The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

Based on The New York Times best-seller, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe begins with the young Norma Jeane Mortenson as she battles a lonely, loveless existence with an absent and mentally ill mother. She ultimately reinvents herself as the sex symbol of an era. A fragile artist, she is very different from the larger-than-life image she portrayed. The great secret of Marilyn's life is that her mother, Gladys, remained a vital -- and troubling -- part of her world. Her marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller collapse in part due to her own inner demons and the onslaught of her mother's illness. As Marilyn cares for her mother, her obsession with President John F. Kennedy leads to a breakdown and hospitalization. Still, she gives the performance of her life as Marilyn Monroe.

Series details

• Title: The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe
• Format: Scripted
• Language: English
• Genres: Drama
• Premiere date: 2015-05-30
• Final broadcast date listed: 2015-05-31
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: Lifetime
• Network country: United States
• Typical episode runtime: 43 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 8437
• IMDb ID: tt4067076
• TVDB ID: 294786

Cast and credited roles

• Kelli Garner — Marilyn Monroe
• Susan Sarandon — Gladys Mortenson
• Emily Watson — Grace McKee
• Jeffrey Dean Morgan — Joe DiMaggio
• Embeth Davidtz — Natasha Lytess
• Jack Noseworthy — Alan DeShields
• Eva Amurri — Young Gladys
• Stephen Bogaert — Arthur Miller
• Giacomo Gianniotti — Jimmy Dougherty
• Peter MacNeill — Joseph M. Schenck
• Barry Flatman — Darryl F. Zanuck
• Matthew Bennett — Allan "Whitey" Snyder

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2015-05-30; final listed air date 2015-05-31; episode order: 2.

Source and licence

Adapted from The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.