More than 60 years after her death, as well as countless books, movies, TV shows and think pieces delving into every minute detail of her short life, there's more to Marilyn Monroe we still don't know.
Blonde, an unconventional look at the 1950s Hollywood bombshell's life, which had its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival this month, landed on Netflix on Wednesday. The film is based on the celebrated book by Joyce Carol Oates published in 2000, which reimagines the actress and singer's life. Directed by Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), the film has received mixed reviews, with many praising Ana de Armas's portrayal while criticising the filmmaker's "confused" storytelling style.
Still, Blonde has reignited interest in the life of Monroe, who was born Norma Jeane Mortenson and whose influence on pop culture shows no signs of waning.
Here are five things you probably didn't know about the real Marilyn Monroe.
She stuttered as a child
Monroe's signature breathy style was deliberate, but not for reasons you might think. It was a speech therapist who trained her to speak that way when she stuttered as a child and ended up becoming one of her most identifiable traits as an actor and singer.
The stuttering would return later in life, when she struggled with the pressures of her personal life and, according to numerous accounts, even contributed to her being fired from her final movie, Something's Got to Give. The film was never completed.
She almost starred in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'
The role that would turn Audrey Hepburn into one of the biggest Hollywood stars was initially offered to Monroe. Truman Capote, whose novella the film was adapted from, wanted Monroe to play the lead, Holly Golightly, and Oscar-nominated screenwriter George Axelrod was hired to tailor the role for her.
But Monroe's acting coach Lee Strasberg advised her against accepting the role, telling her that playing a "lady of the evening" would be bad for her image, according to Sam Wasson, author of a bestselling biographer about the actress.
The film was a major critical and commercial success and one shot of Hepburn in character, cigarette holder in hand, is still considered one of the most recognisable images in pop culture.
She had an alter ego, Zelda Zonk
While most of us know Marilyn Monroe was a name given to her by a studio executive, the star born as Norma Jeane Mortenson adopted an alter ego once she became famous to avoid the paparazzi. In his book, The Empty Glass, journalist and screenwriter JI Baker writes that Monroe became “a normal” person through Zelda Zonk, wearing a dark wig and sunglasses.
She and Jane Fonda were classmates
Considered an American treasure herself, Oscar-winning actress Fonda went to the same acting school as Monroe, who was already a star when she wanted to be considered a serious actress and enrolled at Stradberg's Actors Studio.
In an interview with New York Times in 2020, Fonda recalled her time with Monroe.
"She liked me. I think she liked me because she sensed my insecurities and she was drawn to vulnerable things," she said. "I’ll never forget a party that Lee Strasberg gave and she came late, and she walked in and men there started to shake. I mean, they were physically excited and agitated by the fact that she was there. And she walked straight to me and wanted to talk."
Fonda added that Monroe was as striking in real life as on screen.
"She glowed. There was a glow coming out of her that was unbelievable. It came from her skin and her hair and her being. I’ve never seen anything like it," she said.
The FBI had a file on her
While Monroe's association with politics is often linked to her alleged affair with US president John F Kennedy, she was under investigation for something more sinister. During Monroe's six-year relationship with playwright Arthur Miller, the FBI opened a file on her, under suspicion that she was a sympathiser of communists.
Miller was branded a communist during the controversial McCarthy era in the 1950s when personalities with leftist views were repressed under the policies of US senator Joseph McCarthy.
Monroe was suspect by association. In 2012, unredacted classified files showed she was tracked for more than seven years, but no concrete evidence that she was involved in any communist agenda was ever found.
Blonde is now streaming on Netflix
16 actresses who have played Marilyn Monroe, from Blake Lively to Uma Thurman — in pictures
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Ana de Armas: The 32-year-old Cuban is the latest in a long line of actresses to play Monroe. She said nailing the blonde bombshell’s famously breathless way of speaking was 'exhausting'. PPC, AFP -
Blake Lively: The actress, who is married to fellow star Ryan Reynolds, channelled Marilyn in the 100th episode of her TV show, ‘Gossip Girl’. In a dream sequence for the hit show, she recreated the song ‘Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend’ from ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’. AFP, CW Network -
Ashley Judd: The actress played Marilyn before she was Marilyn, portraying the star when she was still known as Norma Jean Baker, in the 1996 HBO original film ‘Norma Jean and Marilyn’. Courtesy HBO, AFP -
Mira Sorvino: The Oscar-winning actress appeared in ‘Norma Jean and Marilyn’ alongside Ashley Judd, playing Monroe when she traded in being Norma Jean to become the world-famous Marilyn. AFP, HBO -
Madonna: Having long spoken of her admiration for the actress, Madonna has channelled Marilyn throughout her career. Madonna paid the ultimate homage in the 1984 video for her song ‘Material Girl’, in which she donned a replica of Monroe’s hot pink outfit from ‘Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend’ in ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’. Alamy, Film Magic -
Michelle Williams: The American actress won a Golden Globe and was Oscar-nominated for Best Actress for her portrayal of the star in 2011’s ‘My Week with Marilyn’. 'Unless you study her and understand her a bit better than the commonly accepted view, one could miss who she was underneath that,' she told ‘The Hollywood Reporter’. 'Marilyn was a part she played.' Getty Images, The Weinstein Company -
Barbara Niven: American actress Niven played the blonde star in the 1998 film ‘The Rat Pack’, alongside Ray Liotta’s Frank Sinatra and Don Cheadle’s Sammy Davis Jr. AFP, Shutterstock -
Charlotte Sullivan: Starring alongside Katie Holmes as Jackie Kennedy and Greg Kinnear as JFK, the actress appeared as Marilyn in 2011 TV mini-series ‘The Kennedys’. She sang the famous ‘Happy Birthday’ to President Kennedy at his 45th birthday. AFP, Muse Entertainment -
Kelli Garner: The actress admitted she almost turned down the chance to play the Hollywood legend in 2015 miniseries ‘The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe’, telling ‘Today’: 'Those are really, really big shoes. And I wasn't sure if I could pull it off.' Film Magic, Lifetime Television -
Melody Anderson: The Canadian actress, who has since retired, played Marilyn in the 1993 TV film ‘Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair’, a fictional account of the alleged affair between Monroe and JFK’s brother, Robert F Kennedy. Getty Images, Shutterstock -
Poppy Montgomery: Australian actress Montgomery played the celebrated star in the 2001 miniseries ‘Blonde’. 'When I told my mother I got the part of Marilyn Monroe, she didn’t even bat an eyelash,' she told ‘Entertainment Weekly’. 'She said: 'Well, you’ve been rehearsing for it your whole life'.' AFP, CBS -
Susan Griffiths: The actress has carved a niche for herself by playing Marilyn Monroe in many films and shows. So far she’s portrayed the actress in ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, 1993’s ‘Quantum Leap’ and the Oscar-winning 1994 film, ‘Pulp Fiction’. Wireimage, ABC -
Theresa Russell: The American actress stepped into Marilyn’s high heels to play her in the 1985 British film ‘Insignificance’, which told the fictional story of four very famous people meeting in a hotel room in the 1950s. Shutterstock, AFP -
Uma Thurman, Katherine McPhee and Megan Hilty: The three actresses all played Marilyn Monroe in ‘Smash’, a 2012 TV series about the putting together of a fictional Marilyn Monroe musical named Bombshell. AFP, NBC Universal
