Marilyn Monroe was one of the most in-demand actresses during the 1950s-60s in Hollywood. She was an actress and a model, who died a young death, the cause being an overdose of sleeping pills. It is believed that it was a probable suicide since the actress had a history of suicide attempts.
She passed away in 1962. During the time of her death, the actress had a net worth of $800000, which is $7 million today. In 2022, the late actress’ net worth was still the same at $10 million, owing to her ever-present brand image and popularity. She has been commodified, and even after sixty years of her death, people are trying to claim ownership of her image and identity. Here’s a guide to Monroe’s paychecks from movies, her fortune and will, and her estate.
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Marilyn Monroe Got Some Of Her Biggest Paychecks From Hollywood
Marilyn Monroe, of course, didn’t start big. Throughout her career, she starred in 23 films. As Monroe got film-famous, the more her paychecks increased. Monroe witnessed her biggest paydays from her last two movies: 1961’s ‘The Misfits’, which was written by her third husband, Arthur Miller, and 1962’s ‘Something’s Got to Give,’ which remained unfinished due to her unforeseen death. She earned $1 million for each of these two films, which would be over $8 million in 2020.
Marilyn’s Will Distribution
When Monroe died, she was single and childless. The actress lived a lavish life and didn’t shy away from spending on clothes, accessories, and her house. Even though she was only 36 when she last breathed, she had a will ready.
She left $10,000 to her long-time assistant and half-sister, Berniece Miracle, and a $5,000 education trust for Miracle’s child. She left $100,000 for the care of her mother, Gladys Baker, who was struggling with mental illness.
Her physical properties and 75% of her intellectual property were given to her acting coach, Lee Strasberg, and his wife, Paula Strasberg, who had been like surrogate parents to her. Meanwhile, the remaining 25% of it was given to her therapist, Dr. Marianne Kris. Following the death of Dr. Kris in 1980, her portion of Monroe’s estate was transferred to the Anna Freud Centre in London. It’s an organization dedicated to working with children with mental health problems. Both Lee Strasberg and Dr. Kris were very close to Monroe, and they were the people in which she found comfort and understanding.
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75% Of Monroe’s Estate Overtaken By A Woman She Never Met
The reason Marilyn’s estate is still receiving money is because it was inherited by Lee Strasberg’s second wife, Ann, after the death of Paula Strasberg. She inherited the estate after Lee’s death in 1982. Anna hired CMG Worldwide to license official Marilyn Monroe products. “We did hundreds and hundreds of programs with companies like Mercedes-Benz to Coca-Cola to fragrance, clothing, giftware, collectibles, paper products, things like that,” CMG CEO Mark Roesler informed NPR. This move gave Anna almost millions.
Anna also auctioned off Marilyn’s famous dress, which she wore while singing happy birthday to President Kennedy for $4.8 million in 2016. Her white baby grand piano was sold off for over $600,000. The remainder of Monroe’s estate was sold off for almost $20 to $30 million. She’s become a multimillion-dollar brand. This knowledge becomes even more unsettling once you get to know that in her will, Monroe had stated that she wanted her personal effects and clothing to go to friends and colleagues. Because of some loopholes in Marilyn’s will, her estate completely went out of her own hands.
