How Marilyn Monroe Has Been Portrayed Throughout the Years

How Marilyn Monroe Has been Portrayed Throughout the Years

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at how Marilyn Monroe has been portrayed throughout the years.

For this list, we’ll be looking at those who’ve played this screen legend across film, television, and other popular media, exploring the common themes and differences with every depiction.

What’s your favorite portrayal of Marilyn Monroe? Let us know in the comments.

Like Cher or Liza Minelli, Monroe isn’t a difficult star to imitate. Anyone can slap on a blonde wig, white dress, and breathy voice. However, there’s a fine line between a good impression, a bad impression, and actually channeling Monroe. Over the years, we’ve seen all three. Misty Rowe was among the first to play the woman who’d become Marilyn in 1976’s “Goodbye, Norma Jean.” The film came out 14 years after Monroe’s tragic death and 3 years after Elton John’s threnody, “Candle in the Wind.” Although the movie’s title borrows the opening lyric of John’s tribute, the main theme is J.C. Cunningham’s “Norma Jean Wants To Be A Movie Star.” Tonally, the film feels closer to that corny tune than the emotional powerhouse of “Candle in the Wind.”

Misty Rowe, despite her best efforts, sounds more like Betty Boop. While there are parallels between the animated flapper girl and Marilyn, Misty comes off as a tad too cartoony, which doesn’t mesh with the film’s melodramatic and uncomfortable moments. Still, it’s interesting that one of this figure’s first biopics wasn’t about Marilyn Monroe, but rather Norma Jean Mortenson/Baker. Monroe the movie star would be the focus of the 1989 follow-up, “Goodnight, Sweet Marilyn,” which substituted Rowe with Paula Lane. Although neither of these portrays were entirely authentic, they promoted a theme that remains prevalent in most biopics: Marilyn and Norma Jean were the same person, but what we saw on screen didn’t always mirror what occurred behind the scenes.

As Andy Warhol’s “Marilyn Diptych” suggests, there were different shades to the not-so-natural blonde. The duality of Marilyn and Norma Jean has been represented in various TV movies and miniseries, from Catherine Hicks in “Marilyn: The Untold Story” to Kelli Garner in “The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe.” These portrayals emphasize the legend and myth of Marilyn, blurring the space between her and Norma Jean. 1996’s “Norma Jean & Marilyn” takes this one step further, casting Ashley Judd as Norma Jean and Mira Sorvino as Marilyn, suggesting that two separate souls were embodying one host. As well as we knew Marilyn’s screen persona, Nora Jean is an enigma that people are still trying to dissect.

It’s hard to say who has played Monroe the most times, but Susan Griffiths is a contender for the title. In addition to the 1991 TV movie, “Marilyn and Me,” Griffiths has popped up as the blonde bombshell (or at least lookalikes) in “Quantum Leap,” “Nip/Tuck,” and “Pulp Fiction,” among others. Where biopics try to explore Monroe’s complex side, cameos sometimes perpetuate the “Dumb Blonde” stereotype that Monroe struggled to shake, despite being quite intelligent. One example is Barbara Niven in 1998’s “The Rat Pack,” where Monroe can’t remember the title of Arthur Miller’s most famous play.

While Miller and Joe DiMaggio are often depicted in Monroe biopics, the relationship that’s arguably garnered the most attention is her alleged affair with Mr. President himself. Outside of that happy birthday performance, the relationship between Monroe and JFK remains clouded in mystery. Thus, most portrayals take liberties. Their dynamic takes center stage in “Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair,” where Monroe (Melody Anderson) expects the president to leave Jackie for her. In “The Kennedys” miniseries, Monroe (Charlotte Sullivan) becomes obsessed with the president shortly before her death. Although Monroe is often played up as a naive, jilted lover, there’s little proof that the relationship was serious with some historians believing any sexual encounters were casual.

There may be evidence backing up the affair, but many depictions of Monroe dive headfirst into rumors, conspiracy theories, and straight-up fiction. Although not officially named Marilyn Monroe, Theresa Russell definitely imitates the actress in 1985’s “Insignificance,” where she meets a professor modeled after Albert Einstein. Monroe has been an unlikely subject of the horror genre with Francine York playing her in 1992’s “Marilyn Alive and Behind Bars,” which suggests her death was faked. “American Horror Story: Death Valley” gives Monroe a bizarre connection to aliens. In that series, she’s played by Alisha Soper, who previously appeared as Monroe in another Ryan Murphy show, “Feud.”

Beyond portrayals, numerous artists have paid homage to Monroe’s fashion, style, and performances. One of the most popular is “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” which Madonna, Blake Lively, Ariana Grande, Rachel Bloom, the “Glee” cast, Harley Quinn, and Miss Piggy have all borrowed from. This scene has inspired enough homages and parodies to make a MsMojo Top 10! The other most replicated moment from Monroe’s filmography is the white skirt over the subway grate in “The Seven Year Itch.” This scene even inspired a 2016 Snickers commercial with Willem Dafoe. After taking a bite, the disgruntled Dafoe transforms into Monroe, who’s brought back with a mix of visual effects and a double.

The short-lived NBC musical drama “Smash” was among the most unique interpretations, revolving around a Broadway show about the bombshell. While Katharine McPhee and Uma Thurman both take a crack at Marilyn, most would agree that Megan Hilty got the look, voice, and performance down to a T. Much of the show centers on who will play Marilyn, but there really should be no contest. We mean, have you heard Hilty’s rendition of “Don’t Forget Me?” Her character, Ivy Lynn, also shares a fair deal in common with Monroe, both having substance use disorder, insecurity, and unresolved issues with their parents.

On the silver screen, Michelle Williams perhaps gave the most significant turn as Monroe in “My Week with Marilyn.” Rather than cover her whole life like some other biopics, this film explores her work on “The Prince and the Showgirl,” told from the perspective of friend Colin Clark. Williams unearths Monroe’s concealed pain as she struggles with a crumbling marriage and a co-star (Laurence Olivier) who doesn’t take her seriously. At the same time, Williams brings out Monroe’s bubbly, impulsive side, showing that she could also be quite fun when the cameras weren’t rolling. The Academy always underappreciated Monroe, but Williams scored an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for this portrayal.

Most recently, Ana de Armas gave possibly the grittiest portrayal of Monroe to date in Netflix’s “Blonde.” This isn’t the first adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ biographical fiction novel, previously being a CBS miniseries starring Poppy Montgomery. With an NC-17 rating, though, this version goes to much darker places. Although a judgemental portion of the internet was up in arms about a Cuban and Spanish actress playing Monroe, de Armas proved the haters wrong with a gut-wrenching, spot-on portrayal. While her performance was praised, the film itself has been divisive. “Blonde” runs for almost three hours with Monroe suffering in almost every scene. Some have called this excessive and exploitative. This begs the question, “Are all portrayals of Monroe exploitive to an extent?”

During her life, Monroe was exploited by Hollywood, the press, and people close to her. In death, people are still profiting off Monroe’s image and story. Arthur Miller even wrote two plays inspired by his time with her, 1964’s “After the Fall” and 2004’s “Finishing the Picture.” While it’s a gray area for sure, we believe that many of the portrayals discussed today come from a place of affection, be it to celebrate Monroe’s life or shine a light on the tragedy that led to her premature death. 60 years after her passing, Monroe remains one of the world’s most iconic figures, which can be attributed to the legacy she left behind and the portrayals that keep that legacy burning. Even in death, Monroe’s star shines brighter than any other, never going out.