View source for Marilyn Monroe

{{Short description|American actress and model (1926–1962)}}
{{Redirect|Norma Jeane|other uses|Norma Jean (disambiguation)|and|Marilyn Monroe (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use American English|date=August 2024}}
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{{Infobox person
| name               = Marilyn Monroe
| image              = Monroecirca1953.jpg
| caption            = Monroe in 1953<!--Please do not change the info-box image without opening a discussion on the talk page. It was decided that this image was the preferred image for the info-box-->
| birth_name         = Norma Jeane Mortenson
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1926|6|1}}
| birth_place        = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1962|8|4|1926|6|1}}
| death_place        = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| death_cause        = [[Death of Marilyn Monroe|Barbiturate overdose]]
| burial_place       = [[Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery]], Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| other_names        = Norma Jeane Baker
| occupation         = {{Hlist|Actress|model}}
| years_active       = 1945–1962
| works              = [[Marilyn Monroe performances and awards|Roles and awards]]
| party              = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse             = {{Plainlist|
* {{Marriage|[[James Dougherty (police officer)|James Dougherty]]|1942|1946|end=divorced}}
* {{Marriage|[[Joe DiMaggio]]|1954|1955|end=divorced}}
* {{Marriage|[[Arthur Miller]]|1956|1961|end=divorced}}
}}
| mother             = [[Gladys Pearl Baker]]
| relatives          = [[Berniece Baker Miracle]] (half-sister)
| website            = {{URL|marilynmonroe.com}}
| signature          = Marilyn Monroe Signature.svg
}}

'''Marilyn Monroe''' (<!--IPA necessary for millions of nonnative English speakers-->{{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|æ|r|ə|l|ɪ|n|_|m|ə|n|ˈ|r|oʊ}} {{respell|MARR|ə|lin|_|mən|ROH}}; born '''Norma Jeane Mortenson''';<ref name="p368">{{cite web | title=Birth of Marilyn Monroe Shown to Be Legitimate | website=The New York Times | date=1981-02-13 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/13/arts/birth-of-marilyn-monroe-shown-to-be-legitimate.html | access-date=2025-11-04}}</ref> June 1, 1926{{spnd}} August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model<!-- Although Monroe sang in some of her films and in public (such as at JFK's birthday ceremony in 1962), she was NOT a full-time singer. Please do not say she was. Thank you. -->. Known for playing comic "[[Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell|blonde bombshell]]" characters, she became one of the most popular [[sex symbol]]s of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's [[sexual revolution]]. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|USD|0.2|1962}} billion in {{Inflation/year|USD}}) by [[Death of Marilyn Monroe|her death]] in 1962.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-marilyn-monroe-19620806-story.html|title=Marilyn Monroe Dies; Pills Blamed|work=Los Angeles Times|date=August 6, 1962|access-date=September 23, 2015|first1=Howard|last1=Hertel|first2=Don|last2=Heff|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925094726/http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-marilyn-monroe-19620806-story.html|archive-date=September 25, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Born in Los Angeles, Monroe spent most of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanage before marrying [[James Dougherty (police officer)|James Dougherty]] at the age of 16. She was working in a factory during [[World War II]] when she met a photographer from the [[First Motion Picture Unit]] and began a successful [[pin-up model]]ing career, which led to short-lived film contracts with [[20th Century Fox]] and [[Columbia Pictures]]. After roles as a freelancer, she began a longer contract with Fox in 1951, becoming a popular actress with roles in several comedies, including ''[[As Young as You Feel]]'' and ''[[Monkey Business (1952 film)|Monkey Business]]'', and in the dramas ''[[Clash by Night]]'' and ''[[Don't Bother to Knock]]''. Monroe faced a scandal when it was revealed that she had posed for nude photographs prior to fame, but the story resulted in increased interest in her films.

Monroe became one of the most marketable Hollywood stars in 1953. She had leading roles in the film noir ''[[Niagara (1953 film)|Niagara]]'', which overtly relied on her sex appeal, and the comedies ''[[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953 film)|Gentlemen Prefer Blondes]]'' and ''[[How to Marry a Millionaire]]'', which established her star image as a "[[Blonde stereotype|dumb blonde]]". The same year, her nude images were used as the [[centerfold]] and cover of the first issue of ''[[Playboy]]''. Monroe played a significant role in the creation and management of her public image, but felt disappointed when [[typecast]] and underpaid by the studio. She was briefly suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project but returned to star in ''[[The Seven Year Itch]]'' (1955), one of the biggest box office successes of her career.

When the studio was still reluctant to change Monroe's contract, she founded her own film production company in 1954 with her friend [[Milton Greene]]. She dedicated 1955 to building the company and began studying [[method acting]] under [[Lee Strasberg]] at the [[Actors Studio]]. Later that year, Fox awarded her a new contract, which gave her more control and a larger salary. Her subsequent roles included a critically acclaimed performance in ''[[Bus Stop (1956 film)|Bus Stop]]'' (1956) and her first independent production in ''[[The Prince and the Showgirl]]'' (1957), for which she received a [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|BAFTA]] nomination, and won the [[David di Donatello for Best Actress|David di Donatello Award for Best Actress]]. She won a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical|Golden Globe]] for her role in ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' (1959), a critical and commercial success. Her last completed film was the drama ''[[The Misfits (1961 film)|The Misfits]]'' (1961).

Monroe's troubled private life received much attention. Her marriages to retired baseball star [[Joe DiMaggio]] and to playwright [[Arthur Miller]] were highly publicized; both ended in divorce. On August 4, 1962, [[Death of Marilyn Monroe|Monroe died]] at age 36 of an overdose of [[barbiturate]]s at [[12305 Fifth Helena Drive|her Los Angeles home]]. Her death was ruled a probable suicide. Monroe remains a [[pop culture icon]],{{sfnm|1a1=Chapman|1y=2001|1pp=542–543|2a1=Hall|2y=2006|2p=468}} with the [[American Film Institute]] ranking her as the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|sixth-greatest female screen legend from the Golden Age of Hollywood]].<ref name="afi">{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars: The 50 Greatest American Screen Legends | publisher=[[American Film Institute]] | date=1999-06-16 | url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-stars/ | access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref>

== Life and career ==
=== 1926–1943: Childhood and first marriage ===
Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson{{efn|Monroe had her screen name made into her legal name in early 1956.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://time.com/5368339/marilyn-monroe-real-name-story/ |title=How Did Marilyn Monroe Get Her Name? This Photo Reveals the Story |first=Olivia B. |last=Waxman |magazine=Time |date=September 5, 2018 |access-date=June 6, 2021 |archive-date=April 1, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401004141/https://time.com/5368339/marilyn-monroe-real-name-story/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4468031.stm|title=Monroe divorce papers for auction|date=April 21, 2005|via=BBC News}}</ref>}} at [[Los Angeles General Hospital]] on June 1, 1926.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=3, 13–14|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=13}} Her mother, [[Gladys Pearl Baker]] ({{née}} Monroe), was born in [[Piedras Negras, Coahuila]], Mexico, into a poor [[Midwestern]] family who migrated to California at the turn of the century.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=9–10|2a1=Rollyson|2y=2014|2pp=26–29}} At the age of 14, Gladys had married John Newton Baker, an abusive man nine years her senior. They had two children together, Robert{{sfnm|1a1=Miracle|1a2=Miracle|1y=1994|1p=see family tree|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=19–20|3a1=Leaming|3y=1998|3pp=52–53}} and [[Berniece Baker Miracle|Berniece]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=7–9|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=19}} Gladys successfully filed for divorce and sole custody of her two oldest in 1923, but Baker kidnapped the children soon after and moved with them to his native [[Kentucky]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=9 for the exact year when divorce was finalized|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=20|3a1=Leaming|3y=1998|3pp=52–53}} Monroe first learned about her sister when she was 12 years old, and met her for the first time in her late teens.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=88, for first meeting in 1944|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=72, for mother telling Monroe of sister in 1938}}

Following the divorce, Gladys worked as a [[film negative]] cutter at [[Consolidated Film Industries]].{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1p=150, citing Spoto and Summers|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp= 24–25}} In 1924, she married Martin Edward Mortensen, but the union lasted only a few months, although they did not legally divorce until four years later.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1p=150, citing Spoto and Summers|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp= 24–25}} Gladys named Mortensen (misspelled ''Mortenson'') as Monroe's father in the birth certificate, but most of Monroe's biographers agree that this was unlikely as their separation had taken place well before she became pregnant.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1pp=149–152 citing Spoto, Summers and Guiles|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=26|3a1=Spoto|3y=2001|3p=13}} According to biographers Fred Guiles and [[Lois Banner]], her father was likely Charles Stanley Gifford, Gladys's superior at [[RKO Studios]], with whom she had an affair in 1925.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1p=152|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=26|3a1=Spoto|3y=2001|3p=13}} This was supported by a comparison conducted in 2022 between Monroe's DNA and that of one of Gifford's descendants.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/marilyn-monroe-documentary-charles-stanley-gifford-mediawan-1235222789/ |title= Marilyn Monroe's Biological Father Revealed in Documentary 'Marilyn, Her Final Secret'|first1= Elsa |last1= Keslassy |magazine= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date= April 4, 2022 |access-date= April 4, 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Marilyn monroe as an infant brightened.jpg|right|thumb|upright|alt=Monroe as an infant, wearing a white dress and sitting on a sheepskin rug|Monroe as an infant, {{circa|1927}}]]Although Gladys was mentally and financially unprepared for a child, Monroe's early childhood was stable and happy.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=17–26|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=32–35}} Gladys placed her daughter with [[evangelical Christian]] foster parents Albert and Ida Bolender in the suburban town of [[Hawthorne, California|Hawthorne]]. She also lived there for six months until she was forced to move back to the city for employment.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=16–26|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=164|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=22–35}} She then began visiting her daughter on weekends.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=17–26|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=32–35}} In the summer of 1933, Gladys bought a small house in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] with a loan from the [[Home Owners' Loan Corporation]] and moved seven-year-old Monroe in with her.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=26–28|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=35–39|3a1=Leaming|3y=1998|3pp=54–55}} They shared the house with lodgers, actors George and Maude Atkinson and their daughter, Nellie.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=26–28|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=35–39}} In January 1934, Gladys had a mental breakdown and was diagnosed with [[paranoid schizophrenia]].{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=155–156}} After several months in a rest home, she was committed to the [[Metropolitan State Hospital (California)|Metropolitan State Hospital]].{{sfnm|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=39–40|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1pp=155–156}} She spent the rest of her life in and out of hospitals and was rarely in contact with Monroe.{{sfnm|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=39–42, 45–47, 62, 72, 91, 205|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=100–101, 106–107, 215–216}} Monroe became a [[ward of the state]], and her mother's friend Grace Goddard took responsibility over her and her mother's affairs.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=40–49|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=165|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=40–62}}

For the next 16 months, Monroe continued living with the Atkinsons and may have been [[child sexual abuse|sexually abused]] during this time.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=33–40|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=40–54}}{{efn|Monroe spoke about being sexually abused by a lodger when she was eight years old to her biographers [[Ben Hecht]] in 1953–1954 and [[Maurice Zolotow]] in 1960, and in interviews for ''[[Paris Match]]'' and ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]''.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=48–49}} Although she refused to name the abuser, Banner believes he was George Atkinson, as he was a lodger and fostered Monroe when she was eight years old; Banner also states that Monroe's description of the abuser fits other descriptions of Atkinson.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=40–59}} Banner has argued that the abuse may have been a major causative factor in Monroe's mental health problems, and has also written that as the subject was [[taboo]] in mid-century United States, Monroe was unusual in daring to speak about it publicly.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=7, 40–59}} Spoto does not mention the incident but states that Monroe was sexually abused by Grace's husband in 1937 and by a cousin while living with a relative in 1938.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=55|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=166–173}} Barbara Leaming repeats Monroe's account of the abuse, but earlier biographers Fred Guiles, Anthony Summers, and Carl Rollyson have doubted the incident owing to lack of evidence beyond Monroe's statements.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=166–173}}}} Always a shy girl, she developed a [[stutter]] and became withdrawn.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp= 27, 54–73}} In the summer of 1935, she briefly stayed with Grace and her husband Erwin "Doc" Goddard and two other families.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=47–48}} In September 1935, Grace placed her in the Los Angeles Orphans Home #2, Hollygrove.<ref name="flickr/7416642764">{{cite web |last1=Acosta |first1=Yvonne |title=Young Marilyn: Photo from Hollygrove Orphanage |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/picarooned/7416642764 |website=flickr |access-date=November 2, 2023 |date=May 30, 2012}}</ref><ref name="pcad/7187">{{cite web |title=Los Angeles Orphans' Home Society, Orphanage #2, Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA |url=https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/7187/ |website=pcad.lib.washington.edu |publisher=PCAD - Pacific Coast Architecture Database |access-date=November 2, 2023}}</ref><ref name="latimes/2005-12-20/me-hollygrove20">{{cite news |last1=Pool |first1=Bob |title=A Haven for Children in L.A. Closes After 125 Years |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-dec-20-me-hollygrove20-story.html |access-date=November 2, 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=December 20, 2005}}</ref>{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=44–45|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=165–166|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=62–63}} The orphanage was "a model institution" and was described in positive terms by her peers, but Monroe felt abandoned.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=60–63}} Encouraged by the orphanage staff, who thought that Monroe would be happier living in a family, Grace became her [[legal guardian]] in 1936 but did not take her out of the orphanage until the summer of 1937.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=49–50|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=62–63 (see also footnotes), 455}} Monroe's second stay with the Goddards lasted only a few months because Doc allegedly [[molested]] her.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=62–64}} She then lived for brief periods with her relatives and Grace's friends and relatives in Los Angeles and [[Compton, California|Compton]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=49–50|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=62–64, 455}}

