Marilyn Monroe, all the actresses who have played her

Who played Marilyn Monroe over the years, before Ana de Armas in Blonde? Here are all the actresses who have – often in vain – lent their faces to the Hollywood diva between cinema and TV.

Since Ana de Armas dusted off the charm of Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, the whole world continues to question fiction and reality, the woman behind the icon, the blurred border that separated Norma Jeane from her Hollywood alter ego. And even if the film divided the public and the critics in a perfect halfway between hatred and love, the young actress is proud to have made her contribution to the long list of actresses who, over the years , were able to taste the charm of the divas on their own skin.

Actresses who played Marilyn Monroe

The history of cinema is teeming with interpretations of Marilyn Monroe. Ana de Armas was certainly not the first and will not be the last to immerse herself in the sensual appearance of a woman whose beauty has become a reference not only in cinema, but also in popular culture. Let’s discover all the actresses who have had the honor of embodying it between cinema and TV.

Who played Marilyn Monroe next to Ana de Armas: all the actresses

One of the very first to bring the charm of the diva back to the cinema was Misty Rowe, who played Marilyn in the 1976 film Hello Norma Jean. And, perhaps a bit like Blonde, she was not warmly received by critics: it’s more correct to say that the film was rejected on release, called “dark and unconvincing”. Ten years later or a little more, the role then goes to Paula Lane who plays her in Goodnight, sweet Marilyn. A 1989 film, it retraces the death of Norma Jean Baker, alias Marilyn Monroe.

Hi Norma Jean, Good night, sweet Marilyn, The Lady in White

In 1985, directed by Nicolas Roeg, it was Theresa Russell’s turn to embody the Hollywood diva in the film The Lady in White, in the original language known as Insignificance. Not just in film, but also on television: Catherine Hicks (known for having starred in Seventh Heaven) shaped Monroe in the TV movie Marilyn: The Untold Story, which crossed her whole life between anonymity and popularity. In 1991, still for television, this task fell to Susan Griffiths in Marilyn And Me.

Marilyn: the untold story, Marilyn and me, Marilyn and Bobby: her last affair

The story in this case is that of Robert Slatzer, an American writer who claims to have married the movie star in Mexico. In Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair, released in 1993 on the small screen, it was Melody Anderson who took on the brilliant appearance of the actress. In this case, the focus is on the alleged relationship between the diva and Robert F. Kennedy.

Norma Jean and Marilyn, Rat Pack – From Hollywood to Washington, Blonde

Digging into her past, HBO’s Norma Jean and Marilyn chose two actresses to mark the before and after: Ashley Judd as Norma and Mira Sorvino as Marilyn. Two years later, in 1998, the actress also appeared in Rat Pack – From Hollywood to Washington: Barbara Niven played her.

All the actresses who have played Marilyn in recent years

Many may not know that even before the movie, a television series was made in 2001 simply titled Blonde. In this case the diva has the features of Poppy Montgomery. The cast also includes actors well known today such as Patrick Dempsey and Jensen Ackles. In 2011, in the television series The Kennedys, the actress is played by Charlotte Sullivan and sings the famous Happy Birthday to President Kennedy on the occasion of his 45th birthday.

The Kennedys, My week with Marilyn, Smash

My Week with Marilyn also came out that year, starring an amazing Michelle Williams. For this role, she won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar. In the television series Smash, three actresses had the honor of competing for Marilyn’s blonde hair: Uma Thurman, Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty.

Gossip Girl, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, Blonde

Even in Gossip Girl she appeared, but for a theme party with Blake Lively. In The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, a 2015 miniseries, the protagonist is Kelli Garner. Last, but only in chronological order, is Ana de Armas who in 2022 lands on Netflix with Blonde.