most publicized women in the world while trying to guard her privacy.

"If you look at her date books, she’s out and about, meeting people, going to parties, going to people’s homes for the weekend," he shared. "She was private… but for a recluse, she had a very active social life. I forget who said it, but somebody called her the ‘hermit about town.’" Reisfield’s mother, Gray Gustafson Reisfield, was the only daughter of the star’s brother Sven. She was the sole heiress to her famous aunt’s estate and a woman who was a long-time companion to the late Swedish-born actress. "When I moved to New York after school, I lived about five blocks away from her, so I would see her a lot," Reisfield recalled to the outlet. "[Family and friends] would all assemble at five for cocktails at her apartment, and then [we’d go] out to dinners or a play or whatever we were doing. That was a weekly event, and it was a lot of fun. She was a remarkable person. She was very intuitive, very intelligent and extremely funny."