Marilyn Monroe’s best biographies and documentaries

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.

Documenting Marilyn Monroe’s life has been a cottage industry for more than 60 years. Admirers are fiercely debating the most insightful and most problematic biographies and documentaries about Blonde Bombshell’s checkered life on Reddit subscriptions, Facebook groups, and other fan communities.

Picking highlights from dozens of documentaries and hundreds of books isn’t easy, but here are some old and recent titles that stand out.

The latest full-length Marilyn documentary focuses on the circumstances surrounding Marilyn’s death, using unheard tapes used in the book Goddess, including interviews with John Huston and Billy Wilder. Variety critic Owen Gleiberman said, “‘The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe’ is a rare tabloid exposé that sets the record straight. It sets the record straight. It confronts important questions as well as conspiracy theories.” However, other critics slammed it as “evil” and “vulgar”.

Renowned documentarian Liz Garbus directed this doc based on the book Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters, edited by Stanley F. Buchtal and Bernard Comment. Critics called it an “elegant pastiche” based on Monroe’s own writings, and it was read by a number of prominent public figures.

The tribute, produced to commemorate the 25th anniversary of her death and hosted by Lee Remick, includes rare footage of Monroe as a teenager and documents from her marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, as well as interviews with Robert Wagner, Gloria Steinem, Robert Mitchum, Susan Strasberg and Monroe herself.

This hour-long television documentary is based on a lengthy 1960 interview with French journalist Georges Belmont, with Catherine Deneuve listening to and responding to the interview.

Narrated by her last director, John Huston, this early doc delves into the late star’s psyche, with interviews from many famous people.

Feminist writers bring out previously unknown stories that reveal Starr’s intellectual and emotional turmoil.

Considered one of Monroe’s definitive records, the book features interviews with primary sources including her ex-husband Arthur Miller, friend and mentor Lee Strasberg, director Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, and John Huston.

Casillo delves into Monroe’s bipolar disorder and other intimate moments in this comprehensive biography featuring dozens of new interviews.

Once considered the definitive biography of Monroe, Sport’s exhaustive book has been criticized for being unclearly sourced and too sympathetic.

Published more than a decade after her death, this unfinished autobiography was brought to publication by playwright Ben Hecht. Although Monroe stopped documenting her life after her marriage to Joe DiMaggio, this record provides a unique perspective on her childhood and formative experiences.

It was controversial because it mixed biography and psychoanalysis, and was criticized at the time as harsh, but it remains an important record.

Monroe’s own writings, including letters, poems, and notes, are interwoven with intimate photographs to create an imperfect but authentic snapshot.

Morgan interviewed more than 50 people with the aim of presenting a non-sensationalist account of the actress’ life.