Famous Final Roles: Marilyn in ‘The Misfits’

Marilyn’s performance in The Misfits features in Esquire‘s list of the most memorable final roles (although I always think of the unfinished Something’s Got to Give as her last.) The only other woman on the list is Rita Hayworth (The Wrath of God, 1972.)

“The death that launched a thousand conspiracy theories, Monroe overdosed on barbiturates at home on 5 August 1962. She was 36-years-old and was in the midst of filming Something’s Got To Give (a film which 20th Century Fox re-filmed with a new cast and released 16 months later). Monroe’s last completed role was as divorcee Roslyn Tabor in drama The Misfits. The film was widely regarded as a career highlight for Monroe’s co-star Clark Gable while Monroe received the 1961 Golden Globe for ‘World Film Favourite’. Despite this, Monroe repeatedly claimed she hated both the film and her performance and tragedy struck for both actors, with Gable suffering a fatal heart attack two days after filming ended, while Monroe – who attended the premiere while on a pass from a psychiatric hospital – passed away less than 18 months later.”

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