Highest rated as cast or director
Biography
Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols 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 million (equivalent to $2 billion in 2021) by the time of her death in 1962. Long after her death, Monroe remains a major icon of pop culture. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her sixth on their list of the greatest female screen legends from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Multiple film critics and media outlets have cited Monroe as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Monroe spent most of her childhood in a total of 12 foster homes and an orphanage; she married at age sixteen. 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 modeling career, which led to short-lived film contracts with 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures. After a series of minor film roles, she signed a new contract with Fox in late 1950. Over the next two years, she became a popular actress with roles in several comedies, including As Young as You Feel and Monkey Business, and in the dramas Clash by Night and Don't Bother to Knock. She faced a scandal when it was revealed that she had posed for nude photographs prior to becoming a star, but the story did not damage her career and instead resulted in increased interest in her films. By 1953, Monroe was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars; she had leading roles in the film noir Niagara, which overtly relied on her sex appeal, and the comedies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire, which established her star image as a "dumb blonde". The same year, her nude images were used as the centerfold and on the cover of the first issue of Playboy. She played a significant role in the creation and management of her public image throughout her career, but she was disappointed when she was 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. 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) and her first independent production in The Prince and the Showgirl (1957). She won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her role in Some Like It Hot (1959), a critical and commercial success. Her last completed film was the drama The Misfits (1961).
Acted in 68
2020s
- 2027
Portrait of Norma Jeane
(archive footage)
- 2026
Marilyn and the Mob
archive footage · 2 episodes
- 2025
Bardot
archive footage
Crushtime
L'actrice blonde
- 2023
My Life as Marilyn
archive footage
- 2022
Fatal Addiction: Marilyn Monroe
(archive footage)
Marilyn, Her Final Secret
Movie
Marilyn, a woman of today
archive footage
Reframed: Marilyn Monroe
archive footage · 4 episodes
Andy Warhol's America
Movie
Andy Warhol's America
archive footage · 1 episode
- 2021
Mythos Côte d'Azur - Liebe, Luxus, Leidenschaft
Movie
2010s
- 2019
Scandalous: The Death of Marilyn Monroe (Director's Cut)
archive footage · 3 episodes
- 2016
Andy Warhol, Fluorescent
(archive footage)
All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone
The Girl (archive footage)
- 2015
Destins secrets d’étoiles - Grace, Jackie, Liz, Marilyn…
Movie
- 2013
Love, Marilyn
archive footage
Footsteps on the Ceiling
Miss Caswell (archive footage)
- 2012
Marilyn despite herself
Movie
- 2011
Bert Stern - Original Madman
Movie
- 2010
Marilyn Monroe: I Want to Be Loved
archive footage
2000s
- 2003
Playboy's 50th Anniversary Celebration
Movie
- 2002
Marilyn vs Marilyn
archive footage
- 2001
Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days
archive footage
1990s
- 1998
Prayer for Marilyn Monroe
Movie
- 1996
We Remember Marilyn
archive footage
- 1995
Marilyn Monroe: Portrait of a Legend...Suicide Or Murder?
Movie
The Casting Couch
Movie
- 1994
That's Entertainment! III
(archive footage) (uncredited)
1980s
- 1987
Norma Jean Alias Marilyn Monroe
archive footage
- 1986
Voyage to Nowhere
(archive footage)(uncredited)
1970s
- 1972
Marilyn Magdalene
Movie
- 1970
Marilyn
Movie
1960s
- 1961
- 1960
1950s
- 1959
- 1957
The Prince and the Showgirl
Elsie
- 1956
- 1955
- 1954
- 1953
- 1952
- 1951
- 1950
The Fireball
Polly
Right Cross
Dusky Ledoux (uncredited)
1940s
- 1949
- 1948
Ladies of the Chorus
Peggy Martin
Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!
