(A photographer all her life, Ellen Graham has met and photographed the beautiful people of the latter half of the twentieth century.)

To me the most beautiful man ever born was Robert Taylor. And the woman would be Garbo.

Gaylord Hauser, who was this nutritionist, fabulous man who was a great friend of my mother's, brought Garbo to dinner when we [Ellen and her husband] were living in a house in Beverly Hills. I was told "never discuss her film career" and to never tell her I was a photographer. She was about 76 at the time.

She comes with him, loves the house, she's crazy about my husband and he gives her a few drinks. And then she says, "I want to see the rest of the house." And she heads right for this room where I have every photograph I've ever taken of anybody famous. She looks at the pictures and she says "Who are these people?" And it was people like Sammy Davis Jr. and Liza Minnelli. I didn't answer. And she says "Are they your friends?" And I said yes. So can you imagine? She doesn't know that I'm a photographer and she sees all these pictures of all those people, what the hell are those pictures doing there.

So she says "Who took the pictures?" I said "I did." So she goes around the room and the first picture she picks up is the one of Valentina Schlee who she's not speaking to (whose husband she went off with). She spends ten, fifteen minutes walking around the room. She looks at me as she walks out and she says "First class." She stayed for dinner, she helped me with the dishes, she was smoking, drinking like a fiend.

She had a great sense of humor. She wanted to know what mascara I used and I gave it to her. We once went to dinner at Jean Howard's house … we have dinner and she was reciting poetry in German. Then it was time to leave so I go to where the car is parked and she walks me out like a parking attendant. She opens the door for me on the right side.

But the steering wheel is on the left. So I get in and she looks at me and says "Where is the steering wheel?" I said, "It's on the other side." And she said "Well, why are you sitting here?" I said "Because you opened the door for me …" and she started to laugh like a Ninotchka , you know … and that was the last time I ever saw her.

Thanks to Gianni