[[File:Monroe and James Dougherty.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Monroe with her first husband, [[James Dougherty (police officer)|James Dougherty]], {{circa|1943–44}}. They married when she was 16 and divorced in 1946, when she was 20.]]Monroe's childhood experiences first made her want to become an actress: <blockquote>I didn't like the world around me because it was kind of grim ... When I heard that this was acting, I said that's what I want to be ... Some of my foster families used to send me to the movies to get me out of the house and there I'd sit all day and way into the night. Up in front, there with the screen so big, a little kid all alone, and I loved it.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2007/sep/14/greatinterviews|title=Great interviews of the 20th century: 'When you're famous you run into human nature in a raw kind of way'|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=September 14, 2007|access-date=October 21, 2015|first=Richard|last=Meryman|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104070748/http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2007/sep/14/greatinterviews|archive-date=November 4, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

Monroe found a more permanent home in September 1938, when she began living with Grace's aunt Ana Lower in [[Sawtelle, Los Angeles|Sawtelle]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=51–67|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=62–86}} Monroe was enrolled at [[Emerson Junior High School]] and went to weekly [[Christian Science]] services with Lower.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=68–69|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=75–77}} She excelled in writing and contributed to the school newspaper, but was otherwise a mediocre student.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=73–76}} Owing to the elderly Lower's health problems, Monroe returned to live with the Goddards in [[Van Nuys]] in about early 1941.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=67–69|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=86}} That same year, she began attending [[Van Nuys High School]].{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=67–69}}

In 1942, the company that employed Doc relocated him to [[West Virginia]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=70–75|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=86–90}} California child protection laws prevented the Goddards from taking Monroe out of state, and she faced having to return to the orphanage.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=86–90}} To avoid this, it was decided that she leave high school and marry their neighbor, factory worker [[James Dougherty (police officer)|James Dougherty]], who was five years her senior. The marriage took place just after her 16th birthday on June 19, 1942.{{Sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=70–75}} Monroe found herself and Dougherty mismatched, and later said she was "dying of boredom" during the marriage.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=70–78}} In 1943, Dougherty enlisted in the [[United States Merchant Marine|Merchant Marine]] and was stationed on [[Santa Catalina Island (California)|Santa Catalina Island]], where Monroe moved with him.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=83–86|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=91–98}}

=== 1944–1948: Modeling, divorce, and first film roles ===
[[File:Norma-Jean.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=Portrait of Monroe aged 20, taken at the Radioplane Munitions Factory|A photo of Monroe taken by [[David Conover]] in 1944 at the [[Radioplane Company]]]]
In April 1944, Dougherty was shipped out to the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|Pacific]], where he remained for most of the next two years.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=83–86|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=91–98}} After Dougherty left, Monroe moved in with Dougherty's parents and began a job at the [[Radioplane Company]], a munitions factory in Van Nuys, to help the war effort.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=83–86|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=91–98}} In late 1944, she met photographer [[David Conover]], then working in the [[U.S. Army Air Forces]]' [[First Motion Picture Unit]], who had been sent to the factory to shoot morale-boosting pictures of female workers.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=90–91|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=176}} Although none of her pictures were used, she quit working at the factory in January 1945 and began modeling for Conover and his friends.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=90–93|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=176–177}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Yank USA 1945|url=http://www.wartimepress.com/archives.asp?TID=YANK%20USA%201943&MID=YANK%20-%20USA%20Edition&q=357&FID=42|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807072009/http://www.wartimepress.com/archives.asp?TID=YANK%20USA%201943&MID=YANK%20-%20USA%20Edition&q=357&FID=42|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 7, 2017|publisher=Wartime Press|access-date=January 13, 2012}}</ref> Defying her deployed husband and his disapproving mother, she moved on her own and signed a contract with the Blue Book Model Agency in August 1945.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=103–104}}

The agency deemed Monroe's figure more suitable for [[pin-up]] than high fashion modeling, and she was featured mostly in advertisements and men's magazines.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=95–107}} She straightened her naturally curly brown hair and dyed it [[Blond|platinum blonde]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=93–95|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=105–108}} According to Emmeline Snively, the agency's owner, Monroe quickly became one of its most ambitious and hard-working models; by early 1946, she had appeared on 33 magazine covers for publications such as ''[[Pageant (magazine)|Pageant]]'', ''U.S. Camera'', ''Laff'', and ''Peek''.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=95, for statement & covers|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=109, for Snively's statement}} As a model, Monroe occasionally used the pseudonym Jean Norman.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=93–95|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=105–108}}
[[File:Marilyn Monroe postcard.JPG|thumb|left|Monroe posing as a [[pin-up model]] for a postcard photograph, {{circa|1940s}}|alt=A smiling Monroe sitting on a beach and leaning back on her arms. She is wearing a bikini and wedge sandals.]]
Through Snively, Monroe signed a contract with an acting agency in June 1946.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=110–111}} After an unsuccessful interview at [[Paramount Pictures]], she was given a screen-test by [[Ben Lyon]], a [[20th Century-Fox]] executive. Head executive [[Darryl F. Zanuck]] was unenthusiastic about it,{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=110–112|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=117–119}} but he gave her a standard six-month contract to avoid her being signed by rival studio [[RKO Pictures]].{{efn|RKO's owner [[Howard Hughes]] had expressed an interest in Monroe after seeing her on a magazine cover.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=119}}}} Monroe's contract began in August 1946, and she and Lyon selected the stage name "Marilyn Monroe".{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=112–114}} The first name was picked by Lyon, who was reminded of Broadway star [[Marilyn Miller]]; the surname was Monroe's mother's maiden name.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=114}} In September 1946, she divorced Dougherty, who had been opposed to her career.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=109}}

Monroe spent her first six months at Fox learning acting, singing, and dancing, and observing the film-making process.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=118–120|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=130–131}} Her contract was renewed in February 1947, and she was given her first film roles, bit parts in ''[[Dangerous Years]]'' (1947) and ''[[Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!]]'' (1948).{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=120–121}}{{efn|It has sometimes been claimed that Monroe appeared as an extra in other Fox films during this period, including ''[[Green Grass of Wyoming]]'', ''[[The Shocking Miss Pilgrim]]'', and ''[[You Were Meant for Me (film)|You Were Meant For Me]]'', but there is no evidence to support this.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=59}}}} The studio also enrolled her in the [[Actors' Laboratory Theatre]], an acting school teaching the techniques of the [[Group Theatre (New York City)|Group Theatre]]; she later stated that it was "my first taste of what real acting in a real drama could be, and I was hooked".{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=122–126}} Despite her enthusiasm, her teachers thought her too shy and insecure to have a future in acting, and Fox did not renew her contract in August 1947.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=120–121, 126|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=133}} She returned to modeling while also doing occasional odd jobs at film studios, such as working as a dancing "pacer" behind the scenes to keep the leads on point at musical sets.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=120–121, 126|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=133}}
[[File:Marilyn-by Cronenweth.JPG|thumb|upright|Monroe in a 1948 [[publicity photo]]]]
Monroe was determined to make it as an actress, and continued studying at the Actors' Lab. She had a small role in the play ''Glamour Preferred'' at the [[Bliss-Hayden Theater]], but it ended after a couple of performances.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=122–129|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=133}} To network, she frequented producers' offices, befriended gossip columnist [[Sidney Skolsky]], and entertained influential male guests at studio functions, a practice she had begun at Fox.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=130–133|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=133–144}} She also became a friend and occasional sex partner of Fox executive [[Joseph M. Schenck]], who persuaded his friend [[Harry Cohn]], the head executive of [[Columbia Pictures]], to sign her in March 1948.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1pp=204–216, citing Summers, Spoto and Guiles for Schenck|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=141–144|3a1=Spoto|3y=2001|3pp=133–134}}

At Columbia, Monroe's look was modeled after [[Rita Hayworth]] and her hair was bleached platinum blonde.{{sfnm|1a1=Banner|1y=2012|1p=139|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2pp=133–134}} She began working with the studio's head drama coach, [[Natasha Lytess]], who would remain her mentor until 1955.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=133–134}} Her only film at the studio was the low-budget musical ''[[Ladies of the Chorus]]'' (1948), in which she had her first starring role as a chorus girl courted by a wealthy man.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=59}} She also screen-tested for the lead role in ''[[Born Yesterday (1950 film)|Born Yesterday]]'' (1950), but her contract was not renewed in September 1948.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=148}} ''Ladies of the Chorus'' was released the following month and was not a success.{{sfn|Summers|1985|p=43}}

=== 1949–1952: Breakthrough years ===
[[File:Marilyn Monroe Asphalt Jungle.jpg|thumb|left|alt= Monroe in ''The Asphalt Jungle''. She is wearing a black dress and stands in a doorway, facing a man wearing a trench coat and a fedora|Monroe in ''[[The Asphalt Jungle]]'' (1950), one of her earliest performances to gain attention from film critics]]
When her contract at Columbia ended, Monroe returned again to modeling. She shot a commercial for [[Pabst Brewing Company|Pabst]] beer and posed for artistic nude photographs by [[Tom Kelley (photographer)|Tom Kelley]] for John Baumgarth<ref name="issuemagazine-goddesses">{{cite news |last1=Ortner |first1=Jon |title=Sex Goddesses & Pin-Up Queens |url=https://www.issuemagazine.com/sex-goddesses-pin-up-queens/ |access-date=July 19, 2022 |work=issue magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121111642/http://issuemagazine.com/sex-goddesses-pin-up-queens/ |archive-date=January 21, 2022 |url-status=dead }}</ref> calendars, using the name 'Mona Monroe'.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=151–153}} Monroe had previously posed topless or clad in a bikini for other artists including [[Earl Moran]], and felt comfortable with nudity.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=151–153|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=140–149}}{{efn|Baumgarth was initially not happy with the photos, but published one of them in 1950; Monroe was not publicly identified as the model until 1952. Although she then contained the resulting scandal by claiming she had reluctantly posed nude due to an urgent need for cash, biographers Spoto and Banner have stated that she was not pressured (although according to Banner, she was initially hesitant due to her aspirations of movie stardom) and regarded the shoot as simply another work assignment.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=151–153|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=140–149}}}} Shortly after leaving Columbia, she also met and became the protégée and mistress of [[Johnny Hyde]], the vice president of the [[William Morris Agency]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=145–146|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=149, 157}}

Through Hyde, Monroe landed small roles in several films,{{efn|In addition to ''All About Eve'' and ''The Asphalt Jungle'', Monroe's 1950 films were ''[[Love Happy]]'', ''[[A Ticket to Tomahawk]]'', ''[[Right Cross]]'' and ''[[The Fireball]]''. Monroe also had a role in ''[[Home Town Story]]'', released in 1951.}} including two critically acclaimed works. The first was [[Joseph Mankiewicz]]'s drama ''[[All About Eve]]'' (1950), which received 14 Academy Award nominations.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=59–60}} The film's star [[Bette Davis]] later praised Monroe's performance, saying, "Definitely, no question, I knew she was going to make it. She was a very ambitious girl, [and] knew what she wanted [and was] very serious about it...I thought she had talent."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Musnicky |first=Sarah |date=2022-10-01 |title=Bette Davis Had Kind Words About Working With Marilyn Monroe On All About Eve |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1024772/bette-davis-had-kind-words-about-working-with-marilyn-monroe-on-all-about-eve/ |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=SlashFilm |language=en-US}}</ref> The second film was [[John Huston]]'s noir ''[[The Asphalt Jungle]]'' (1950).{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=59–60}} Despite her screen time being only a few minutes, Monroe gained a mention in ''[[Photoplay]]'' and according to biographer Donald Spoto "moved effectively from movie model to serious actress".{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=159–162}}

In December 1950, Hyde negotiated a seven-year contract for Monroe with 20th Century-Fox.{{sfnm|1a1=Riese|1a2=Hitchens|1y=1988|1p=228|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2p=182}} According to its terms, Fox could opt not to renew the contract after each year.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=182}} Hyde died of a heart attack only days later, which left Monroe devastated.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=175–177|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=157}} In 1951, Monroe had supporting roles in three moderately successful Fox comedies: ''[[As Young as You Feel]]'', ''[[Love Nest]]'', and ''[[Let's Make It Legal]]''.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=60}} According to Spoto all three films featured her "essentially [as] a sexy ornament", but she received some praise from critics: [[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' described her as "superb" in ''As Young As You Feel'' and Ezra Goodman of the ''[[Los Angeles Daily News (historic)|Los Angeles Daily News]]'' called her "one of the brightest up-and-coming [actresses]" for ''Love Nest''.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=179–187|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=60}}

Her popularity with audiences was also growing: she received several thousand fan letters a week, and was declared "Miss [[pin-up|Cheesecake]] of 1951" by the army newspaper ''[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]'', reflecting the preferences of soldiers in the [[Korean War]].{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=192}} In February 1952, the [[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]] named Monroe the "best young box office personality".<ref name=gg>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/articles/marilyn-globes-golden-girl|title=Marilyn: The Globes' Golden Girl|publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]] (HFPA)|access-date=September 11, 2015|first=Yoram|last=Kahana|date=January 30, 2014}}</ref> In her private life, Monroe had a short relationship with director [[Elia Kazan]] and also briefly dated several other men, including director [[Nicholas Ray]] and actors [[Yul Brynner]] and [[Peter Lawford]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=180–181|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=163–167, 181–182 for Kazan and others}} In early 1952, she began a highly publicized romance with retired [[New York Yankees]] baseball star [[Joe DiMaggio]], one of the most famous sports personalities of the era.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=201|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=192}}

