Insignificance (1985)
Nicolas Roeg, the director of The Man Who Fell to Earth, cast his then-wife Theresa Russell, now 65, to play the Actress in this alternate-reality film, which imagines four icons of the years 50 gathered in a New York City hotel room: the Actress; the Professor, aka Albert Einstein (Michael Emil); the Player, aka Joe DiMaggio (Gary Busey, 78 years old); and the Senator, aka Joseph McCarthy (Tony Curtis). The film is based on a play by Terry Johnson, who came up with the idea when he learned that an autographed photo of Einstein had been found in Marilyn's possessions when she died.
How did she do? "She doesn't look much like Monroe," wrote Roger Ebert, "but what does it matter? The blond hair and red lips are there, and also the manner, which has been imitated so many times, and so badly, that imitators show that Monroe was a special case. Russell doesn't imitate. He builds his performance from the ground up and that works to keep the movie cohesive."
Marilyn and Me (1991)
The premise: As a professional Marilyn impersonator, Griffiths, 62, has played the star on screen more than a dozen times, in everything from Pulp Fiction to Growing Pains to Curb Your Enthusiasm. He had his biggest role to date in this 1991 film, which is told from the point of view of Bob Slatzer (Jesse Dabson, now 60), who claims to have fallen in love with and married Marilyn in 1952 before she would achieve fame. There is little evidence that the marriage ever took place, although he wrote two books about the alleged secret affair. Needless to say, this movie isn't famous for its historical accuracy.
Blonde (2001)
The premise: You might be surprised to learn that this year's Blonde movie isn't the first adaptation of Oates's novel. The book was the basis for this made-for-TV movie, which starred Australian actress Poppy Montgomery, now 50, better known to American audiences as FBI agent Samantha Spade from Without a Trace. The CBS film features a surprising cast of familiar faces: Patricia Richardson (71) as her mother, Ann-Margret (81) as her grandmother, Patrick Dempsey (56) as actor Cass Bulut and Griffin Dunne ( 67 years old) as Arthur Miller.
How did she do? Tom Shales, the reviewer for the Washington Post, called the film "a hideous, morbid mess, not just rubbish, but deplorable, pretentious, contrived rubbish". But he spared some kind words for Montgomery, who "does an essentially passable job," especially capturing Monroe's laugh, smile, and frailty.
My Week With Marilyn (2011)
The premise: Some biopics claim to tell the entire story of a famous character, but this film has much more modest goals, following Marilyn for just a few days on the set of the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl. Director Laurence Olivier (played by Kenneth Branagh, now 61) hires young film student Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) as a production assistant, tasking him with spending time with Monroe as she struggles with fame and her desire to be taken seriously as an actress. Clark later wrote two books—The Prince, the Showgirl and Me: The Colin Clark Diaries and My Week With Marilyn—that served as the basis for this film.
How did she do? New Yorker critic David Denby wrote that Williams "brings the star to life", and both she and Branagh earned Oscar nominations.
Smash (2012–13)
The premise: NBC's one-stage drama took audiences behind the scenes of an upcoming Broadway musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe called Bombshell. Competing for the lead are veteran Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) and newcomer Karen Cartwright (American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee). Expect musical numbers like "The National Pastime," a euphemistic tune about baseball; "Don't Forget Me", a song sung from the afterlife; and "Let Me Be Your Star," which was Grammy and Emmy nominated in the real world, not show business!
How did it go? Hilty's Ivy was a better fit for the role of Marilyn and (plot reveal) she finally landed the part and won a Tony (inside the show). It's been rumored for years that Bombshell could one day hit Broadway. Additionally, McPhee has officially declared herself Team Ivy, telling Broadway.com: "I would play Karen, but I don't know if I would play Marilyn. I would leave that to Megan. She was my favorite Marilyn. I'm not being hard on myself. ; I really think she would make an amazing Marilyn onstage."
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (2015)
The premise: Much of the first half of this Lifetime miniseries, based on the book by J. Randy Taraborrelli, focuses on the traumas of Marilyn's youth, especially her relationship with her mother (who suffered from mental health problems ), played by Susan Sarandon, now 75, and Sarandon's daughter, Eva Amurri. Instead, in the second part, he delves into her three marriages: with Jimmy Dougherty (Giacomo Gianniotti from Grey's Anatomy), Joe DiMaggio (Jeffrey Dean Morgan from The Walking Dead, 56 years old), and Arthur Miller (Stephen Bogaert, 54 years old). ).
How did she do? Reviews were mixed, but Variety reviewer Brian Lowry praised Garner for her "sweeping performance" and, above all, her ability to capture Marilyn from 16 to 36.
The Drunk History episode “Legends” (2016)
The premise: If you haven't seen the Comedy Central series Drunk History, you're in for something special. The concept: Comedians learn a fascinating historical anecdote, drink copious amounts of alcohol, and then retell what they remember, with very famous actors performing their fractured versions. The season four episode "Legends" shines a light on the beautiful friendship between Monroe (Temple, who plays Keeley in Ted Lasso) and Ella Fitzgerald (Gabourey Sidibe, Oscar nominee for Precious. When the owners of a Hollywood nightclub Fitzgerald weren't allowed to perform there, Monroe used her fame to help her friend, promising the owners she'd sit in the front row every night. It's a heartwarming story that perfectly captures Marilyn's innate goodness, who so often has often been overshadowed by Hollywood excess.
