You probably didn’t know these things about Marilyn Monroe
Let’s be real, Marilyn Monroe is one of the most famous figures, one of those names everyone recognizes. We know she was born in Los Angeles as Norma Jeane Mortenson and many things about her love life. She’s practically a Hollywood legend with remarkable chapters in her story.
With her femme fatale role in Niagara, she became the ultimate bombshell who showed off her triple-threat talent alongside Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Yes, Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend is iconic.
She took the “dumb blonde” trope and made it her own with How to Marry a Millionaire, The Seven Year Itch, The Prince and the Showgirl, or Some Like It Hot.
However, beyond the red lips, glam, and the white dress as a legendary item of pop history, there is still so much about Marilyn that flew under the radar. She was so much more than just a famous name, a Hollywood makeover, and a string of high-profile romances. Beneath all that drama, she was a woman who reinvented herself in ways that not only make her an icon but also one of the most remarkable stars of all time.
Her road to success was anything but easy. It’s well-known that she spent her childhood moving between 10 foster homes and 2 orphanages while her mother was struggling with paranoid schizophrenia. In a world that often felt unstable, she managed to find comfort in the glow of the silver screen, dreaming of a future where she’d light up theaters.
Honoring this legendary star, there are 7 things you probably didn’t know about Marilyn Monroe
1. That Iconic Breathiness? It Wasn’t Just for Show
Her signature breathing voice wasn’t just part of the character she portrayed. It was a technique she learned to manage a childhood stutter. She worked with a speech therapist who helped her develop that soft and throaty style that over time became one of the most recognizable traits in music and on screen.
The stutter never fully disappeared under pressure. When she was filming Something’s Got to Give, under stressful conditions, her speech difficulties returned. It became hard for her to deliver lines, and unfortunately, 20th Century Fox, which wasn’t known for patience, fired her from the film.
Even so, it was that breathy voice that contributed to Marilyn’s unforgettable screen presence, turning whatever was once a struggle into an essential part of her legacy.
2. Marilyn as Holly Golightly? It Almost Happened
Breakfast at Tiffany’s was incredibly close to looking very different. Truman Capote’s first choice was actually Marilyn to play the charming and complicated Holly Golightly in the 1961 film.
She turned the role down at the request of Paula Strasberg, her coach and advisor, who warned her against playing a “lady of the evening.”. The plan was to steer Marylin toward more serious and dramatic roles, rather than the ones leaning into her bombshell persona.
Capote was not very happy about Paramount’s decision to cast Audrey Hepburn instead, venting that “Paramount double-crossed him in every way.” You can only imagine how different the movie and its legacy would be if Marilyn stepped into Holly’s iconic black dress.
3. The Legendary Birthday Dress Was Almost a Second-Skin
Marilyn’s Happy Birthday Mr. President performance was unforgettable; so was the dress she wore. One thing about that sheer, crystal-covered gown was that it was so tight, that it was literally sewn on her before stepping on stage.
Skin-colored and skintight, Life photographer Bill Ray recalls how everybody went into a swoon when she came out wearing it with her unbelievably breathy “Happy Birthday to you.”. The time proves that the dress became just as legendary as the moment. In 1999 it was sold at auction for a staggering $1.26 million. It set a record for the most expensive piece of clothing ever sold, becoming just another Marilyn moment—stunning, scandalous, and unforgettable.
4. Marilyn’s Iconic Pieces? Celebs Can’t Get Enough
Her influence didn’t stop at the silver screen; her belongings were counted as collector’s treasures, and many celebrities were ready to shell out big bucks for a piece of her legacy.
Mariah Carey bought the white baby grand piano dress in 1999 that was originally owned by her mother for the jaw-dropping amount of $662,500. Designer Tommy Hilfiger snagged the blue jeans Marilyn wore in River of No Return for $37,000. He described them as having a great fit, a great patina, a great fabric, and a great hand feel—and she wore them while filming a great movie.
Hilfiger also dropped $75,000 on a pair of square-toe cowgirl boots from The Misfits that he gifted to Demi Moore, who was incredibly determined to wear them, even if they were too big. “I’d make them work—stuff the toes or something.”
And ultimately, we have the 2022 moment at the Met Gala when Kim Kardashian wore the Marilyn “Happy Birthday Mr. President” gown. The dress was on loan from Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum. The whole thing sparked controversy and proved one thing: Marilyn’s style still has the power to make headlines.
5. Marilyn was one of the first women in Hollywood to own a production company
She made a bold move long before it was common for actresses to take control of their careers. Marilyn Monroe launched her own production company in 1954 because she was done with being typecast in dumb blonde roles.
That was the moment when she co-founded Marilyn Monroe Productions, making her one of the first women in Hollywood fighting for creative control. Her company produced The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), where she starred alongside Laurence Olivier. This move was not about acting but about power, proving that Marilyn was a lot more than a pretty face.
She redefined what it meant to be a woman in Hollywood, being a trailblazer in every sense. She paved the way for future generations of female-led production companies.
6. Marilyn had an impressive personal library
Despite what anyone was thinking back then, Marilyn was not part of the dumb blonde stereotype. She was a dedicated book lover, owning a library of over 400 titles.
From classics to philosophy and poetry, her collection included works by James Joyce, Leo Tolstoy, Walt Whitman, and Sigmund Freud. Many times she was photographed reading, not as a publicity stunt, but because she had a genuine interest in learning.
One of her favorite books was Ulysses by James Joyce, and she once said that she loves to read it out loud to hear the rhythm of the words. Her love for books witnesses once more that she was more than just a Hollywood bombshell, constantly seeking deeper understandings beyond the silver screen.
7. Marilyn didn’t die at home; she died in transit
Even if for decades the story said that Marilyn was found lifeless in her Brentwood home after an apparent overdose, according to new evidence, this might not be the whole truth. Her death was officially portrayed as s*icide due to her struggles with mental health, but in The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes, journalist Anthony Summer brought a different version of events.
After a three-year investigation and an interview with the ambulance company owner Walter Schaefer, there are claims that Monroe was still alive when paramedics arrived but died en route to the hospital.
There are sayings that instead of reporting the death right away, they brought her body back home. If this is true, this fact raises more questions about the circumstances surrounding her passing. And then again, when it comes to Marilyn, mystery has always been part of her legacy.
You can find the audiobook version of My Story, by Marilyn Monroe (Author), January LaVoy (Narrator) and Graymalkin Media (Publisher) on Amazon.