[[File:Monroe and Andes in Clash By Night.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Monroe with [[Keith Andes]] in ''[[Clash by Night]]'' (1952). The film allowed Monroe to display more of her acting range in a dramatic role.]]
Monroe found herself at the center of a scandal in March 1952, when she revealed publicly that she had posed for a nude calendar in 1949.{{sfnm|1a1=Summers|1y=1985|1p=58|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2pp=210–213}} The studio had learned about the photos and that she was publicly rumored to be the model some weeks prior, and together with Monroe decided that to prevent damaging her career it was best to admit to them while stressing that she had been broke at the time.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=210–213|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=224–226|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=194–195}} The strategy gained her public sympathy and increased interest in her films, for which she was now receiving top [[billing (filmmaking)|billing]]. In the wake of the scandal, Monroe was featured on the cover of [[Life (magazine)|''Life'' magazine]] as the "Talk of Hollywood", and gossip columnist [[Hedda Hopper]] declared her the "cheesecake queen" turned "box office smash".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1952/05/04/page/103/article/they-call-her-the-blowtorch-blonde|title=They Call Her The Blowtorch Blonde|work=Chicago Tribune|date=May 4, 1952|access-date=October 18, 2015|first=Hedda|last=Hopper|author-link=Hedda Hopper|archive-date=November 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121135919/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1952/05/04/page/103/article/they-call-her-the-blowtorch-blonde/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Three of Monroe's films—''[[Clash by Night]]'', ''[[Don't Bother to Knock]]'' and ''[[We're Not Married!]]''—were released soon after to capitalize on the public interest.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=210–213|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=61–62, 224–226|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=194–195}}

Despite her newfound popularity as a sex symbol, Monroe also wished to showcase more of her acting range. She had begun taking acting classes with [[Michael Chekhov]] and mime [[Lotte Goslar]] soon after beginning the Fox contract,{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=188–189|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=170–171, 178 for not wanting to be solely a sex symbol}} and ''Clash by Night'' and ''Don't Bother to Knock'' showed her in different roles.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1p=61 for being commercially successful|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=178 for wishes not to be solely a sex symbol}} In the former, a drama starring [[Barbara Stanwyck]] and directed by [[Fritz Lang]], she played a fish cannery worker; to prepare, she spent time in a fish cannery in [[Monterey]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=194–195|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=60–61}} She received positive reviews for her performance: ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' stated that "she deserves starring status with her excellent interpretation", and ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote that she "has an ease of delivery which makes her a cinch for popularity".{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=194–195}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/50452|title=Clash By Night|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|access-date=August 8, 2015}}</ref> The latter was a thriller in which Monroe starred as a mentally disturbed babysitter and which Zanuck used to test her abilities in a heavier dramatic role.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=196–197}} It received mixed reviews from critics, with Crowther deeming her too inexperienced for the difficult role,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9400E7DA153AE23BBC4152DFB1668389649EDE|title=Don't Bother to Knock|date=July 19, 1952|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=August 8, 2015|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|author-link=Bosley Crowther}}</ref> and ''Variety'' blaming the script for the film's problems.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1p=61|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=180}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1951/film/reviews/don-t-bother-to-knock-1200417267/|title=Review: Don't Bother to Knock|date=December 31, 1951|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=August 8, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Monroe in Don't Bother to Knock (1952).jpg|thumb|left|alt= Monroe, wearing a transparent lace robe and diamond earrings, sitting at a dressing table and looking off-camera with a shocked expression|Monroe in ''[[Don't Bother to Knock]]'' (1952)]]
Monroe's three other films in 1952 continued with her typecasting in comedic roles that highlighted her sex appeal. In ''We're Not Married!'', her role as a beauty pageant contestant was created solely to "present Marilyn in two bathing suits", according to its writer [[Nunnally Johnson]].{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=200}} In [[Howard Hawks]]'s ''[[Monkey Business (1952 film)|Monkey Business]]'', in which she acted opposite [[Cary Grant]], she played a secretary who is a "dumb, childish blonde, innocently unaware of the havoc her sexiness causes around her".{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=62}} In ''[[O. Henry's Full House]]'', with [[Charles Laughton]] she appeared in a passing vignette as a nineteenth-century street walker.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=61}} Monroe added to her reputation as a new sex symbol with publicity stunts that year: she wore a revealing dress when acting as Grand Marshal at the [[Miss America Pageant]] parade, and told gossip columnist [[Earl Wilson (columnist)|Earl Wilson]] that she usually wore no underwear.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=224–225}} By the end of the year, gossip columnist [[Florabel Muir]] named Monroe the "[[it girl]]" of 1952.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1952/10/19/page/103/article/marilyn-monroe-tells  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121143131/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1952/10/19/page/103/article/marilyn-monroe-tells |archive-date=November 21, 2015 |title=Marilyn Monroe Tells: How to Deal With Wolves|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=October 19, 1952|access-date=October 18, 2015|first=Florabel|last=Muir}}<!-- https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/search/#query=Marilyn+Monroe+Florabel+Muir&ymd-start=1952-09-01&ymd-end=1952-10-31 --></ref><ref name="MotionPicture1953">{{cite news |author1=Marilyn Monroe as told to Florabel Muir |title=Wolves I Have Known |url=http://es-blog-images.everlasting-star.net.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Motion_Picture__january_1953__b.jpg |access-date=January 31, 2022 |work=Motion Picture |date=January 1953 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310220531/http://es-blog-images.everlasting-star.net.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Motion_Picture__january_1953__b.jpg |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |page=41}}</ref>

During this period, Monroe gained a reputation for being difficult to work with, which would worsen as her career progressed. She was often late or did not show up at all, did not remember her lines, and would demand several re-takes before she was satisfied with her performance.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=238}} Her dependence on her acting coaches—Natasha Lytess and then [[Paula Strasberg]]—also irritated directors.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=139, 195, 233–234, 241, 244, 372}} Monroe's problems have been attributed to a combination of perfectionism, low self-esteem, and stage fright.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=328–329|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp= 188–189, 211–214|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=51–56, 238}} She disliked her lack of control on film sets and never experienced similar problems during photo shoots, in which she had more say over her performance and could be more spontaneous instead of following a script.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=328–329|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp= 188–189, 211–214|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=51–56, 238}}<ref name=levin/> To alleviate her anxiety and chronic [[insomnia]], she began to use [[barbiturate]]s, [[amphetamines]], and alcohol, which also exacerbated her problems, although she did not become severely addicted until 1956.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=328–329|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=211–214, 311|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=238}} According to [[Sarah Churchwell]], some of Monroe's behavior, especially later in her career, was also in response to the condescension and sexism of her male co-stars and directors.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp= 257–264}} Biographer [[Lois Banner]] said that she was bullied by many of her directors.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp= 189–190, 210–211}}

=== 1953: Rising star ===
[[File:Marilyn Monroe Niagara.png |left|thumb|alt= Monroe in ''Niagara''. A close-up of her face and shoulders; she is wearing gold hoop earrings and a shocking pink top|Monroe in ''[[Niagara (1953 film)|Niagara]]'' (1953), which dwelt on her sex appeal]]

Monroe starred in three movies that were released in 1953 and emerged as a major sex symbol and one of Hollywood's most bankable performers.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=221|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=61–65|3a1=Lev|3y=2013|3p=168}}<ref name="www.quigleypublishing.com Top10_lists">{{cite web |url=http://www.quigleypublishing.com/MPalmanac/Top10/Top10_lists.html |title=The 2006 Motion Picture Almanac, Top Ten Money Making Stars |publisher=Quigley Publishing Company |access-date=August 25, 2008 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221063625/http://www.quigleypublishing.com/MPalmanac/Top10/Top10_lists.html |archive-date=December 21, 2014}}</ref> The first was the [[Technicolor]] [[film noir]] ''[[Niagara (1953 film)|Niagara]]'', in which she played a ''[[femme fatale]]'' scheming to murder her husband, played by [[Joseph Cotten]].{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=233}} By then, Monroe and her make-up artist [[Allan "Whitey" Snyder]] had developed her "trademark" make-up look: dark arched brows, pale skin, "glistening" red lips and a [[beauty mark]].{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=25, 62}} According to Sarah Churchwell, ''Niagara'' was one of the most overtly sexual films of Monroe's career.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=62}} In some scenes, Monroe's body was covered only by a sheet or a towel, considered shocking by contemporary audiences.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1p=62|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=195–196}} ''Niagara''{{Apostrophe}}s most famous scene is a 30-second [[long shot]] behind Monroe where she is seen walking with her hips swaying, which was used heavily in the film's marketing.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1p=62|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=195–196}}
[[File:Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Movie Trailer Screenshot (34).jpg|thumb|Monroe performing the song "[[Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend]]" in the trailer for the 1953 film, [[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953 film)|''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'']]]]
When ''Niagara'' was released in January 1953, [[women's clubs]] protested it as immoral, but it proved popular with audiences.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=221|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=205|3a1=Leaming|3y=1998|3p=75 on box office figure}} While ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' deemed it "clichéd" and "morbid", ''[[The New York Times]]'' commented that "the falls and Miss Monroe are something to see", as although Monroe may not be "the perfect actress at this point ... she can be seductive—even when she walks".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE0DF163FE53ABC4A51DFB7668388649EDE|title=Niagara Falls Vies With Marilyn Monroe|work=The New York Times|date=January 22, 1953|access-date=October 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105231428/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE0DF163FE53ABC4A51DFB7668388649EDE|archive-date=November 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/niagara-1200417447/|title=Review: 'Niagara'|work=Variety|date=December 31, 1952|access-date=October 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121060822/http://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/niagara-1200417447/|archive-date=November 21, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
Monroe continued to attract attention by wearing revealing outfits, most famously at the ''Photoplay'' Awards in January 1953, where she won the "Fastest Rising Star" award.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=236–238|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=234|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=205–206}} A pleated "sunburst" waist-tight, deep décolleté gold [[Lamé (fabric)|lamé]] dress designed by [[William Travilla]] for ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'', but barely seen at all in the film, was to become a sensation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.glamamor.com/2014/05/MarilynMonroe-GentlemenPreferBlondes-Travilla.html|title=Style Essentials--Stardom Strikes Marilyn Monroe as GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES|first=Kimberly|last=Truhler}}</ref> Prompted by such imagery, veteran star [[Joan Crawford]] publicly called the behavior "unbecoming an actress and a lady".{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=236–238|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=234|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=205–206}}

While ''Niagara'' made Monroe a sex symbol and established her "look", her second film of 1953, the satirical musical comedy ''[[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953 film)|Gentlemen Prefer Blondes]]'', cemented her screen persona as a "[[dumb blonde]]".{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=231|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=64|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3p=200|4a1=Leaming|4y=1998|4pp=75–76}} Based on [[Anita Loos]]' [[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (novel)|novel]] and [[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (musical)|its Broadway version]], the film focuses on two "gold-digging" [[showgirl]]s played by Monroe and [[Jane Russell]]. Monroe's role was originally intended for [[Betty Grable]], who had been 20th Century-Fox's most popular "[[blonde bombshell (stereotype)|blonde bombshell]]" in the 1940s; Monroe was fast eclipsing her as a star who could appeal to both male and female audiences.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=219–220|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=177}} As part of the film's publicity campaign, she and Russell pressed their hand and footprints in wet concrete outside [[Grauman's Chinese Theatre]] in June.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=242|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=208–209}} ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' was released shortly after and became one of the biggest box office successes of the year.{{sfnm|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=63|1a1=Solomon|1y=1988|1p=89}} Crowther of ''[[The New York Times]]'' and William Brogdon of ''Variety'' both commented favorably on Monroe, especially noting her performance of "[[Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend]]"; according to the latter, she demonstrated the "ability to sex a song as well as point up the eye values of a scene by her presence".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1953/film/reviews/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-2-1200417560/|title=Gentlemen Prefer Blondes|work=Variety|date=July 1, 1953|access-date=October 18, 2015|first=William|last=Brogdon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121062432/http://variety.com/1953/film/reviews/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-2-1200417560/|archive-date=November 21, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B07E0DC173DE23BBC4E52DFB1668388649EDE|title=Gentlemen Prefer Blondes|work=The New York Times|date=July 16, 1953|access-date=October 18, 2015|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926154609/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B07E0DC173DE23BBC4E52DFB1668388649EDE|archive-date=September 26, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> 
[[File:Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall in How to Marry a Millionaire trailer.jpg|left|thumb|289x289px|Monroe with [[Betty Grable]] and [[Lauren Bacall]] in the film ''[[How to Marry a Millionaire]]'' (1953)]]
In September, Monroe made her television debut in the ''[[Jack Benny Show]]'', playing Jack's fantasy woman in the episode "Honolulu Trip".{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=250}} She co-starred with Grable and [[Lauren Bacall]] in her third movie of the year, ''[[How to Marry a Millionaire]]'', released in November. It featured Monroe as a naïve model who teams up with her friends to find rich husbands, repeating the successful formula of ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes''. It was the second film ever released in [[CinemaScope]], a widescreen format that Fox hoped would draw audiences back to theaters as television was beginning to cause losses to film studios.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=238|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=64–65}} Despite mixed reviews, the film was Monroe's biggest box office success at that point in her career.{{sfnm|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=65|3a1=Lev|3y=2013|3p=209|1a1=Solomon|1y=1988|1p=89}}

Monroe was listed in the annual [[Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll]] in both 1953 and 1954,<ref name="www.quigleypublishing.com Top10_lists" /> and according to Fox historian Aubrey Solomon became the studio's "greatest asset" alongside CinemaScope.{{sfn|Solomon|1988|p=89}} Monroe's position as a leading sex symbol was confirmed in December 1953, when [[Hugh Hefner]] featured her on the cover and as centerfold in the first issue of ''[[Playboy]]''; Monroe did not consent to the publication.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=217}} The cover image was a photograph taken of her at the [[Miss America Pageant]] parade in 1952, and the centerfold featured one of her 1949 nude photographs.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=217}}

