Marilyn Monroe's Closest Confidants Share Their Stories

Marilyn Monroe's Inner Circle

Marilyn Monroe's life and legacy have been extensively documented, but her friendships with women are often overlooked. The article explores her relationships with those closest to her, revealing a more nuanced side to the iconic actress.

Female Friendships

Monroe had many female friends, including Amy Greene, the widow of photographer Milton Greene. Greene shared her home with Monroe for several years in the mid-1950s and remembers the scrutiny they faced: "Girlfriends would say, 'Are you out of your mind to have that woman in your house?' I'd say, 'What's wrong with you? There's nothing there. They're business partners!'"

The Power of Platonic Relationships

Monroe's friendships with women like Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable are well-documented, particularly in films like How to Marry a Millionaire and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Her relationship with Jane Russell, her co-star in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, was particularly significant, with Russell recalling a day at the beach with close female friends: "[We] had wine, music and more talk by the fire … I thought of Marilyn. I wished I had her phone number, because I knew she belonged there, where we were all laughing about our problems."

Male Friends and Collaborators

While Monroe's relationships with men like John F. Kennedy have been widely reported, her platonic friendships with men like photographer Lawrence Schiller were also important to her. Schiller worked with Monroe on a nude photoshoot, one of the most scandalous of her career.

A More Nuanced Legacy

The article highlights the complexity of Monroe's relationships and challenges the notion that she was solely a sex symbol. Her friendships with women, in particular, reveal a more vulnerable and human side to her personality.