25 Unbelievable Marilyn Monroe Facts That Even Her Biggest Fans Won’t Know

Marilyn Monroe, the woman who popularized the stereotypical “dumb blonde” in film and became one of the most famous icons of pop culture, continues to influence the world of fashion and entertainment in the twenty-first century as very few women have throughout history. In addition, her name is synonymous with the phrase “sex symbol,” and many journalists and historians have described her as the one and only “queen of pop culture.” Unfortunately, as with many other legends and icons of the last century, Marilyn didn’t have the happiest childhood and struggled for the better part of her adulthood with depression, insomnia, and an addiction to sedatives, which eventually led to her death. Her three marriages, her speculated and scandalous relationship with John F. Kennedy and her tragic death at age thirty-six are some of the most widely known things about her life. The following list, however, of 25 Facts About Marilyn Monroe That You Probably Didn’t Know will stimulate your interest and help you realize why there will never be another sex icon like Marilyn Monroe. 1. Dogs eternallysunny Monroe was a big fan of dogs, and the last dog she owned was a Maltese terrier given to her by Frank Sinatra. She called them Maf, which was short for Mafia Honey. 2. Wages eternallysunny Although she was a huge star, Monroe was often underpaid for her work. She was paid around $100,000 for her unfinished performance in Something’s Got To Give, while Elizabeth Taylor was paid $1 million for her role in Cleopatra at around the same time. 3. Sad Demise eternallysunny Just four days before she was found dead at her home, she had signed a two-picture deal with Fox, which would have been worth a huge $1 million – it would have been the biggest pay cheque of her career to date. 4. Piano eternallysunny The white grand piano which she had in her home was eventually auctioned off in 1999 for $662,500 to none other than Mariah Carey. The piano went from one celebrity to the next, and the price was no mean feat for Carey back in 1999, as she was firmly at the top of the charts. 5. Weight eternallysunny While filming for The Prince and The Showgirl, Monroe’s weight fluctuated constantly, so much so that her costume designer, Beatrice Dawson, had to make the same dresses in multiple sizes. 6. Skin eternallysunny Monroe used a hormone cream to whiten her skin, and one of the side effects was the growth of a blonde peach fuzz on her face. She didn’t mind this however, as she believed it gave her face a soft glow on screen. This was because of the quality of the film and cameras back then, so the fuzz probably helped to soften her features. 7. Yoga eternallysunny Monroe was ahead of her time in many ways and was keen on practicing yoga. She even took lessons from Swedish-Russian Bollywood film star Indra Devi who also taught Greta Garbo and Gloria Swanson. 8. Birthday Suit eternallysunny It was a known fact that Monroe enjoyed being in her birthday suit and was notorious for wandering around all of the costume assistants, make-up artists, and hairdressers completely naked. 9. Property eternallysunny Although Monroe had a considerable fortune, she only ever owned one property – in Brentwood, California, where she was found dead. This property has recently come back on the market, in April 2017, with an asking price of $6,900,000. 10. Reading eternallysunny Just before her death in 1962, Monroe was in the process of reading two books: Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, and Leo Rosten’s Captain Newman MD, which was actually based on the life of Monroe’s psychiatrist, Ralph Greenson. 11. Sport eternallysunny Before her life in Hollywood, she studied weightlifting and even once went tandem surfing with her then-boyfriend Tommy Zahn, during which she balanced on his shoulders. 12. Cause Of Death eternallysunny Marilyn Monroe’s death was ruled a “probable suicide.” However, toxicology reports were only ever done on her liver. When the other organs were requested by the deputy coroner, he was told they’d already been destroyed. This was obviously going to prompt many theories about the star’s death. 13. Conspiracies eternallysunny The public created many different conspiracy theories surround the Hollywood star’s death. One of which was that she was murdered in order to prevent her from going public about her supposed affair with President John F. Kennedy. 14. Strange Circumstances eternallysunny The circumstances revolving Monroe’s death were quite sketchy, as apparently there had been no alcohol around, and some people have claimed that there was evidence of her being injected with a needle. This has not been confirmed. 15. Victoria Hamel eternallysunny Ten years after Monroe died, in 1971, actress Veronica Hamel purchased her house, in which she claimed to have found multiple FBI wire traps around the property. 16. Reopened The Case eternallysunny The LA District County Attorney decided to reopen the case again in 1982. Unfortunately, they were unable to find any further evidence to support the conspiracy theories, so the case was closed again. 17. Second Marriage eternallysunny Many believe that Marilyn’s second husband, author Arthur Miller, wrote the play After The Fall about their marriage. The character of Maggie is believed to be based on her. 18. Father eternallysunny Who Monroe’s father actually was was never discovered. She and her mother both believed him to be C. Stanley Gifford, but the man her mother was married to when she was born, Edward Mortensen, is listed on her birth certificate as her father. 19. Father Figure eternallysunny She also had a small obsession with her co-star in The Misfits, Clark Gable, who she saw as a father figure. When he passed away, she claimed to have cried for two days straight. 20. Friendships eternallysunny Ella Fitzgerald was banned from performing in the 1950s in Los Angeles. In order to try and get her a gig, Monroe worked her hardest, and eventually convinced a venue to host her as long as Monroe sat in the front row for each of the shows. 21. Learning Lines eternallysunny Even though she was one of Hollywood’s biggest and most well-known actresses, she often found it difficult to memorize her lines. Once, it took her more than 60 tries to remember the line “It’s me, sugar” from Some Like It Hot. 22. Marriage eternallysunny Before becoming famous, Monroe married James Dougherty when she was just 16-years-old. He later became a detective with the LAPD and was forbidden by his second wife from seeing any of her films. 23. The Dress eternallysunny The famous dress she wore for the famous “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” performance for President Kennedy was sold in 1999 for around $1.3 million. 24. Open Casket eternallysunny Monroe had an open-casket funeral and had to be laid to rest wearing a blonde wig as her head was partially shaved during the autopsy. 25. Re-Marriage eternallysunny At the time of her death, Marilyn Monroe was thought to be making plans to remarry Joe DiMaggio. He had received help for his alcoholism, and the two seemed to be planning to give it another go. Credits: eternallysunny Share this awesome facts on Facebook with your friends. Related: Find The Elephant In The Room-Marilyn Monroe The Last Known Footage Of Marilyn Monroe Taken The Weekend Before She Died