=== 1954–1955: Conflicts with 20th Century-Fox and marriage to Joe DiMaggio ===
Monroe had become one of 20th Century-Fox's biggest stars, but her contract had not changed since 1950, so that she was paid far less than other stars of her stature and could not choose her projects.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=68}} Her attempts to appear in films that would not focus on her as a pin-up had been thwarted by the studio head executive, [[Darryl F. Zanuck]], who had a strong personal dislike of her and did not think she would earn the studio as much revenue in other types of roles.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=68, 208–209}} Under pressure from the studio's owner, [[Spyros Skouras]], Zanuck had also decided that Fox should focus exclusively on entertainment to maximize profits and canceled the production of any "serious films".{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=217}} In January 1954, he suspended Monroe when she refused to begin shooting yet another musical comedy, ''[[The Girl in Pink Tights]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Summers|1y=1985|1p=92|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2pp=254–259}}  
[[File:Monroe DiMaggio Wedding.jpg|left|thumb|Monroe and [[Joe DiMaggio]] shortly after their wedding, January 1954]]
This was front-page news, and Monroe immediately took action to counter negative publicity. She and DiMaggio, who had been dating for two years, were married at the [[San Francisco City Hall]] on January 14, 1954.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=260}} Fifteen days later, they flew to Japan, combining a "honeymoon" with his business trip.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=262–263}} From Tokyo, she traveled to Korea, where she participated in a [[USO]] show, singing for over 60,000 U.S. Marines over a four-day period.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=241}} After returning to the U.S., she was awarded ''Photoplay''{{'}}s "Most Popular Female Star" prize.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=267}} Monroe settled with Fox in March, with the promise of a new contract, a bonus of $100,000, and a starring role in the [[The Seven Year Itch|film adaptation]] of the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] success ''[[The Seven Year Itch (play)|The Seven Year Itch]]''.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=271}}

In April 1954, [[Otto Preminger]]'s [[western (genre)|western]] ''[[River of No Return]]'', the last film that Monroe had filmed prior to the suspension, was released. She called it a "[[Z movie|Z-grade]] cowboy movie in which the acting finished second to the scenery and the CinemaScope process", but it was popular with audiences.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=66–67}} The first film she made after the suspension was the musical ''[[There's No Business Like Show Business (film)|There's No Business Like Show Business]]'', which she strongly disliked but the studio required her to do for dropping ''The Girl in Pink Tights''.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=271}} It was unsuccessful upon its release in late 1954, with Monroe's performance considered vulgar by many critics.{{sfnm|1a1=Riese|1a2=Hitchens|1y=1988|1pp=338–440|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2p=277|3a1=Churchwell|3y=2004|3p=66|4a1=Banner|4y=2012|4p=227}}

[[File:Marilyn Monroe photo pose Seven Year Itch.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=Monroe is posing for photographers, wearing a white halterneck dress, which hem is blown up by air from a subway grate on which she is standing.|Monroe posing for photographers in ''[[The Seven Year Itch]]'' (1955)]]
In September 1954, Monroe began filming [[Billy Wilder]]'s comedy ''The Seven Year Itch'', starring opposite [[Tom Ewell]] as a woman who becomes the object of her married neighbor's sexual fantasies. Although the film was shot in Hollywood, the studio decided to generate advance publicity by staging the filming of a scene in which Monroe is standing on a subway grate with the air blowing up the skirt of [[white dress of Marilyn Monroe|her white dress]] on [[Lexington Avenue]] in Manhattan.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=283–284}} The shoot lasted for several hours and attracted nearly 2,000 spectators.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=283–284}} The "subway grate scene" became one of Monroe's most famous, and ''The Seven Year Itch'' became one of the biggest commercial successes of the year after its release in June 1955.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=331}}

The publicity stunt placed Monroe on international front pages, and it also marked the end of her marriage to DiMaggio.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=284–285|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=8–9}} The union had been troubled from the start by his jealousy and controlling attitude; he was also physically abusive.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=208, 222–223, 262–267, 292|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=243–245|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=204, 219–221}} After returning from NYC to Hollywood in October 1954, Monroe filed for divorce, after only nine months of marriage.{{sfnm|1a1=Summers|1y=1985|1pp=103–105|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2pp=290–295|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=224–225}}

After filming for ''The Seven Year Itch'' wrapped up in November 1954, Monroe left Hollywood for the East Coast, where she and photographer [[Milton Greene]] founded their own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions (MMP)—an action that has later been called "instrumental" in the collapse of the [[studio system]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=295–298|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=246}}{{efn|Monroe and Greene had first met and had a brief affair in 1949, and met again in 1953, when he photographed her for ''[[Look (American magazine)|Look]]''. She told him about her grievances with the studio, and Greene suggested that they start their own production company.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=158–159, 252–254}}}} Monroe stated that she was "tired of the same old sex roles" and asserted that she was no longer under contract to Fox, as it had not fulfilled its duties, such as paying her the promised bonus.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=302–303}} This began a year-long legal battle between her and Fox in January 1955.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=301–302}} The press largely ridiculed Monroe, and she was parodied in the Broadway play ''[[Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (play)|Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?]]'' (1955), in which her lookalike [[Jayne Mansfield]] played a dumb actress who starts her own production company.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=338}}

[[File:Monroe Actors Studio.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Monroe, who is wearing a skirt, blouse and jacket, standing below a sign for the Actors Studio looking up towards it|Monroe at the [[Actors Studio]], {{circa|1955}}|423x423px]]
After founding MMP, Monroe moved to Manhattan and spent 1955 studying acting. She took classes with [[Constance Collier]] and attended workshops on [[method acting]] at the [[Actors Studio]], run by [[Lee Strasberg]].{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=302}} She grew close to Strasberg and his wife Paula, receiving private lessons at their home due to her shyness, and soon became a family member.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=327}} She replaced her old acting coach, Natasha Lytess, with Paula; the Strasbergs remained an important influence for the rest of her career.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=350}} Monroe also started undergoing [[psychoanalysis]], as Strasberg believed that an actor must confront their emotional traumas and use them in their performances.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=310–313}}{{efn|Monroe underwent psychoanalysis regularly from 1955 until her death. Her analysts were psychiatrists Margaret Hohenberg (1955–57), [[Anna Freud]] (1957), [[Ernst Kris|Marianne Kris]] (1957–61), and [[Ralph Greenson]] (1960–62).{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=312–313, 375, 384–385, 421, 459 on years and names}}}}

Monroe continued her relationship with DiMaggio despite the ongoing divorce process; she also briefly dated actor [[Marlon Brando]]. According to Brando, they maintained an intermittent relationship until she died.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brando |first=Marlon |title=Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me |publisher=Random House |year=1994 |isbn=978-0679410133 |pages=184 |language=en}}</ref> She began a more serious affair with playwright [[Arthur Miller]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|pp=319–332|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=253, for Miller|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3p=285, for Brando}} Their relationship became increasingly serious after October 1955, when Monroe's divorce was finalized and Miller left his wife Mary Slattery.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=337|2a1=Meyers|2y=2010|2p=98}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wood |first=Gaby |date=2005-02-13 |title='I like the company of women. Life is boring without them' - Arthur Miller |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/feb/13/theatre.arthurmiller |access-date=2024-09-08 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> The studio urged her to end it, as Miller was being investigated by the [[FBI]] for allegations of [[communism]] and had been [[subpoena]]ed by the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]], but Monroe refused.{{sfnm|1a1=Summers|1y=1985|1p=157|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2pp=318–320|3a1=Churchwell|3y=2004|3pp=253–254}} The relationship led to the FBI opening a file on her.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=337|2a1=Meyers|2y=2010|2p=98}} After years of investigation, the FBI found no evidence linking Marilyn Monroe to the Communist Party of the United States, concluding, "Subject's views are very positively and concisely leftist; however, if she is being actively used by the Communist Party, it is not general knowledge among those working with the movement in Los Angeles."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marilyn Monroe |url=https://vault.fbi.gov/Marilyn%20Monroe |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=FBI |language=en-us}}</ref> 

By the end of the year, Monroe and Fox signed a new seven-year contract, as MMP would not be able to finance films alone, and the studio was eager to have Monroe working for them again.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=301–302}} Fox would pay her $400,000 to make four films, and granted her the right to choose her own projects, directors and cinematographers.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=339–340}} She would also be free to make one film with MMP per each completed film for Fox.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=339–340}}

=== 1956–1959: Critical acclaim and marriage to Arthur Miller ===
[[File:Monroe and Murray argument in Bus Stop.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Monroe and Don Murray in ''Bus Stop''. She is wearing a ragged coat and a small hat tied with ribbons and is having an argument with Murray, who is wearing jeans, a denim jacket and a cowboy hat.|Monroe's dramatic performance in ''[[Bus Stop (1956 film)|Bus Stop]]'' (1956) marked a departure from her earlier comedies.]]

Monroe began 1956 by announcing her win over 20th Century-Fox.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=296–297}} On February 23, 1956, she legally changed her name to ''Marilyn Monroe''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bodenner |first=Chris |date=2016-02-24 |title=The Day Norma Jean Died |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2016/02/marilyn-monroe-norma-jean/624878/ |access-date=2024-09-08 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> The press wrote favorably about her decision to fight the studio; ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' called her a "shrewd businesswoman"{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=341}} and ''[[Look (American magazine)|Look]]'' predicted that the win would be "an example of the individual against the herd for years to come".{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=296–297}} In contrast, Monroe's relationship with Miller prompted some negative comments, such as [[Walter Winchell]]'s statement that "America's best-known blonde moving picture star is now the darling of the left-wing intelligentsia."{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=343–345}}

In March, Monroe began filming the drama ''[[Bus Stop (1956 film)|Bus Stop]]'', her first film under the new contract.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=345}} She played Chérie, a saloon singer whose dreams of stardom are complicated by a naïve cowboy who falls in love with her. For the role, she learned an [[Ozark English|Ozark accent]], chose costumes and makeup that lacked the glamor of her earlier films, and provided deliberately mediocre singing and dancing.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=352–357}} [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] director [[Joshua Logan]] agreed to direct, despite initially doubting Monroe's acting abilities and knowing of her difficult reputation.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=352–354}} The filming took place in Idaho and Arizona, with Monroe "technically in charge" as the head of MMP, occasionally making decisions on cinematography and with Logan adapting to her chronic lateness and perfectionism.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=354–358, for location and time|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=297, 310}} The experience changed Logan's opinion of Monroe, and he later compared her to [[Charlie Chaplin]] in her ability to blend comedy and tragedy.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=254}}[[File:Monroe Miller Wedding.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=Cropped photo of Monroe and Miller cutting the cake at their wedding. Her veil is lifted from her face and he is wearing a white shirt with a dark tie.|Monroe and [[Arthur Miller]] at their wedding, June 1956]]On June 29, 1956, Monroe and Miller were married in a four-minute civil ceremony at the Westchester County Court in [[White Plains, New York]]; two days later they had a [[Jewish wedding|Jewish ceremony]] at the home of [[Kay B. Barrett|Kay Brown]], Miller's literary agent, in [[Waccabuc, New York]].{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=364–365}} With the marriage, Monroe [[Gerim|converted to Judaism]], which led Egypt to ban all of her films.{{sfn|Meyers|2010|pp=156–157}}{{efn|Monroe identified with the Jewish people as a "dispossessed group" and wanted to convert to make herself part of Miller's family.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=256}} She was instructed by Rabbi Robert Goldberg and converted on July 1, 1956.{{sfn|Meyers|2010|pp=156–157}} Monroe's interest in Judaism as a religion was limited: she called herself a "[[Jewish atheist]]" and did not practice the faith after divorcing Miller aside from retaining some religious items.{{sfn|Meyers|2010|pp=156–157}} Egypt also lifted her ban after the divorce was finalized in 1961.{{sfn|Meyers|2010|pp=156–157}}}} Due to Monroe's status as a sex symbol and Miller's image as an intellectual, the media saw the union as a mismatch, as evidenced by ''Variety''{{'}}s headline, "Egghead Weds Hourglass".{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1pp=253–257|2a1=Meyers|2y=2010|2p=155}}

''Bus Stop'' was released in August 1956 and became a critical and commercial success.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=358–359|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=69}} ''[[The Saturday Review of Literature]]'' wrote that Monroe's performance "effectively dispels once and for all the notion that she is merely a glamour personality" and Crowther proclaimed: "Hold on to your chairs, everybody, and get set for a rattling surprise. Marilyn Monroe has finally proved herself an actress."{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=358}} She also received a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe]] nomination for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Best Actress in a Leading Role - Musical or Comedy]] for her performance.<ref name=gg />

In August, Monroe also began filming MMP's first independent production, ''[[The Prince and the Showgirl]]'', at [[Pinewood Studios]] in England.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=372}} Based on [[The Sleeping Prince&nbsp;(play)|a 1953 stage play]] by [[Terence Rattigan]], it was to be directed and co-produced by, and to co-star, [[Laurence Olivier]].{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=341}} The production was complicated by conflicts between him and Monroe.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=258–261}} Olivier, who had also directed and starred in the stage play, angered her with the patronizing statement "All you have to do is be sexy", and with his demand she replicate [[Vivien Leigh]]'s stage interpretation of the character.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=370–379|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=258–261|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=310–311}} He also disliked the constant presence of Paula Strasberg, Monroe's acting coach, on set.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=370–379}} In retaliation, Monroe became uncooperative and began to deliberately arrive late, later saying, "if you don't respect your artists, they can't work well."{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=258–261}}
[[File:Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe Prince and the Showgirl 1957.jpg|thumb|170px|Monroe with [[Laurence Olivier]] in a publicity photo for ''[[The Prince and the Showgirl]]'' (1957)]]
Monroe also experienced other problems during the production. Her dependence on pharmaceuticals escalated and, according to Spoto, she had a miscarriage.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=368–376|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=310–314}} She and Greene also argued over how MMP should be run.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=368–376|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=310–314}} Despite the difficulties, filming was completed on schedule by the end of 1956.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1p=69|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=314, for being on time}} ''The Prince and the Showgirl'' was released to mixed reviews in June 1957 and proved unpopular with American audiences.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=69}} It was better received in Europe, where she was awarded the Italian [[David di Donatello]] and the French [[César Award|Crystal Star]] awards and nominated for a [[BAFTA]].{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=346}}

After returning from England, Monroe took an 18-month hiatus to concentrate on family life. She and Miller split their time between NYC, [[Connecticut]] and [[Long Island]].{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=381–382}} She had an [[ectopic pregnancy]] in mid-1957, and a miscarriage a year later;{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=392–393, 406–407}} these problems were most likely linked to her [[endometriosis]].{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=274–277}}{{efn|Endometriosis also caused her to experience severe [[menstrual pain]] throughout her life, necessitating a clause in her contract allowing her to be absent from work during her period; her endometriosis also required several surgeries.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=274–277}} It has sometimes been alleged that Monroe underwent several abortions, and that [[unsafe abortion]]s made by persons without proper medical training would have contributed to her inability to maintain a pregnancy.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1pp=271–274|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=222, 226, 329–30, 335, 362}} The abortion rumors began from statements made by Amy Greene, the wife of Milton Greene, but have not been confirmed by any concrete evidence.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=271–274}} Furthermore, Monroe's autopsy report did not note any evidence of abortions.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=271–274}}}} Monroe was also briefly hospitalized due to a barbiturate overdose.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=321}} As she and Greene could not settle their disagreements over MMP, Monroe bought his share of the company.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=389–391}}

