Stars Who Have Transformed Into Marilyn Monroe: Photos Of Kim Kardashian, Michelle Williams & More

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May 17, 2022 2:30PM EDT

Marilyn Monroe is an icon, who has been portrayed by many other stars through the years. See everyone’s who’s played the bombshell here.

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Stars Who Have Played Marilyn Monroe: Photos

Stars Who Have Played Marilyn Monroe: Photos — Often imitated, but never replicated! Marilyn Monroe’s charm and beauty is legendary, so it’s no surprise that Hollywood has tried to recapture that magic again. Several stars have had the honor of playing Miss Marilyn since the 80s. Some have captured her essence for the big screen, while others took to the stage to be the blonde bombshell.

It takes some serious acting chops to imitate Marilyn Monroe and all of the actresses who have played the part with tons of respect for the late beauty. Here, Katharine McPhee, Michelle Williams, and Uma Thurman are all seen taking on Marilyn.

Want to learn more about the stars who have stepped into Marilyn Monroe’s shoes? Look no further than our gallery here.

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Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian — Kim Kardashian transformed into a modern-day Marilyn when she donned The ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ dress to the 2022 Met Gala. Talking to ‘Vogue’ about her inspiration for the look, she said, ‘The idea really came to me after the gala in September last year. I thought to myself, what would I have done for the American theme if it had not been the [all black, masked] Balenciaga look? What’s the most American thing you can think of? And that’s Marilyn Monro.’

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Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams — Michelle Williams played Marilyn in 2011 film ‘My Week With Marilyn’. She captured the breathy, enigmatic side of the star in the film, which told the story of a very special week in time when Marilyn was making the 1957 movie ‘The Prince and the Showgirl’.

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Megan Hilty

Megan Hilty — Megan Hilty was one of the three ladies who took on Marilyn in 2012’s TV series Smash. The show, which lasted for two seasons, was about the staging of the fictional Marilyn Monroe musical called ‘Bombshell’. The Tony-nominated star has also appeared in the Broadway musicals ‘Wicked’ and ‘9 to 5: The Musical’.

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Katharine McPhee

Katharine McPhee — Katharine McPhee also played Marilyn on ‘Smash’. Talking about what it took to transform into Marilyn in a 2012 ‘Parade’ interview, Katharine said, ‘She was in such a different league… I mean, she was a movie star! She was tormented by [the image] she created and the idea of being a s** symbol. I think I might relate to her the more I’m in the business, later, when I’m all jaded about life.’

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Uma Thurman

Uma Thurman — Uma Thurman was another ‘Smash’ star. Talking about the part with ‘Access’ in 2012, she said, ‘Marilyn’s a magical mythical creature, so you just have to think magical, mythical thoughts when you play her.’

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Barbara Niven

Barbara Niven — Barbara Niven played the screen goddess in 1998’s ‘Rat Pack’, an HBO made-for-tv movie. Barbara portrayed Marilyn within the ‘Rat Pack’ scene of the ’50s and ’60s, joined by Ray Liotta as Frank Sinatra, Joe Mantegna as Dean Martin, Don Cheadle as Sammy David Jr., and Angus Macfayden as Peter Lawford.

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Mira Sorvino

Mira Sorvino — Mira Sorvino portrayed Marilyn in ‘Norma Jean & Marilyn’ (1996), a made-for-TV biographical film. Based on the 1989 book ‘Norma Jean: My Secret Life With Marilyn Monroe’, Mira was joined by actress Ashley Judd as Marilyn’s younger self, Norma Jean.

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Susan Griffiths

Susan Griffiths — Susan Griffiths was the beauty in the 1991 TV movie ‘Marilyn & Me’. She continued to get paychecks for portraying Marilyn, reportedly raking in $4 million from the numerous occasions where she impersonated Marilyn, per the ‘Daily Mail’. Other acting credits include ‘Quantum Leap’ (1994), ‘Timecop’ (1994), ‘Pulp Fiction’ (1997), and ‘Dark Skies’ (1997).

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Madonna

Madonna — Madonna embraces Marilyn’s image for her ‘Material Girl’ music video. She dressed up in a pink gown, long gloves and jewels to pat homage to Marilyn’s ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’ number from the 1953 musical film ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’.

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Catherine Hicks

Catherine Hicks — Catherine Hicks was the star in the 1980 TV movie ‘Marilyn: The Untold Story’. Catherine would go on to play the mom in ‘7th Heaven’.

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Ana De Armas

Ana De Armas — Ana de Armas put on the blonde wig for her 2022 movie ‘Blonde’, where she plays a fictional version of Marilyn Monroe. The Netflix film is based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel of the same name and tells the story of Monroe, but through a fictional lens and is being directed by Andrew Dominik. It is set for release via Netflix in 2022.

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