Betty (uncredited)
- 1947
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
Telephone Operator (voice) (uncredited)
Produced 2
1950s
- 1957
The Prince and the Showgirl
Executive Producer
- 1956
Sound 1
1980s
- 1980
Cœur bleu
Songs
Appearances89
2020s
- 2026
Marilyn Monroe: The Rise of an Icon
Self (archive footage)
Celebrity Crime Scene: Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive footage)
- 2024
Aliens Uncovered: Marilyn Monroe Exposed
Self (archive footage)
- 2023
The Myth of Marilyn Monroe
Self (archival footage)
- 2022
The Century of Icons
Self (archive footage) · 1 episode
Dream Girl: The Making of Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive) - actress, subject · 3 episodes
Becoming Marilyn
Self (archive footage)
Una foto de Marilyn
Self (archive footage)
Rat Pack
Self (archive footage)
- 2021
Marilyn Monroe: Beauty is Pain
Self (archive footage)
- 2020
Signoret and Montand, Monroe and Miller: Two couples in Hollywood
Self(archive footage)
Beautiful Like a Poem
Self (archive footage)
2010s
- 2019
Marilyn and I
Self (archive footage)
- 2018
Marilyn Monroe for Sale
Self (archive footage)
- 2017
Cinema Through the Eye of Magnum
Self(archive footage) (voice)
Mansfield 66/67
Self - Actress(archive footage)
- 2015
Arthur Miller: A Man of His Century
Self - Miller's 2nd Wife (archive footage)
Marilyn Monroe Declassified
Self (archive footage)
Jayne Mansfield: The Tragedy of a Blonde
Self (archive footage)
- 2012
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive footage)
Marilyn Monroe: Unclaimed Baggage
Self (archive footage)
Marilyn Monroe: The Story of Her Iconic Life
Self
- 2011
Marilyn at the Movies
Self (archive footage)
- 2010
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Self (archive footage)
2000s
- 2009
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the Musical
Self (archive)
- 2008
Marilyn, dernières séances
Self(archive footage)
- 2006
The Life And Music Of Marilyn Monroe
Herself
Grace Kelly: Destiny of a Princess
Self - Actress (archive footage)
The Making of 'Some Like It Hot'
Self (archive footage)
The Legacy of 'Some Like It Hot'
Self (archive footage)
Playboy: Celebrity Centerfolds
Self (archive footage)
- 2005
Marilyn Monroe: A Life in Pictures
Self
- 2004
Marilyn's Man
Self (archive footage)
Playboy: 50 Years of Playmates
Self (archive footage)
The Prince, The Showgirl and Me
Self (archive footage)
Bettie Page: The Girl in the Leopard Print Bikini
Self (archive footage)
- 2003
Un film et son époque
Self (archive footage) · 1 episode
- 2002
Making 'The Misfits'
Self (archive footage)
- 2001
Nobody's Perfect: The Making of Some Like It Hot
Self (archive footage)
Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
The Complete Marilyn Monroe
Self
Marilyn on Marilyn
Self (archive footage)
- 2000
Backstory: 'All About Eve'
Self (archive footage)
1990s
- 1999
Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
Self (archive footage)
- 1998
Marilyn in Manhattan
Self (archive footage)
- 1997
Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults
Self (Archival Footage)
- 1996
- 1995
Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie
Self (archive footage)
- 1994
Marilyn Monroe: The Mortal Goddess
Self (archive footage)
- 1993
- 1992
Marilyn: Portrait of a Legend
Self (archive footage)
Playboy's Playmates: The Early Years
Self (archive footage)
Faces of Death VII
Self (archive footage)
- 1991
Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire
Self (archive footage)
Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star
Self (archive footage)
- 1990
Marilyn: Something's Got to Give
Self (archive footage)
1980s
- 1989
Batmania: From Comics to Screen
Self (archive footage)
- 1988
John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick
Self (archive footage)
- 1987
Eve and Marilyn
Self (archive footage)
- 1986
Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive footage)
- 1985
Say Goodbye to the President: Marilyn and The Kennedys
Self (archive footage)
- 1983
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1982
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
Self (archive footage)
1970s
- 1979
Arthur Miller on Home Ground
Self (archive footage)
- 1975
- 1974
- 1973
The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks
Self (archive footage)
1960s
- 1966
The Legend of Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive footage)
- 1963
The Marilyn Monroe Story
Self (archive footage)
Marilyn
Self (archive footage)
- 1962
President Kennedy's Birthday Salute
Self
Lykke og krone
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1950s
- 1959
Zwischen Glück und Krone
Self (archive footage)
- 1950