[[File:Some like it hot film poster.jpg|thumb|alt=A ukulele-playing Monroe with a cross-dressing Lemmon in the bass and Curtis in the saxophone. There are also three other women playing different instruments.|left|Monroe with [[Jack Lemmon]] and [[Tony Curtis]] in ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' (1959), for which she won a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe]]]]
Monroe returned to Hollywood in July 1958 to act opposite [[Jack Lemmon]] and [[Tony Curtis]] in Billy Wilder's comedy on gender roles, ''[[Some Like It Hot]]''.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=325 on it being a comedy on gender}} She considered the role of Sugar Kane another "dumb blonde", but accepted it due to Miller's encouragement and the offer of 10% of the film's profits on top of her standard pay.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=325}} The film's difficult production has since become "legendary".{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=626}} Monroe demanded dozens of retakes, and did not remember her lines or act as directed—Curtis famously said that kissing her was "like kissing [[Hitler]]" due to the number of retakes.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=399–407|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=262}} Monroe privately likened the production to a sinking ship and commented on her co-stars and director saying {{nowrap|"[but]}} why should I worry, I have no phallic symbol to lose."{{sfnm|1a1=Banner|1y=2012|1p=327 on "sinking ship" and "phallic symbol"|2a1=Rose|2y=2014|2p=100 for full quote}} Many of the problems stemmed from her and Wilder—who also had a reputation for being difficult—disagreeing on how she should play the role.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1pp=262–266|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=325–327}} She angered him by asking to alter many of her scenes, which in turn made her stage fright worse, and it is suggested that she deliberately ruined several scenes to act them her way.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1pp=262–266|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=325–327}}

[[File:Some Like it Hot (1959) trailer.webm|thumb|Trailer for ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'']]
In the end, Wilder was happy with Monroe's performance, saying: "Anyone can remember lines, but it takes a real artist to come on the set and not know her lines and yet give the performance she did!"{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=406}} ''Some Like It Hot'' was a critical and commercial success when it was released in March 1959.{{sfnm|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=346|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=406}} Monroe's performance earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Leading Role - Musical or Comedy,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marilyn Monroe |url=https://goldenglobes.com/person/marilyn-monroe/ |access-date=August 16, 2024 |website=Golden Globes |language=en-US}}</ref> and prompted ''Variety'' to call her "a comedienne with that combination of sex appeal and timing that just can't be beat".{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=346}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1959/film/reviews/some-like-it-hot-2-1200419454/|title=Review: 'Some Like It Hot'|work=Variety|date=February 24, 1959|access-date=October 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031205405/http://variety.com/1959/film/reviews/some-like-it-hot-2-1200419454/|archive-date=October 31, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> It has been voted one of the [[best films ever made]] in polls by the [[BBC]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170821-the-100-greatest-comedies-of-all-time|title=The 100 greatest comedies of all time|publisher=BBC|date=August 22, 2017|access-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111175543/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170821-the-100-greatest-comedies-of-all-time|archive-date=January 11, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[American Film Institute]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/53017|title=Some Like It Hot|publisher=American Film Institute|access-date=September 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517064546/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/53017|archive-date=May 17, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Sight & Sound]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time|title=The top 50 Greatest Films of All Time|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|date=September 2012|access-date=September 5, 2015|first=Ian|last=Christie|author-link=Ian Christie (film scholar)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905061731/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time|archive-date=September 5, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== 1960–1962: Career setbacks and personal difficulties ===
[[File:Monroe Montand Let's Make Love.jpg|thumb|alt=Monroe and Montand standing next to a piano in a studio-type setting and looking at sheet music.|Monroe with [[Yves Montand]] in ''[[Let's Make Love]]'' (1960), which she agreed to make only to fulfill her contract with Fox]]
After ''Some Like It Hot'', Monroe took another hiatus until late 1959, when she starred in the musical comedy ''[[Let's Make Love]]''.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=71}} She chose [[George Cukor]] to direct and Miller rewrote some of the script, which she considered weak. She accepted the part solely because she was behind on her contract with Fox.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=410–415}} The film's production was delayed by her frequent absences from the set.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=71}} During the shoot, Monroe had an affair with co-star [[Yves Montand]] that was widely reported by the press and used in the film's publicity campaign.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=72}} ''Let's Make Love'' was unsuccessful upon its release in September 1960.{{sfnm|1a1=Riese|1a2=Hitchens|1y=1988|1p=270|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=266|3a1=Solomon|3y=1988|3p=139}} Crowther described Monroe as appearing "rather untidy" and "lacking ... the old Monroe dynamism",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A01E1DA1F3EEF3ABC4153DFBF66838B679EDE|title=Movie Review: Let's Make Love (1960)|work=The New York Times|date=September 9, 1960|access-date=October 18, 2015|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011184254/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A01E1DA1F3EEF3ABC4153DFBF66838B679EDE|archive-date=October 11, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> and Hedda Hopper called the film "the most vulgar picture she's ever done".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1960/08/25/page/138/article/hedda-finds-marilyns-new-film-most-vulgar|title=Hedda Finds Marilyn's Film 'Most Vulgar'|work=Chicago Tribune|date=August 25, 1960|access-date=October 18, 2015|first=Hedda|last=Hopper|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422020025/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1960/08/25/page/138/article/hedda-finds-marilyns-new-film-most-vulgar/|archive-date=April 22, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Truman Capote]] lobbied for Monroe to play Holly Golightly in [[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|a film adaptation]] of ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (novella)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'', but the role went to [[Audrey Hepburn]] as its producers feared that Monroe would complicate the production.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=335}}

[[File: Marilyn Monroe Misfits.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Monroe holding a hat and standing in the middle of a crowd of people, facing the camera. On her right is Gable and on her left, Winwood. There is a sign that says 'BAR' in the background.|Monroe, [[Estelle Winwood]], [[Eli Wallach]], [[Montgomery Clift]], and [[Clark Gable]] in ''[[The Misfits (1961 film)|The Misfits]]'' (1961). ''The Misfits'' was the final completed film for Monroe and Gable, who both died within two years.]]
The last film Monroe completed was [[John Huston]]'s ''[[The Misfits (1961 film)|The Misfits]]'' (1961), which Miller had written to provide her with a dramatic role.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=266}} She played Roslyn, who has just received a [[quickie divorce]] in [[Reno, Nevada]], and befriends three aging cowboys, played by [[Clark Gable]], [[Eli Wallach]] and [[Montgomery Clift]]. The filming in the Nevada desert between July and November 1960 was difficult.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=429–430|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=266}} Monroe and Miller's marriage was effectively over, and he began a relationship with on-set photographer [[Inge Morath]].{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=266}} Monroe resented that he had based Roslyn partly on herself and thought the character inferior to the male roles. She also struggled with Miller's habit of rewriting scenes the night before filming.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=431–435|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=266–267|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3p=352}} Her health was also failing: she was in pain from [[gallstone]]s, and her drug addiction was so severe that her makeup usually had to be applied while she was still asleep under the influence of barbiturates.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=435–445|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=353–356}} In August, filming was halted for her to spend a week in a hospital [[drug detoxification|detox]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=435–445|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=353–356}} Despite her problems, Huston said that when Monroe was acting, she "was not pretending to an emotion. It was the real thing. She would go deep down within herself and find it and bring it up into consciousness."{{sfn|Tracy|2010|p=109}}

Monroe and Miller separated after filming ended, and she obtained a [[Mexican divorce]] in January 1961.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=450–455}} ''The Misfits'' was released the following month, failing at the box office.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=456|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=361}} Its reviews were mixed,{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=456|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=361}} with ''Variety'' complaining of frequently "choppy" character development,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1960/film/reviews/the-misfits-1200419862/|title=The Misfits|work=Variety|date=December 31, 1960|access-date=November 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118035630/http://variety.com/1960/film/reviews/the-misfits-1200419862/|archive-date=November 18, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and Bosley Crowther calling Monroe "completely blank and unfathomable" and writing that "unfortunately for the film's structure, everything turns upon her".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C06E0D71739EE32A25751C0A9649C946091D6CF|title=Movie Review: The Misfits (1961)|work=The New York Times|date=February 2, 1961|access-date=October 18, 2015|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151101042756/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C06E0D71739EE32A25751C0A9649C946091D6CF|archive-date=November 1, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> It has received more favorable reviews in the 21st century. [[Geoff Andrew]] of the [[British Film Institute]] has called it a classic,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/film-fate-helped-make-classic-misfits|title=A Film That Fate Helped Make a Classic: The Misfits|publisher=British Film Institute|date=June 17, 2015|access-date=September 10, 2015|first=Geoff|last=Andrew|author-link=Geoff Andrew|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910101006/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/film-fate-helped-make-classic-misfits|archive-date=September 10, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Huston scholar Tony Tracy called Monroe's performance the "most mature interpretation of her career",{{sfn|Tracy|2010|p=96}} and Geoffrey McNab of ''[[The Independent]]'' praised her "extraordinary" portrayal of the character's "power of empathy".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-misfits-film-review-marilyn-monroe-gives-an-extraordinary-performance-10314475.html|title=The Misfits, film review: Marilyn Monroe gives an extraordinary performance|first=Geoffrey|last=McNab|work=The Independent|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=November 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117212257/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-misfits-film-review-marilyn-monroe-gives-an-extraordinary-performance-10314475.html|archive-date=November 17, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Cropped version of Monroe on the set of Something's Got to Give.jpg|thumb|150px|alt=Monroe wearing a form-fitting white dress with flowers and an open back. She is standing and smiling over her shoulder at the camera.|Monroe on the set of ''[[Something's Got to Give]]'' in May 1962. She was absent for most of the production due to illness and was fired by Fox in June 1962, two months before her death.]]
Monroe was next to star in a television adaptation of [[W. Somerset Maugham]]'s "[[Rain (short story)|Rain]]" for [[NBC]], but the project fell through as the network did not want to hire her choice of director, Lee Strasberg.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=453–454}} She did not film any new projects in 1961 but instead focused on her health. She had surgery for her endometriosis and gall bladder problems, and underwent four weeks of hospital treatment for depression.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=453, for a new role, 466–467 for operations, 456–464 for psychiatric hospital stays}} She first admitted herself to the [[Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic]], but was erroneously placed on a ward meant for people with [[psychosis]], where she was locked in a padded cell and not allowed to move to a more suitable ward or leave the hospital.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=456–459}} After three days she was able to move to the more suitable [[Columbia University Medical Center]] with the help of her ex-husband Joe DiMaggio, with whom she rekindled a friendship.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=456-459, 464–470, 483–485, 594–596|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=291}} In later 1961, she dated [[Frank Sinatra]] for several months, and returned to live in California, where she purchased a house at [[12305 Fifth Helena Drive]] in [[Brentwood, Los Angeles]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=464–470, 483–485, 594–596|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=291}}

Monroe returned to the public eye in the spring of 1962. She received a "World Film Favorite" at the [[19th Golden Globe Awards]] and began to shoot a film for Fox, ''[[Something's Got to Give]]'', a remake of ''[[My Favorite Wife]]'' (1940).{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=495–496|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=74–75}} It was to be co-produced by MMP, directed by George Cukor and to co-star [[Dean Martin]] and [[Cyd Charisse]].{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=258, for the involvement of MMP}} Days before filming began, Monroe caught [[sinusitis]]. Despite medical advice to postpone the production, Fox began it as planned in late April.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=524–525|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=391–392|3a1=Rollyson|3y=2014|3pp=264–272}}
Monroe was too sick to work for most of the next six weeks, but despite confirmations by multiple doctors, the studio pressured her by alleging publicly that she was faking it.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=524–525|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=391–392|3a1=Rollyson|3y=2014|3pp=264–272}} On May 19, she took a break to sing "[[Happy Birthday, Mr. President]]" on stage at President [[John F. Kennedy]]'s early birthday celebration at [[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]] in New York.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=520–521|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=284–285}} She drew attention with her costume: a beige, skintight dress covered in rhinestones, which made her appear as if she were nude.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=520–521|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=284–285}}{{efn|Monroe and Kennedy had mutual friends and were familiar with each other. Although they sometimes had casual sexual encounters, there is no evidence that their relationship was serious.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1pp=291–294|2a1=Rollyson|2y=2014|2p=17|3a1=Spoto|3y=2001|3pp=488–493|4a1=Reeves|4y=1991|4pp=315-316}}}} Monroe's trip to New York caused even more irritation for Fox executives, who had wanted her to cancel it.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=398}}
[[File:JFK and Marilyn Monroe 1962 larger.jpg|thumb|left|Monroe with [[Robert F. Kennedy]] (left) and [[John F. Kennedy]] (center, rear)]]

Monroe next filmed a scene for ''Something's Got to Give'' in which she swam naked in a swimming pool.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=523}} To generate advance publicity, the press was invited to take photographs; these were later published in ''Life''. This was the first time that a major star had posed nude at the height of their career.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=74}} When she was again on sick leave for several days, Fox decided that it could not afford to have another film running behind schedule when it was already struggling with the rising costs of ''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]]'' (1963).{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=535}} On June 7, Fox fired Monroe and sued her for $750,000 in damages.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=75}} She was replaced by [[Lee Remick]], but after Martin refused to make the film with anyone other than Monroe, Fox sued him as well and shut down the production.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|pp=535–536}} The studio blamed Monroe for the film's demise and began spreading negative publicity about her, even alleging that she was mentally disturbed.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=75}}

