DiMaggio, Miller, JFK, RFK, Montand — every significant relationship in Marilyn Monroe's life, documented with evidence, not rumour.
Marilyn Monroe had three marriages, a series of significant affairs, and a Hollywood career built partly on navigating the sexual politics of the studio system. This page documents each relationship with the evidence available.
Married at 16 to avoid orphanage. A kind man, not a passionate love. Ended when she began modelling. He always spoke of her kindly.
Nine months. Obsessive love from him, hope from her. His control and alleged violence ended it. He never stopped loving her. Fresh roses until she was buried.
Five years. The intellectual match she craved. Multiple miscarriages. His diary shame destroyed her. The marriage ended during filming of The Misfits.
French actor and co-star. Brief affair during Let's Make Love. His wife Simone Signoret forgave him publicly. Montand later dismissed it as insignificant — a cruelty Marilyn found difficult.
The FBI maintained files on Marilyn Monroe. J. Edgar Hoover used her relationships with the Kennedys as leverage. The following is based on FBI documentation, Senate investigation records, and testimony from people who were present.
The affair is documented. It was conducted largely through intermediary Peter Lawford and at private events. It was brief (months, not years) and largely on Kennedy's terms. His Secret Service detail documented their meetings. By spring 1962, JFK had ended direct contact — his brother-in-law handled the communication. The birthday song at Madison Square Garden was Marilyn's public declaration of something that, on Kennedy's side, had already ended.
More contested but substantially supported by: FBI surveillance records, testimony by Peter Lawford's ex-wife Pat Seaton, testimony by Marilyn's housekeeper Eunice Murray (who gave conflicting accounts), and journalist Seymour Hersh's research. The relationship appears to have begun after JFK withdrew and ended similarly — RFK breaking contact in a way Marilyn experienced as devastating. In her final weeks, she reportedly called his office repeatedly and could not get through.
Not all men in her life used her. Several genuinely cared:
"I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot." — on deflecting serious questions— Marilyn Monroe
"The real lover is the man who can thrill you by kissing your forehead or smiling into your eyes or just staring into space."— attributed to Marilyn Monroe
"Dreaming about being an actress is more exciting than being one."— Marilyn Monroe, quoted by Truman Capote