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Marilyn Monroe is arguably one of the most iconic actresses of her generation. While she caught the attention of fans with her work and beauty, the struggles in her personal life remain a common topic when discussing her legacy.
Her life story has been fictionally told in several forms of media over the years. From her troubled childhood up until her shocking death in 1962 at age 36, audiences have been able to see Monroe’s life play out from the interpretations of various actors and directors.
Several actresses have portrayed Monroe, who was born as Norma Jeane Baker, over the years. Catherine Hicks took on the titular role in the 1980 television film Marilyn: The Untold Story, while Ana de Armas is set to share her take on Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s 2022 film Blonde, based on Joyce Carol Oates’ biographical novel of the same name.
Other stars who have taken on the role of Monroe include Michelle Williams in the critically acclaimed film My Week With Marilyn, Susan Griffiths in Marilyn and Me and Ashely Judd in Norma Jeane and Marilyn.
Take a look at some of the most memorable portrayals of Monroe in film and on television below.
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Catherine Hicks as Marilyn Monroe in ‘Marilyn: The Untold Story’
Hicks portrayed the blonde bombshell in the 1980 television film Marilyn: The Untold Story. Based on Norman Mailer’s book Marilyn: A Biography, the film follows Norma Jeane’s early days as an orphan into her adulthood as she adopts the moniker of Marilyn Monroe.
The film was directed by Jack Arnold, John Flynn and Lawrence Schiller. It includes a supporting cast of Richard Basehart, Frank Converse and Jason Miller.
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Paula Lane as Marilyn Monroe in ‘Goodnight, Sweet Marilyn’
Goodnight, Sweet Marilyn stars Paula Lane as Monroe. Told from the perspective of Monroe’s friend “Mesquite” (Jeremy Slate), the 1989 film details the star’s early life and her rise to fame leading up to her untimely death.
Larry Buchanan directed, wrote and produced the film, which also stars Misty Rowe as Norma Jeane Baker and Phyllis Coates as Gladys Pearl Baker.
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Susan Griffiths as Marilyn Monroe in ‘Marilyn and Me’
Griffiths stars as the titular character in the 1991 television film Marilyn and Me. The movie follows Robert Slatzer (Jesse Dabson), an American writer who claims to have married Monroe in Mexico in 1952.
He allegedly met the actress at the beginning of her acting career. Throughout the film, the secret affair goes through its ups and downs as Monroe is torn apart between her career and relationship.
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Ashley Judd as Norma Jean Dougherty in ‘Norma Jean & Marilyn’
Ashley Judd took on the role of Norma Jean Dougherty in HBO’s 1996 film Norma Jean & Marilyn, while Mira Sorvino played Monroe after she took on the Hollywood identity. Throughout the TV film, Judd’s version of the young Baker goes from a woman living a simple life to Sorvino’s take on Monroe’s rise to fame.
Both Judd and Sorvino earned Golden Globes and Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for their roles, while the film was also nominated in the outstanding cinematography for a miniseries or special, outstanding hairstyling for a miniseries or a special and outstanding music composition for a miniseries or a special categories at the Emmys.
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Barbara Niven as Marilyn Monroe in ‘The Rat Pack’
Barbara Niven gave her take on Monroe in the 1998 HBO film The Rat Pack.
The movie is told from the point of view of Frank Sinatra (Ray Liotta) as he looks back at the solo careers of Rat Pack members Dean Martin (Joe Mantegna), Sammy Davis Jr. (Don Cheadle) and Joey Bishop (Bobby Slayton).
At one point, Sinatra introduces Monroe to the Kennedys and the musician gets an intimate look at her marriage to Joe DiMaggio (John Diehl).
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Poppy Montgomery as Norma Jeane Baker/Marilyn Monroe in ‘Blonde’
Based on Oates’ novel, the 2001 CBS movie Blonde follows the early life of Baker and her rise to fame as Monroe (Poppy Montgomery).
Beginning by giving glimpses into her childhood, the film touches on Monroe’s first marriage as a teen, as well as fictional takes on her high-profile romances inspired by Charles Chaplin Jr. (Patrick Dempsey) and Edward G. Robinson Jr. (Jensen Ackles), as well as her marriages to DiMaggio (Titus Welliver) and Arthur Miller (Griffin Dunne).
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Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in ‘My Week With Marilyn’
The 2011 film My Week With Marilyn stars Williams as the Clash by Night actress.
Told from the prescriptive of actor Sir Laurence Oliver’s (Kenneth Branagh) employee Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), the movie shares a fictional take on Monroe and Oliver’s relationship while on set of the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl.
My Week With Marilyn was critically acclaimed, while Williams was nominated for best actress and Branagh earned a nod in the best supporting actor category at the 2012 Academy Awards.
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Charlotte Sullivan as Marilyn Monroe in ‘The Kennedys’
Another actress who played Monroe in 2011 was Charlotte Sullivan, who took on the role in the 2011 Reelz Channel miniseries The Kennedys.
Despite only appearing in one episode of the miniseries, Sullivan’s take on the role was memorable due to her sultry performance of “Happy Birthday” for John F. Kennedy (Greg Kinnear).
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Kelli Garner as Marilyn Monroe in ‘The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe’
Kelli Garner took on the role of Monroe in the 2015 Lifetime miniseries. The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe chronicles the ups and downs of Monroe’s life, including her complicated relationship with her mother Gladys (Susan Sarandon).
The two-episode miniseries also looks at how the Gentleman Prefer Blondes actress managed to hide her most intimate secrets from the press.
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Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in ‘Blonde’
The most recent actress to portray Monroe is de Armas in the 2022 Netflix original film Blonde.
Oates praised the 2022 adaption of her book in a Twitter post. “I have seen the rough cut of Andrew Dominick’s adaptation & it is startling, brilliant, very disturbing & [perhaps most surprisingly] an utterly “feminist” interpretation… not sure that any male director has ever achieved anything this,” she wrote in August 2020.
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