Fox soon regretted its decision and reopened negotiations with Monroe later in June; a settlement about a new contract, including recommencing ''Something's Got to Give'' and a starring role in the [[black comedy]] ''[[What a Way to Go!]]'' (1964), was reached later that summer.{{sfnm|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3p=402|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2pp=537, 545–549|1a1=Rollyson|1y=2014|1pp=273–274, 279}} She was also planning on starring in a biopic of [[Jean Harlow]].{{sfnm|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=401–402|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2pp=, 537, 545–549|1a1=Summers|1y=1985|1p=301}} To repair her public image, Monroe engaged in several publicity ventures, including interviews for ''Life'' and ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]'' and her first photo shoot for ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]''.{{sfnm|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=285|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=538–543}} For ''Vogue'', she and photographer [[Bert Stern]] collaborated for two series of photographs over three days, one a standard fashion editorial and another of her posing nude, which were published posthumously with the title ''[[The Last Sitting]]''.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=401}}

== Death and funeral ==
{{Main|Death of Marilyn Monroe}}{{Multiple image
| image1            = Marilyn Monroe, visit to Mexico in 1962.jpg
| caption1          = Monroe (third from left) with actors on the filming set of ''[[The Exterminating Angel]]'' during her visit to Mexico in February 1962, one of her last media appearances
| image2            = Barris Marilyn Monroe.jpg
| caption2          = One of Monroe's last photoshoots by [[George Barris (photographer)|George Barris]], 23 days before [[Death of Marilyn Monroe|her death]], July 1962
| total_width       = 400
}}
During her final months, Monroe lived at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Her housekeeper [[Eunice Murray Blackmer|Eunice Murray]] was staying overnight at the home on the evening of August&nbsp;4, 1962.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=574–577|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=410–411}} Murray woke at 3:00{{nbsp}}a.m. on August 5 and sensed that something was wrong. She saw light from under Monroe's bedroom door but was unable to get a response and found the door locked. Murray then called Monroe's psychiatrist [[Ralph Greenson]], who arrived at the house shortly after and broke into the bedroom through a window. He found a nude Monroe dead in her bed, covered by a sheet, with her hand clamped around a telephone receiver.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=574–577|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=410–411}} Monroe's physician, Hyman Engelberg, arrived at around 3:50{{nbsp}}a.m.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=574–577|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=410–411}} and pronounced her dead. At 4:25{{nbsp}}a.m., the [[Los Angeles Police Department]] was notified.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=574–577|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=410–411}}

Monroe died between 8:30&nbsp;p.m. and 10:30{{nbsp}}p.m. on August&nbsp;4;{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=411}} the [[toxicology]] report showed that the [[cause of death]] was [[Barbiturate overdose|acute barbiturate poisoning]]. She had 8&nbsp;[[mg%]] ([[milligrams]] per 100 milliliters of solution) [[chloral hydrate]] and 4.5&nbsp;mg% of [[pentobarbital]] (Nembutal) in her blood, and 13&nbsp;mg% of pentobarbital in her liver.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=580–583|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=411–412|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=302}} Empty medicine bottles were found next to her bed.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=580–583|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=411–412}} The possibility that Monroe had accidentally overdosed was ruled out because the dosages found in her body were several times the lethal limit.<ref name=tribunecoroner>{{cite web|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1962/08/18/page/1/article/marilyn-monroe-ruled-probable-suicide-victim|title=Marilyn Monroe Ruled 'Probable Suicide' Victim|work=Chicago Tribune|date=August 18, 1962|access-date=October 21, 2015|first=Seymour|last=Kormam|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310055232/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1962/08/18/page/1/article/marilyn-monroe-ruled-probable-suicide-victim/|archive-date=March 10, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:New York Mirror Front Page of August 6, 1962.jpeg|thumb|upright|left|alt=Front page of ''New York Daily Mirror'' on August 6, 1962. The headline is "Marilyn Monroe Kills Self" and underneath it is written: "Found nude in bed... Hand on phone... Took 40 Pills"|Front page of the ''[[New York Daily Mirror|New York Mirror]]'' on August&nbsp;6, 1962]]
The [[Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner|Los Angeles County Coroners Office]] was assisted in their investigation by the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Team, who had expert knowledge on suicide.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=580–583|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=411–412}} Monroe's doctors stated that she had been "prone to severe fears and frequent depressions" with "abrupt and unpredictable mood changes", and had overdosed several times in the past, possibly intentionally.<ref name=tribunecoroner />{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=411–413}} From these facts and the lack of any indication of foul play, deputy coroner [[Thomas Noguchi]] classified her death as a probable suicide.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=580–583|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=411–413}} 

Monroe's sudden death was front-page news in the United States and Europe.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=427}} According to historian [[Lois Banner]], "it's said that the suicide rate in Los Angeles doubled the month after she died; the circulation rate of most newspapers expanded that month",{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=427}} and the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' reported that they had received hundreds of phone calls from members of the public requesting information about her death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1962/08/06/page/1/article/marilyn-monroe-is-dead|title=Pill Death Secret Goes With Marilyn|work=Chicago Tribune|date=August 6, 1962|access-date=September 23, 2015|first=Hedda|last=Hopper|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307071651/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1962/08/06/page/1/article/marilyn-monroe-is-dead/|archive-date=March 7, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> French artist [[Jean Cocteau]] commented that her death "should serve as a terrible lesson to all those whose chief occupation consists of spying on and tormenting film stars", her former co-star Laurence Olivier deemed her "the complete victim of ballyhoo and sensation", and ''Bus Stop'' director [[Joshua Logan]] said that she was "one of the most unappreciated people in the world".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/11/22/specials/monroe-obit2.html|title=Brilliant Stardom and Personal Tragedy Punctuated the Life of Marilyn Monroe|work=The New York Times|date=August 6, 1962|access-date=September 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310145114/https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/11/22/specials/monroe-obit2.html|archive-date=March 10, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Grave stone of Marilyn Monroe at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, 1218 Glendon Avenue, Los Angeles, California LCCN2013632347.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Photo of Monroe's crypt, taken in 2005. "Marilyn Monroe, 1926–1962" is written on a plaque. The crypt has some lipstick prints left by visitors and flowers are placed in a vase attached to it.|Monroe's crypt at [[Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary|Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery]] in Westwood Village]]
Monroe's funeral, held at the [[Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery]] on August&nbsp;8, was private and attended by only her closest associates.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=594–597|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=427–428}} The service was arranged by DiMaggio, Miracle, and Monroe's business manager Inez Melson.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=594–597|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=427–428}} DiMaggio was the only one of her ex-husbands to attend.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Alexandra |first=Rae |date=January 10, 2024 |title=How Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio's Tumultuous Marriage Began in San Francisco |url=https://www.kqed.org/arts/13922524/marilyn-monroe-joe-dimaggio-san-francisco-city-hall-wedding-1954 |access-date=June 11, 2024 |website=kqed.org |language=en}}</ref> He barred most of Hollywood from attending and believed that they held a responsibility for her death.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gaffney |first=Dennis |title=Joe Directs Marilyn's Funeral |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/dimaggio-joe-directs-marilyns-funeral/ |access-date=August 8, 2024 |website=[[PBS]] |language=en}}</ref> Hundreds of spectators crowded the streets around the cemetery.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=594–597|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=427–428}} Monroe was later entombed at the Corridor of Memories.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1919236_1919237_1919221,00.html|title=Top&nbsp;10 Celebrity Grave Sites: Marilyn Monroe|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=October 15, 2015|date=September 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119201501/http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0%2C28804%2C1919236_1919237_1919221%2C00.html|archive-date=November 19, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the following decades, several [[conspiracy theories]], including murder and accidental overdose, have been introduced to contradict suicide as the cause of Monroe's death.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=297–318, for different theories proposed by Spoto, Summers, Brown & Barham, and Donald Wolfe}} The speculation that Monroe had been murdered first gained mainstream attention with the publication of [[Norman Mailer]]'s ''[[Marilyn: A Biography]]'' in 1973, and in the following years became widespread enough for the [[Los Angeles County District Attorney]] [[John Van de Kamp]] to conduct a "threshold investigation" in 1982 to see whether a criminal investigation should be opened.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=605–606|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=88, 300}} No evidence of foul play was found.{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=606}}

== Screen persona and reception ==
The 1940s had been the heyday for actresses who were perceived as tough and smart&mdash;such as [[Katharine Hepburn]] and [[Barbara Stanwyck]]&mdash;who had appealed to women-dominated audiences during the war years. 20th Century-Fox wanted Monroe to be a star of the new decade who would draw men to movie theaters, and saw her as a replacement for the aging [[Betty Grable]], their most popular "blonde bombshell" of the 1940s.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=124, 177}} According to film scholar [[Richard Dyer]], Monroe's star image was crafted mostly for the [[male gaze]].{{sfn|Dyer|1986|pp=19, 20}}

From the beginning, Monroe played a significant part in the creation of her public image, and towards the end of her career exerted almost full control over it.{{sfnm|1a1=Banner|1y=2012|1pp=172–174|2a1=Hall|2y=2006|2p=489}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/model-arrangement-36654928/|title=Model Arrangement|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|date=May 2008|access-date=September 11, 2015|first=Michelle|last=Stacey|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925201206/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/model-arrangement-36654928/|archive-date=September 25, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> She devised many of her publicity strategies, cultivated friendships with gossip columnists such as [[Sidney Skolsky]] and [[Louella Parsons]], and controlled the use of her images.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=172–174, 210–215, 566|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=172–174|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=9}} In addition to Grable, she was often compared to another well-known blonde, 1930s film star [[Jean Harlow]].{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=238}} The comparison was prompted partly by Monroe, who named Harlow as her childhood idol, wanted to play her in a biopic, and even employed Harlow's hair stylist to color her hair.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=38, 175, 343}}
[[File:Marilyn Monroe Seven Year Itch.jpg|thumb|right|As seen in this publicity photo for ''[[The Seven Year Itch]]'' (1955), Monroe wore figure-hugging outfits that enhanced her sexual attractiveness. (Back: [[Tom Ewell]])]]
Monroe's screen persona focused on her blonde hair and the stereotypes that were associated with it, especially dumbness, naïveté, sexual availability and artificiality.{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=21–26, 181–185}} She often used a breathy, childish voice in her films, and in interviews gave the impression that everything she said was "utterly innocent and uncalculated", parodying herself with [[double entendre]]s that came to be known as "Monroeisms".{{sfnm|1a1=Dyer|1y=1986|1pp=33–34|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=25, 57–58|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3p=185|4a1=Hall|4y=2006|4p=489}} For example, when she was asked what she had on in the 1949 nude photo shoot, she replied, "I had the radio on".{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=194}}

In her films, Monroe usually played "the girl", who is defined solely by her gender.{{sfn|Dyer|1986|pp=19, 20}} Her roles were almost always chorus girls, secretaries, or models: occupations where "the woman is on show, there for the pleasure of men."{{sfn|Dyer|1986|pp=19, 20}} Monroe began her career as a pin-up model, and was noted for her hourglass figure.{{sfn|Dyer|1986|pp=19–20}} She was often positioned in film scenes so that her curvy silhouette was on display, and frequently posed like a pin-up in publicity photos.{{sfn|Dyer|1986|pp=19–20}} Her distinctive, hip-swinging walk also drew attention to her body and earned her the nickname "the girl with the horizontal walk".{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=62}}

Monroe often wore white to emphasize her blondness and drew attention by wearing revealing outfits that showed off her figure.{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1p=25|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2pp=246–250}} Her publicity stunts often revolved around her clothing either being shockingly revealing or even [[Wardrobe malfunction|malfunctioning]],{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=224–225, 342–343|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=234}} such as when a shoulder strap of her dress snapped during a press conference.{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1pp=224–225, 342–343|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=234}} In press stories, Monroe was portrayed as the embodiment of the [[American Dream]], a girl who had risen from a miserable childhood to Hollywood stardom.{{sfnm|1a1=Dyer|1y=1986|1p=45|3a1=Banner|3y=2012|3pp=44–45, 184–185|2a1=Harris|2y=1991|2pp=40–44}} Stories of her time spent in foster families and an orphanage were exaggerated and even partly fabricated.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=44–45}} Film scholar Thomas Harris wrote that her working-class roots and lack of family made her appear more sexually available, "the ideal playmate", in contrast to her contemporary, [[Grace Kelly]], who was also marketed as an attractive blonde, but due to her upper-class background was seen as a sophisticated actress, unattainable for the majority of male viewers.{{sfn|Harris|1991|pp=40–44}}
[[File:Marilyn Monroe, Photoplay 1953.jpg|thumb|Monroe in a ''[[Photoplay]]'' magazine cover photo, December 1953]]

Although Monroe's screen persona as a dim-witted but sexually attractive blonde was a carefully crafted act, audiences and film critics believed it to be her real personality. This became a hindrance when she wanted to pursue other kinds of roles, or to be respected as a businesswoman.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=273–276}} The academic [[Sarah Churchwell]] studied narratives about Monroe and wrote:{{Blockquote|The biggest myth is that she was dumb. The second is that she was fragile. The third is that she couldn't act. She was far from dumb, although she was not formally educated, and she was very sensitive about that. But she was very smart indeed&mdash;and very tough. She had to be both to beat the Hollywood studio system in the 1950s. [...] The dumb blonde was a role&mdash;she was an actress, for heaven's sake! Such a good actress that no one now believes she was anything but what she portrayed on screen.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2012/0803/Marilyn-Monroe-Anything-but-a-dumb-blonde|title=Marilyn Monroe: Anything but a dumb blonde|work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]|last=Dotinga|first=Randy|date=August 3, 2012|access-date=June 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630045046/http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2012/0803/Marilyn-Monroe-Anything-but-a-dumb-blonde|archive-date=June 30, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
Biographer [[Lois Banner]] writes that Monroe often subtly parodied her [[sex symbol]] status in her films and public appearances,{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=244}} and that "the 'Marilyn Monroe' character she created was a brilliant archetype, who stands between [[Mae West]] and [[Madonna]] in the tradition of twentieth-century gender tricksters."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wcwonline.org/WRB-Issues/the-meaning-of-marilyn|title=The Meaning of Marilyn|last=Banner|first=Lois|publisher=Women's Review of Books|access-date=April 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501093607/https://www.wcwonline.org/WRB-Issues/the-meaning-of-marilyn|archive-date=May 1, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Monroe herself stated that she was influenced by West, learning "a few tricks from her&mdash;that impression of laughing at, or mocking, her own sexuality".{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1p=63 for West|2a1=Banner|2y=2012|2p=325}} She studied comedy in classes by mime and dancer [[Lotte Goslar]], famous for her comic stage performances, and Goslar also instructed her on film sets.{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=170–171}} In ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'', one of the films in which she played an archetypal dumb blonde, Monroe had the sentence "I can be smart when it's important, but most men don't like it" added to her character's lines.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=201}}

