By Bryanne Salazar
8:30pm PST, Jan 24, 2023
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Hollywood has attempted to resurrect Marilyn Monroe — who was found dead in her Los Angeles home in 1962 — countless times over the years, most recently in the 2022 film "Blonde." Wonderwall.com has rounded up all the actresses who've brought the iconic bombshell back to life on the big and small screens over the years, starting with this talented beauty…
"Knives Out" actress Ana de Armas plays Marilyn Monroe in 2022's "Blonde," the movie from filmmaker Andrew Dominik that's an adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates' work of fiction about the inner life of the star. Though the film sparked controversy, Ana's performance earned her a best actress Oscar nomination.
Keep reading for more…
MORE: Marilyn Monroe models a black bikini in 1960, plus more of the best photos of the iconic star
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Michelle Williams portrayed Marilyn Monroe in the Oscar-nominated 2011 film "My Week with Marilyn." Unlike most movies about the vivacious star, this one focused on the uncomfortable interactions between legendary actor Sir Laurence Olivier and Marilyn for one week while they filmed "The Prince and the Showgirl."
MORE: Actresses who've played Princess Diana
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Madonna was so inspired by Marilyn Monroe's song "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" from the film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" that she recreated the entire scene for her "Material Girl" video in 1985.
MORE: Actors who've played Elvis
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In the 1996 HBO original film "Norma Jean and Marilyn," Ashley Judd transformed into a young woman dreaming of stardom long before the world came to know her as Marilyn Monroe.
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Although Ashley Judd played Norma Jean in the HBO original film "Norma Jean and Marilyn," it was actress Mira Sorvino who took on the role of Marilyn Monroe. In this Golden Globe-nominated TV project, we see how Marilyn used her sexuality to further her career, which had devastating effects.
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Kim Kardashian didn't play Marilyn Monroe, exactly, but she did channel the icon when she arrived on the 2022 Met Gala red carpet wearing the custom crystal-embellished gown that Marilyn wore in 1962 while singing "Happy birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy. Kim borrowed the one-of-a-kind dress from the Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum, which purchased the piece of fashion history at a 2016 auction for $4.8 million.
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Kelli Garner starred as Marilyn Monroe in the two-part 2015 TV miniseries "The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe," which explored the private life of the beautiful star and her many complicated relationships.
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In 1975, Misty Rowe starred as a young woman looking to become a movie star in the biopic "Goodbye Norma Jean." The movie took place during the beginning of Marilyn Monroe's Hollywood career, when she was an impoverished factory worker dreaming of making it big in Hollywood.
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Although Charlotte Sullivan only appeared in one episode of the eight-part miniseries "The Kennedys" in 2011, her scene as Marilyn Monroe — singing a breathy "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy — was almost as amazing as when it happened in real life.
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The 1993 TV movie "Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair" is a fictionalized account of Marilyn Monroe (played by Melody Anderson) and Robert F. Kennedy's alleged romantic relationship.
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Fans of "Gossip Girl" got a fun surprise for the show's 100th episode in 2012. Actress Blake Lively did a spot-on Marilyn Monroe impression during a dream sequence and even sang "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."
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Sophie Monk took on the role of Marilyn Monroe in the 2004 TV movie "The Mystery of Natalie Wood," which followed the life of child-to-adult star Natalie Wood, who died under mysterious circumstances in a tragic boating accident.
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Actress and longtime Marilyn Monroe impersonator Susan Griffiths got the role of a lifetime when she starred in the TV movie "Marilyn and Me" in 1991.
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Barbara Niven starred as Marilyn Monroe in the 1998 TV movie "The Rat Pack," which followed the lives and loves of famous friends Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis Jr.
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In what can only be described as the meta performance of a lifetime, Uma Thurman starred as Hollywood actress Rebecca Duvall, who was vying for the role of Marilyn Monroe in "Bombshell" — the Broadway musical at the center of "Smash," the 2012 NBC musical drama series about a cast of characters who wrote, directed, produced and performed in a Broadway musical about Marilyn's life.
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On "Smash," Katharine McPhee starred as Karen Cartwright — a kindhearted theater ingenue fighting to land a starring role playing Marilyn Monroe in the Broadway musical "Bombshell."
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Not to be outdone, Megan Hilty also starred on the TV series "Smash" as veteran theater actress Ivy Lynn, who wanted to prove she was the No. 1 choice to take on the role of Marilyn Monroe in a (fictional) theatrical production of "Bombshell."
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OK, so maybe Penelope Cruz didn't actually play Marilyn Monroe in 2009's "Los Abrazos Rotos" ("Broken Embraces"), but her role as Lena, a woman who transforms herself into unnamed famous characters from the past, deserves a mention. We think she did Marilyn proud.
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Theresa Russell played Marilyn Monroe in the 1985 film "Insignificance." The British movie, which also starred Tony Curtis and Gary Busey, revolves around four characters who represent iconic figures of the 1950s era: Marilyn, Joseph McCarthy, Joe DiMaggio and Albert Einstein.
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Catherine Hicks took on the role of Marilyn Monroe in the 1980 TV flick "Marilyn: The Untold Story." The movie follows Marilyn's life from her days as an orphan to her meteoric rise in Hollywood to, ultimately, her untimely death.
