There was more to Marilyn Monroe than just sex appeal and conspiracy. She had a life in which she did many great, new and record-breaking things. Some of these occurred after her passing, but that is what makes her legacy so strong. Even today she is loved around the world and is a part of so many people’s lives.
Here are just some facts and achievements of the things that make Marilyn the icon she is today:
- She starred in 30 movies, the last of which wasn’t completed (Something’s Got To Give).
- Marilyn won 3 Golden Globes (1954 World Film Favorites, Actress In A Leading Role – Musical Or Comedy 1960, World Film Favorites 1962).
- In 1954, Marilyn performed to 100,000 troops in Korea over the span of 4 days whilst on her honeymoon with Joe DiMaggio.
- At least 40 celebrities have impersonated or channelled Marilyn in photoshoots, music videos, advertising campaigns and movies, including Madonna, Lindsay Lohan and Lisa Marie Presley.
- 10 of Marilyn’s films were the top-grossing movies in the USA in their release year.
- From 1954 to 1956 Marilyn was one of ten top money-making stars in the USA.
- Infamous acting coach Lee Strasberg deemed Marilyn to be one of the greatest actors of all time.
- She set up her own production company in order to take control over the roles she was playing after being sick of the “dumb blonde” stereotype she had been typecasted as.
- Some Like It Hot was listed as the greatest American comedy film of all time by the American Film Institute in 2000.
- By 1962, her movies had grossed $200 million. Adjusted for inflation that is the equivalent of approximately $1.8 billion.
- In 2016, Julien’s Auctions received its second placement in the Guinness Book of World Records for the sale of the world’s most expensive dress ever sold at auction. Marilyn’s “Happy Birthday Mr President” dress sold for $4.8 million.
- Marilyn was one of the first women in Hollywood to start wearing jeans.
- She was on the cover of the first-ever Playboy magazine and her photos by Tom Kelley were the centrefold. Marilyn never posed for Playboy or give permission for these photos to be used. She had been paid $50 for her nude pin-up images in 1949 when they were taken.
- The calendar in which the Tom Kelley images first appeared was re-released due to the discovery that the photos were of Marilyn Monroe. In 1955 they sold approximately 4 million copies.
- Marilyn has remained a sex symbol, beauty icon and one of the most famous stars of classical Hollywood cinema.
- Marilyn is immortalised at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre with her hand and footprints marked in cement.
- She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Creator of Playboy Hugh Hefner is buried next to Marilyn as per his wishes.
- Hundreds of books have been written about Marilyn. Too many to count I’m sure.
- She has been the subject of films, plays and operas as well as works of art.
- Absolute World: Building #4 and Building #5 are nicknamed “Marilyn Monroe” for their shapely figures.
- She has been written about by scholars and journalists who are interested in gender and feminism; these writers include Gloria Steinem, Jacqueline Rose, Molly Haskell, Sarah Churchwell, and Lois Banner.
- Marilyn worked with many charities in her life, many of them with a focus on children.
- Marilyn won 10 of the 15 awards she was nominated for.
- She is deemed one of the most famous icons in pop culture.
- The song “File My Claim” from River of No Return (1954) sold over 75,000 copies in its first three weeks of release.
- She appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine seven times.
- There have been several poems and songs written about Marilyn including Candle In The Wind by Elton John and a poem by Norman Rosten, a friend of Marilyn’s.
- According to Emmeline Snively from the Blue Book Modelling Agency, Marilyn was one of the hardest-working models she’d met.
- Marilyn owned a collection of over 400 books.
- Marilyn Monroe’s Golden Globe Award sold for a record-breaking $200,000 at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills.
- Art historian Gail Levin stated that Monroe may have been “the most photographed person of the 20th century.”
- The Smithsonian Institution has included her on their list of “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time”.
- Both Variety and VH1 have placed her in the top ten in their rankings of the greatest popular culture icons of the twentieth century.
- In June 1999 Marilyn came sixth in the American Film Institute’s list of the top twenty-five female stars of all time.
- Marilyn’s image/likeness has appeared in over 60 advertising campaigns including Dior and Mercedes Benz.
- Marilyn was the first-ever Playboy Sweetheart of the Month in December 1953.
- She was known for her impeccable comedic timing, which was showcased in films like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and The Seven Year Itch (1955).
- Marilyn’s famous rendition of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes has become an iconic and widely recognized musical number.
- Her performance in Bus Stop (1956) earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.
- Marilyn Monroe was named the Sexiest Woman of the Century by People magazine in 1999.
- In 2019, Marilyn was featured in an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London titled Gainsborough’s Family Album, highlighting her influence on contemporary art.
- Numerous iconic photographs of Marilyn, taken by renowned photographers such as Milton H. Greene and Bert Stern, have become iconic images that are instantly recognizable.
- Marilyn Monroe’s beauty and style have inspired countless fashion trends and continue to be referenced in modern pop culture.
- She was posthumously awarded a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in 1994, further solidifying her enduring impact on the entertainment industry.