According to Dyer, Monroe became "virtually a household name for sex" in the 1950s and "her image has to be situated in the flux of ideas about morality and sexuality that characterised the Fifties in America", such as [[Freudian]] ideas about sex, the [[Kinsey report]] (1953), and [[Betty Friedan]]'s ''[[The Feminine Mystique]]'' (1963).{{sfnm|1a1=Dyer|1y=1986|1p=21|2a1=Dyer|2y=1991|2p=58}} By appearing vulnerable and unaware of her sex appeal, Monroe was the first sex symbol to present sex as natural and without danger, in contrast to the 1940s ''femmes fatales''.{{sfn|Dyer|1986|pp=29–39}} Spoto likewise describes her as the embodiment of "the postwar ideal of the American girl, soft, transparently needy, worshipful of men, naïve, offering sex without demands", which is echoed in [[Molly Haskell]]'s statement that "she was the Fifties fiction, the lie that a woman had no sexual needs, that she is there to cater to, or enhance, a man's needs."{{sfnm|1a1=Haskell|1y=1991|1p=256|2a1=Spoto|2y=2001|2p=249}} Monroe's contemporary Norman Mailer wrote that "Marilyn suggested sex might be difficult and dangerous with others, but ice cream with her", while [[Groucho Marx]] characterized her as "[[Mae West]], [[Theda Bara]], and [[Little Bo Peep|Bo Peep]] all rolled into one".{{sfnm|1a1=Dyer|1y=1986|1p=39|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2p=82}} According to Haskell, due to her sex symbol status, Monroe was less popular with women than with men, as they "couldn't identify with her and didn't support her", although this would change after her death.{{sfn|Dyer|1986|p=57, quoting Haskell}}

[[File:MonroeLustreCremead.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A headshot of Monroe holding a bottle of shampoo, accompanying text box says that "LUSTRE-CREME is the favorite beauty shampoo of 4 out of 5 top Hollywood stars...and you'll love it in its new Lotion Form, too!" Below, three smaller images show a brunette model using the shampoo. Next to them, there are images of the two different containers that the shampoo comes in.|Monroe in a 1953 Lustre-Creme shampoo advertisement]]
Dyer has also argued that Monroe's blonde hair became her defining feature because it made her "racially unambiguous" and exclusively white just as the [[civil rights movement]] was beginning, and that she should be seen as emblematic of racism in twentieth-century popular culture.{{sfn|Dyer|1986|p=40}} Banner agreed that it may not be a coincidence that Monroe launched a trend of platinum blonde actresses during the civil rights movement, but has also criticized Dyer, pointing out that in her highly publicized private life, Monroe associated with people who were seen as "[[white ethnic]]s", such as Joe DiMaggio (Italian-American) and Arthur Miller (Jewish).{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=254–256}} According to Banner, she sometimes challenged prevailing racial norms in her publicity photographs; for example, in an image featured in ''Look'' in 1951, she was shown in revealing clothes while practicing with African-American singing coach [[Phil Moore (jazz musician)|Phil Moore]].{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=184}}

Monroe was perceived as a specifically American star, "a national institution as well known as hot dogs, apple pie, or baseball" according to ''Photoplay''.{{sfn|Banner|2012|p=8}} Banner calls her the symbol of [[populuxe]], a star whose joyful and glamorous public image "helped the nation cope with its paranoia in the 1950s about the [[Cold War]], the atom bomb, and the totalitarian communist Soviet Union".{{sfn|Banner|2012|pp=239–240}} Historian Fiona Handyside writes that the French female audiences associated whiteness/blondness with American modernity and cleanliness, and so Monroe came to symbolize a modern, "liberated" woman whose life takes place in the public sphere.{{sfn|Handyside|2010|pp=1–16}} Film historian [[Laura Mulvey]] has written of her as an endorsement for American consumer culture:{{Blockquote|If America was to export the democracy of glamour into post-war, impoverished Europe, the movies could be its shop window&nbsp;... Marilyn Monroe, with her all American attributes and streamlined sexuality, came to epitomise in a single image this complex interface of the economic, the political, and the erotic. By the mid-1950s, she stood for a brand of classless glamour, available to anyone using American cosmetics, nylons and peroxide.{{sfn|Handyside|2010|p=2, quoting Mulvey}}}}

Twentieth Century-Fox further profited from Monroe's popularity by cultivating several lookalike actresses, such as [[Jayne Mansfield]] and [[Sheree North]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spoto|1y=2001|1p=396|2a1=Belton|2y=2005|2p=103}} Other studios also attempted to create their own Monroes: [[Universal Pictures]] with [[Mamie Van Doren]],{{sfn|Spoto|2001|p=396}} Columbia Pictures with [[Kim Novak]],{{sfn|Solomon|2010|p=110}} and [[The Rank Organisation]] with [[Diana Dors]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/may/05/from-the-archives-diana-dors-obituary|title=From the archives: Sex Symbol Diana Dors Dies at 52|newspaper=The Guardian|date=May 5, 1964|access-date=September 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925131302/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/may/05/from-the-archives-diana-dors-obituary|archive-date=September 25, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

In a profile, [[Truman Capote]] quoted Monroe's acting teacher, [[Constance Collier]]: <blockquote>She is a beautiful child. I don't mean that in the obvious way—the perhaps too obvious way. I don't think she's an actress at all, not in any traditional sense. What she has—this presence, this luminosity, this flickering intelligence—could never surface on the stage. It's so fragile and subtle, it can only be caught by the camera. It's like a hummingbird in flight: only a camera can freeze the poetry of it.{{sfn|Capote|1980|pp=224–226}}</blockquote>Monroe admired several political figures, especially [[Abraham Lincoln]], whom she respected for his connection to ordinary people and democratic principles, even describing him as a paternal figure.<ref>Banner, Lois. Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox. 2012, pp. 96-98.</ref><ref>Jordan, Larry. The Real Marilyn Monroe: Debunking the Myths and Revealing Intimate New Details Of Her Life and Death. 2023, pp. 285-288.</ref> Civil rights were of great importance to her; in a letter to Arthur Miller's son, she recounted questioning [[Robert F. Kennedy]] at a dinner about his department's plans regarding civil rights, emphasizing that these were the kinds of questions young Americans wanted answered and addressed.<ref name="i165">{{cite web | title=Marilyn Monroe letter to Bobby Miller mentioning Robert Kennedy  | website=Julien&#x27;s Auctions | date=2016-11-18 | url=https://www.juliensauctions.com/en/items/21452/marilyn-monroe-letter-to-bobby-miller-mentioning-robert-kennedy | access-date=2025-11-05}}</ref><ref>Spoto, Donald. Marilyn Monroe: The Biography. 1993, pp. 489-491.</ref> Monroe was registered as a Democrat and admired party members including [[John F. Kennedy]], Robert F. Kennedy and [[William O. Douglas]].<ref>Monroe, Marilyn; Buchthal, Stanley; Comment, Bernard. Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters. 2010, pp. 197-204.</ref><ref>"Marilyn Monroe Correspondence with Lester Markel". Julien's Auctions. March 1960. Accessed July 15, 2025.</ref> She also donated $1,000 to the Democratic Party by purchasing a ticket for the "[[Happy Birthday, Mr. President]]" event.<ref>Summers, Anthony. Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe. 1985, pp. 316-318.</ref><ref>Jordan, Larry. The Real Marilyn Monroe: Debunking the Myths and Revealing Intimate New Details of Her Life and Death. 2023, pp. 756-757.</ref>

==Selected filmography ==
[[File:Marilyn Monroe, The Prince and the Showgirl, 1.jpg|thumb|Monroe in a promotional still for ''[[The Prince and the Showgirl]]'' (1957)]]
{{Main|Marilyn Monroe performances and awards}}
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* ''[[Dangerous Years]]'' (1947)
* ''[[The Asphalt Jungle]]'' (1950)
* ''[[All About Eve]]'' (1950)
* ''[[As Young as You Feel]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Clash by Night]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Don't Bother to Knock]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Monkey Business (1952 film)|Monkey Business]]'' (1952)
* ''[[O. Henry's Full House]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Niagara (1953 film)|Niagara]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953 film)|Gentlemen Prefer Blondes]]'' (1953)
* ''[[How to Marry a Millionaire]]'' (1953)
* ''[[River of No Return]]'' (1954)
* ''[[There's No Business Like Show Business (film)|There's No Business Like Show Business]]'' (1954)
* ''[[The Seven Year Itch]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Bus Stop (1956 film)|Bus Stop]]'' (1956)
* ''[[The Prince and the Showgirl]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'' (1959)
* ''[[Let's Make Love]]'' (1960)
* ''[[The Misfits (1961 film)|The Misfits]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Something's Got to Give]]'' (1962–unfinished)
{{Div col end}}

== Legacy ==
{{Main|Marilyn Monroe in popular culture}}
[[File:Monroe in Niagara (1953 publicity photo).jpg|thumb|left|Monroe in a publicity photo for [[Niagara (1953 film)|''Niagara'']] in 1953. One of the most iconic photos of Monroe, it was the basis for [[Andy Warhol]]'s 1962 silkscreen painting, ''[[Marilyn Diptych]]''.]]
According to ''The Guide to United States Popular Culture'', "as an icon of American popular culture, Monroe's few rivals in popularity include [[Elvis Presley]] and [[Mickey Mouse]]... no other star has ever inspired such a wide range of emotions—from lust to pity, from envy to remorse."{{sfn|Chapman|2001|pp=542–543}} Art historian [[Gail Levin (art historian)|Gail Levin]] stated that Monroe may have been "the most photographed person of the 20th century",<ref name=levin>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/marilyn-monroe-filmmaker-interview-gail-levin/63/|title=Filmmaker interview – Gail Levin|date=July 19, 2006|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service]]|access-date=July 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810035145/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/marilyn-monroe-filmmaker-interview-gail-levin/63/|archive-date=August 10, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and The American Film Institute has named her [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|the sixth greatest female screen legend]] in [[Cinema of the United States|American film history]]. The [[Smithsonian Institution]] has included her on their list of "100 Most Significant Americans of All Time",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonianmag/meet-100-most-significant-americans-all-time-180953341/|title=Meet the 100 Most Significant Americans of All Time|last=Frail|first=T.A.|date=November 17, 2014|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|access-date=September 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321144943/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonianmag/meet-100-most-significant-americans-all-time-180953341/|archive-date=March 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and both ''Variety'' and [[VH1]] have placed her in the top ten in their rankings of the greatest popular culture icons of the twentieth century.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4344910.stm|title=Beatles Named 'Icons of Century'|date=October 16, 2005|publisher=BBC|access-date=September 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306201152/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4344910.stm|archive-date=March 6, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title=The 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons Complete Ranked List|publisher=[[VH1]]|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-200-greatest-pop-culture-icons-complete-ranked-list-70807437.html|access-date=September 10, 2015|via=[[PR Newswire]]|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511154709/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-200-greatest-pop-culture-icons-complete-ranked-list-70807437.html}}</ref>

Hundreds of books have been written about Monroe. She has been the subject of numerous films, plays, operas, and songs, and has influenced artists and entertainers such as [[Andy Warhol]] and [[Madonna]].{{sfnm|1a1=Churchwell|1y=2004|1pp=12–15|2a1=Hamscha|2y=2013|2pp=119–129}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/16/michel-schneider-top-10-marilyn-monroe-books|title=Michel Schneider's Top 10 Books About Marilyn Monroe|last=Schneider|first=Michel|date=November 16, 2011|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928145942/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/16/michel-schneider-top-10-marilyn-monroe-books|archive-date=September 28, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> She also remains a valuable brand:<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,991257,00.html|title=The Blond Marilyn Monroe|date=June 14, 1999|magazine=Time|access-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106091538/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C991257%2C00.html|archive-date=January 6, 2016|url-status=live|last1=Rudnick|first1=Paul}}</ref> her image and name have been licensed for hundreds of products, and she has been featured in advertising for brands such as [[Max Factor]], [[Chanel]], [[Mercedes-Benz]], and [[Absolut Vodka]].{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|pp=33, 40}}<ref name="www.theguardian.com max-factor-cant-claim-marilyn-monroe2">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/09/max-factor-cant-claim-marilyn-monroe|title=Max Factor Can't Claim Credit for Marilyn Monroe|last=Churchwell|first=Sarah|date=January 9, 2015|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825013827/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/09/max-factor-cant-claim-marilyn-monroe|archive-date=August 25, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Monroe's enduring popularity is tied to her conflicted public image.{{sfnm|1a1=Fuller|1a2=Lloyd|1y=1983|1p=309|2a1=Marcus|2y=2004|2pp=17–19, 309|3a1=Churchwell|3y=2004|3pp=21–42}} On the one hand, she remains a sex symbol, beauty icon and one of the most famous stars of [[classical Hollywood cinema]].{{sfn|Churchwell|2004|p=8}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/remembering-marilyn-monroe-43964747/|title=Remembering Marilyn Monroe|last=Stromberg|first=Joseph|date=August 5, 2011|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|access-date=September 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928090337/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/remembering-marilyn-monroe-43964747/|archive-date=September 28, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/marilyn-icon|title=Marilyn: The Icon|last=Wild|first=Mary|date=May 29, 2015|publisher=British Film Institute|access-date=September 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906134813/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/marilyn-icon|archive-date=September 6, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> On the other, she is also remembered for her troubled private life, unstable childhood, struggle for professional respect, as well as her death and the conspiracy theories that surrounded it.{{sfnm|1a1=Fuller|1a2=Lloyd|1y=1983|1p=309|2a1=Steinem|2a2=Barris|2y=1987|2pp=13–15|3a1=Churchwell|3y=2004|3p=8}} She has been written about by scholars and journalists who are interested in gender and feminism;<ref name="Guardianfem">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/features/featurepages/0,,498050,00.html|title=Happy Birthday, Marilyn|date=May 29, 2001|work=The Guardian|access-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150611194816/http://www.theguardian.com/film/features/featurepages/0,,498050,00.html|archive-date=June 11, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> these writers include [[Gloria Steinem]], [[Jacqueline Rose]],{{sfn|Rose|2014|pp=100–137}} Molly Haskell,{{sfn|Haskell|1991|pp=254–265}} Sarah Churchwell,<ref name="www.theguardian.com max-factor-cant-claim-marilyn-monroe2"/> and Lois Banner.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jul/21/marilyn-monroe-feminist-psychoanalysis-lois-banner|title=Marilyn Monroe: Proto-feminist?|last=Banner|first=Lois|date=July 21, 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=November 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121051705/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jul/21/marilyn-monroe-feminist-psychoanalysis-lois-banner|archive-date=November 21, 2015|url-status=live|ref=none}}</ref> Some, such as Steinem, have viewed her as a victim of the studio system.<ref name="Guardianfem" />{{sfnm|1a1=Steinem|1a2=Barris|1y=1987|1pp=15–23|2a1=Churchwell|2y=2004|2pp=27–28}} Others, such as Haskell,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/11/22/reviews/981122.22haskelt.html|title=Engineering an Icon|last=Haskell|first=Molly|date=November 22, 1998|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307052723/https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/11/22/reviews/981122.22haskelt.html|archive-date=March 7, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Rose,{{sfn|Rose|2014|pp=100–137}} and Churchwell,<ref name="www.theguardian.com max-factor-cant-claim-marilyn-monroe2"/> have instead stressed Monroe's proactive role in her career and in the creation of her public persona.[[File:James Gill's "Marylin Tryptich".jpg|thumb|Panel from [[pop art]]ist [[James Gill (artist)|James Gill]]'s painting ''Marilyn Triptych'' (1962)]]

