Salka Viertel was born on June 15, 1889 in Sambor, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Sambir, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine]. She was a writer and actress, known for Seven Faces (1929), Anna Christie (1930) and Deep Valley (1947). She was married to Berthold Viertel. She died on October 20, 1978 in Klosters, Switzerland.
She was one of the few close friends of Greta Garbo. Five of her eight screenwriting credits were for Garbo movies, and she also acted with her in another film.