She starred in The Temptress (1926) and Flesh and the Devil (1927), which not only made her famous but introduced her to John Gilbert, with whom she conducted (both on and off the screen) a flaming romance that lasted several years. On the day they were to be married, Garbo left Gilbert standing at the altar. Garbo's first major sound picture was Anna Christie (1930), based on a play by American dramatist Eugene O'Neill. The sound scene was a tour de force, the longest, continuous sound take of the time. Because of the film's extraordinary success, MGM created a German language version with Garbo and an entirely new cast. Garbo's ability to act successfully in two languages demonstrates her remarkable range and linguistic talent. Garbo's career continued to flourish. She starred in 15 sound films including such classics as Mata Hari (1932), As You Desire Me (1932), and Queen Christina (1933), one of her first classic roles. Director Rouben Mamoulian used Garbo's mask-like visage as a canvas upon which the audience ascribed an array of intense emotions. This use of her face as an expressive conduit became Garbo's signature style, and she created magic with it in her starring roles in Susan Lennox - Her Fall and Rise (1931), with Clark Gable; Grand Hotel (1932), costarring John Barrymore and Joan Crawford; Anna Karenina (1935); Camille (1936), Conquest (1937), and Ninotchka (1939). Garbo gradually withdrew into an isolated retirement in 1941, after the failure of Two-Faced Woman, a domestic comedy. Her retirement was also partly because of World War II. She was tempted by a number of very interesting acting possibilities, but, unfortunately, none of the projects came to fruition. Her 20 years of brilliant film portrayals created a cinematic legend characterized by financial success. During the mid-1930's she was America's highest paid female. Garbo's retirement from films did not mark the end of a very busy, independent life. Without the pressures of filmmaking, Garbo had the opportunity to turn to other creative pursuits such as painting, poetry, creative design of clothing and furnishings, gardening, and a rigorous daily exercise routine. In 1950, Garbo was chosen the best actress of the half-century in a poll conducted by the theatrical newspaper Variety. She became a U.S. citizen in 1951, and in 1954 she received (in absentia) a special Academy Award for "her unforgettable screen performances." Garbo moved to New York City in 1953 and traveled extensively. She died at her home in New York on April 15, 1990.