Owing to the contrast between her stardom and troubled private life, Monroe is closely linked to broader discussions about modern phenomena such as mass media, fame, and consumer culture.{{sfn|Hamscha|2013|pp=119–129}} According to academic Susanne Hamscha, Monroe has continued relevance to ongoing discussions about modern society, and she is "never completely situated in one time or place" but has become "a surface on which narratives of American culture can be (re)constructed".{{sfn|Hamscha|2013|pp=119–129}} Similarly, Banner has called Monroe the "eternal shapeshifter" who is re-created by "each generation, even each individual... to their own specifications".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-xpm-2012-aug-05-la-oe-0805-banner-marilyn-monroe-icon-biography-20120805-story.html|title=Marilyn Monroe, the Eternal Shape Shifter|last=Banner|first=Lois|date=August 5, 2012|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517063539/https://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-xpm-2012-aug-05-la-oe-0805-banner-marilyn-monroe-icon-biography-20120805-story.html|archive-date=May 17, 2019|url-status=live|ref=none}}</ref>

Monroe remains a [[cultural icon]], but critics are divided on her legacy as an actress. [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]] called her body of work "insubstantial"<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/105847/the-inscrutable-life-and-death-marilyn-monroe|title=The Inscrutable Life and Death of Marilyn Monroe|last=Thomson|first=David|author-link=David Thomson (film critic)|date=August 6, 2012|magazine=New Republic|access-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210190429/https://newrepublic.com/article/105847/the-inscrutable-life-and-death-marilyn-monroe|archive-date=December 10, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Pauline Kael]] wrote that she "used her lack of an actress's skills to amuse the public. She had the wit or crassness or desperation to turn cheesecake into acting—and vice versa; she did what others had the 'good taste' not to do".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/05/04/reviews/mailer-marilyn.html|title=Marilyn: A Rip-Off With Genius|last=Kael|first=Pauline|author-link=Pauline Kael|date=July 22, 1973|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325182658/https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/05/04/reviews/mailer-marilyn.html|archive-date=March 25, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In contrast, [[Peter Bradshaw]] wrote that Monroe was a talented comedian who "understood how comedy achieved its effects",<ref name="bradshaw">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/may/09/cannes-marilyn-monroe|title=Cannes and the Magic of Marilyn Monroe|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Bradshaw|date=May 9, 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923131249/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/may/09/cannes-marilyn-monroe|archive-date=September 23, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Roger Ebert]] wrote that "Monroe's eccentricities and neuroses on sets became notorious, but studios put up with her long after any other actress would have been blackballed because what they got back on the screen was magical".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-some-like-it-hot-1959|title=Some Like It Hot|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=January 9, 2000|publisher=Roger Ebert.com|access-date=July 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160725091543/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-some-like-it-hot-1959|archive-date=July 25, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]] stated that "she subtly subverted the sexist content of her material" and that "the difficulty some people have discerning Monroe's intelligence as an actress seems rooted in the ideology of a repressive era, when super feminine women weren't supposed to be smart".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/marilyn-monroes-brains/Content?oid=920660|title=Marilyn Monroe's Brains|last=Rosenbaum|first=Jonathan|author-link=Jonathan Rosenbaum|date=December 1, 2005|work=Chicago Reader|access-date=August 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905085251/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/marilyn-monroes-brains/Content?oid=920660|archive-date=September 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2024, the [[Los Angeles City Council]] approved [[12305 Fifth Helena Drive|Monroe's house]] being designated as a Historic Cultural Monument.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/marilyn-monroe-house-landmark-demolition-1236050076/|title=Marilyn Monroe's Brentwood House Declared a Landmark, Saving It From Demolition|website=Variety|first=Pat|last=Saperstein|date=June 26, 2024}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
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* {{cite book |last= Banner |first= Lois |title= Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox |year= 2012 |publisher= Bloomsbury |isbn= 978-1-4088-3133-5 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/marilynpassionpa0000bann }}
* {{cite book |last= Belton |first= John |title= American Cinema, American Culture |year= 2005 |publisher= McGraw Hill |isbn= 978-0-07-288627-6 }}
* {{cite book |last1= Chapman |first1= Gary |editor1-last= Browne |editor1-first= Ray B. |editor2-last= Browne |editor2-first= Pat |chapter= Marilyn Monroe |title= The Guide to United States Popular Culture |year= 2001 |publisher= University of Wisconsin Press |isbn= 978-0-87972-821-2 }}
* {{cite book |last= Churchwell |first= Sarah |title= The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe |year= 2004 |publisher= Granta Books |isbn= 978-0-312-42565-4 }}
* {{cite book |last= Dyer |first= Richard |editor1-last= Gledhill |editor1-first= Christine |chapter= Charisma |title= Stardom: Industry of Desire |year= 1991 |orig-year= 1979 |publisher= Routledge |isbn= 978-0-415-05217-7 }}
* {{cite book |last= Dyer |first= Richard |author-mask= {{long dash}} |title= Heavenly Bodies: Film Stars and Society |year= 1986 |publisher= Routledge |isbn= 978-0-415-31026-0 }}
* {{cite book |editor1-last= Fuller |editor1-first= Graham |editor2-last= Lloyd |editor2-first= Ann |title= Illustrated Who's Who of the Cinema |year= 1983 |publisher= Macmillan |isbn= 978-0-02-923450-1 }}
* {{cite book |last= Hall |first= Susan G. |title= American Icons: An Encyclopedia of the People, Places, and Things that Have Shaped Our Culture |year= 2006 |publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn= 978-0-275-98429-8 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/americaniconsenc0000unse }}
* {{cite book |last= Hamscha |first= Susanne |editor1-last= Rieser |editor1-first= Klaus |editor2-last= Fuchs |editor2-first= Michael |editor3-last= Phillips |editor3-first= Michael |chapter= Thirty Are Better Than One: Marilyn Monroe and the Performance of Americanness |title= ConFiguring America: Iconic Figures, Visuality, and the American Identity |year= 2013 |publisher= Intellect |isbn= 978-1-84150-635-7 }}
* {{cite journal |last= Handyside |first= Fiona |date= August 2010 |title= Let's Make Love: Whiteness, Cleanliness and Sexuality in the French Reception of Marilyn Monroe |journal= European Journal of Cultural Studies |volume= 3 |issue= 13 |pages= 291–306 |doi= 10.1177/1367549410363198 |url= https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/10871/9547/2/Handyside%20monroe1.pdf |hdl= 10871/9547 |s2cid= 146553108 |hdl-access= free |issn= 1367-5494 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}
* {{cite book |last1= Harris |first1= Thomas |editor1-last= Gledhill |editor1-first= Christine |chapter= The Building of Popular Images: Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe |title= Stardom: Industry of Desire |year= 1991 |orig-year=1957 |publisher= Routledge |isbn= 978-0-415-05217-7 }}
* {{cite book |last1= Haskell |first1= Molly |author-link= Molly Haskell |editor1-last= Butler |editor1-first= Jeremy G. |chapter= [[From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies]] |title= Star Texts: Image and Performance in Film and Television |year= 1991 |publisher= Wayne State University Press |isbn= 978-0-8143-2312-0 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Hecht |first1=Ben |last2=Monroe |first2=Marilyn |author1-link=Ben Hecht |title=My Story |date=1974 |publisher=Stein and Day |location=New York |isbn=9780812817072 |oclc=461777186 |url=https://archive.org/details/mystory00monr |ref=none }}
* {{cite book |last= Leaming |first= Barbara |title= Marilyn Monroe |year= 1998 |publisher= Three Rivers Press |isbn= 978-0-609-80553-4 }}
* {{cite book |last= Lev |first= Peter |title= Twentieth-Century Fox: The Zanuck–Skouras Years, 1935–1965 |year= 2013 |publisher= University of Texas Press |isbn= 978-0-292-74447-9 }}
* {{cite book |last= Marcus |first= Daniel |title= Happy Days and Wonder Years: The Fifties and Sixties in Contemporary Popular Culture |year= 2004 |publisher= Rutgers University Press |isbn= 978-0-8135-3391-9 }}
* {{cite book |last= Meyers |first= Jeffrey |title= The Genius and the Goddess: Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe |year= 2010 |publisher= University of Illinois Press |isbn= 978-0-252-03544-9 |url= https://archive.org/details/geniusgoddessart00meye_0 }}
* {{cite book |last1= Miracle |first1= Berniece Baker |last2= Miracle |first2= Mona Rae |title= My Sister Marilyn |url= https://archive.org/details/mysistermarilynm00mira |url-access= registration |year= 1994 |publisher= Algonquin Books |isbn= 978-0-595-27671-4 }}
* {{cite book |last1= Monroe |first1= Marilyn |editor2-last= Comment |editor2-first= Bernard |title= Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters |year= 2010 |publisher= Farrar, Straus and Giroux |editor1-first= Stanley |editor1-last= Buchthal  |isbn=9780374158354  |oclc=973641163 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Reeves|first=Thomas|title=A Question of Character: A Life of John F. Kennedy|year=1991|publisher=Free Press |isbn=978-0-02-925965-8}}
* {{cite book |last1= Riese |first1= Randall |last2= Hitchens |first2= Neal |title= The Unabridged Marilyn |publisher= Corgi Books |year= 1988 |isbn= 978-0-552-99308-1 }}
* {{cite book |last=Rollyson |first=Carl |year=2014 |title=Marilyn Monroe Day by Day: A Timeline of People, Places and Events |publisher=Rowman and Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-3079-8 }}
* {{cite book |last= Rose |first= Jacqueline |title= Women in Dark Times |year= 2014 |publisher= Bloomsbury |isbn= 978-1-4088-4540-0 }}
* {{cite book |last= Solomon |first= Aubrey |title= Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History |year= 1988 |publisher= Scarecrow Press |isbn= 978-0-8108-4244-1 }}
* {{cite book |last= Solomon |first= Matthew |editor-last= Palmer |editor-first= R. Barton |chapter= Reflexivity and Metaperformance: Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Kim Novak |title= Larger Than Life: Movie Stars of the 1950s |year= 2010 |publisher= Rutgers University Press |isbn= 978-0-8135-4766-4 }}
* {{cite book |last= Spoto |first= Donald |title= Marilyn Monroe: The Biography |year= 2001 |publisher= Cooper Square Press |isbn= 978-0-8154-1183-3 |url= https://archive.org/details/marilynmonroe00dona }}
* {{cite book |last1= Steinem |first1= Gloria |last2= Barris |first2= George |title= Marilyn |year= 1987 |publisher= Victor Gollancz Ltd |isbn= 978-0-575-03945-2 }}
* {{cite book |last= Summers |first= Anthony |title= Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe |year= 1985 |publisher= Victor Gollancz Ltd |isbn= 978-0-575-03641-3 }}
* {{cite book |last= Tracy |first= Tony |title= John Huston: Essays on a Restless Director |year= 2010 |publisher= McFarland |isbn= 978-0-7864-5853-0 }}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|d=Q4616|c=Category:Marilyn Monroe|q=Marilyn Monroe|b=no|wikt=no|s=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|n=no}}

* [https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/subject-marilyn-monroe-nmahphc/RLfDzErE5sMH5b1n Marilyn Monroe collection] at the [[Smithsonian National Museum of American History]]
* {{AFI person | 106569-Marilyn-Monroe }}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{Discogs artist}}
* [https://vault.fbi.gov/Marilyn%20Monroe Monroe's file] at the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] website
* [https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/marilyn-monroe-marilyn-monroe-still-life/61/ "Marilyn Monroe: Still Life"] A website containing clips and essays related to [[PBS]]'s ''[[American Masters]]'' documentary on Monroe

{{Marilyn Monroe|state=expanded}}
{{Golden Globe Award Best Actress Motion Picture Musical or Comedy}}
{{Arthur Miller}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monroe, Marilyn}}
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