How tall was Marilyn Monroe

Riven said on 4/May/23
I'm a huge Marilyn fan and I think this is slightly too tall actually, she's more around 164½ cm. Either Jane is taller or MM is shorter because Jane Russell is always got that "towering" presence around her. See here: Click Here and Click Here and Click Here and Click Here etc.

Sandy Cowell said on 14/Apr/23
I used to read 5ft6 for Marilyn, so 5ft5.5 makes sense for her nighttime height.

I’ll give her just that. 👱‍♀️🕯

Jtm said on 1/Apr/23
i will stick with 5'4.

Arch Stanton said on 27/Mar/23
I rewatched Gentlemen Prefer Blondes recently and in some scenes I thought Marilyn looked nothing over 5 ft 5 with Jane, but didn't look like a big 4 inch diff or anything!!

Jtm said on 25/Mar/23
she looks 4 inches shorter than jane russell!

Leesheff1985 said on 22/Mar/23
She was not below five foot five and a half. Not in any way 5ft 4 1/2

Elizab!tch said on 20/Mar/23
Jane Russell was 5'7". She looks at least 2 1/2 inches taller

Click Here

Sandy Cowell said on 25/Jan/23
I’d always read five six for Marilyn. She was probably that in the morning.

5ft5.75. 🕯

Elene said on 12/Jan/23
I still see her at about 5’5

Abdul.dk11 said on 6/Oct/22
167 cm

Stone Ghost said on 5/Oct/22
Not a guess and yet there is no option for it: 5ft3. FACT. As per Hollywood designer William Travilla. Source: Newsweek
In the same room the curators display the original outfits that Monroe wore in those films. Many of these costumes—the pink satin column dress she wore for Gentleman Prefer Blondes and the gold lamé plunging halter neck she wore for There's No Business Like Show Business were designed by the Hollywood designer William Travilla, who clearly understood how to showcase Monroe's extraordinary assets. Although she seems voluptuous on screen, in reality Monroe was petite, only 5'3" inches tall in her stockinged feet, 5'7" in her Ferragamo heels, with a 23-inch waist. The dresses have been lent by collectors from all over the world, and it is the first time that so many of Monroe's effects have been gathered in one place.

Ethan L said on 8/May/22
Weak 5'6" at best. Rob, would Monroe been considered tall for her time, or above average?

173cm said on 28/Nov/21
Hi Rob. How tall do you think Marilyn was when she was wearing platform heels in "How to marry a milionaire"? She seemed to be shorther than Lauren Bacall in that sequence, although Bacall was wearing a middle sized heel.

Elene said on 3/Sep/21
I would go for 5’4.75 for her

Megrace said on 18/Apr/21
167 cm

The French Dude said on 9/Aug/20
Without mentioning the fact that her autopsy says she was 65.5 inches(5'5.5 or 166 cm),they obviously had to meausure her BAREFOOT,IS A AUTOPSY they can't meausure her with shoes/heels on, so she was at least that height barefoot not less, and looked a lot taller than Queen Isabel that have a lot of proofs being almost 5'4 at her peak height.

The French Dude said on 7/Aug/20
So there's no way Marilyn was less than 5'5, she was tall in those times, now she would be only a little taller than average.

The French Dude said on 7/Aug/20
Also is funny how some persons really think she was 5'2-5'4!, there's a lot of documents that prove her height being between 5'5 1/2 and 5'6 barefoot.

The French Dude said on 5/Aug/20
I think she was 5'6 barefoot!, such a pretty and lovely woman.

Miss Sandy Cowell said on 2/Jun/20
Marilyn Monroe was born 94 years ago yesterday, the 1st of June.

I hope she had a lovely day in Heaven.

5ft5.75 💐

RIP Marilyn XXX 🕯️

Beau Dare said on 13/Feb/20
I once met the actor Vince Edwards, (TV's Ben Casey) who was a good friend of Marilyn Monroe, on a film in Hollywood, when I was working there as an actor in 1995. We were talking about a actress we both knew, when he became very quiet and thoughtful for a moment, and then said how he knew Marilyn before she was famous and wanted to set the record strait about her. He said she was taller than she looked on screen(about 5'5 12")and how he was the one who introduced her to the legendary Joe DiMaggio. (She didn't know who he was, but was concerned if he was a gentleman). Edward's also said she never changed and was always a sweet, caring person. Nice story.

Johan123 said on 19/Jan/20
Can’t really see her above 5’5”, considering she consistently looked 2-3” shorter than 5’7” Jane Russell, standing side by side.

Beau Dare said on 7/Oct/19
When I was working as an actor screenwriter in Hollywood in 1996, I met a lady in the library who was once Marilyn Monroe's photo double on the classic film "Some Like it Hot". She was exactly Marilyn's height 5'5 1/2" and weight and also said how sweet Marilyn was as a person. Actually, this chance encounter led me to write a character, in one of my film scripts, based on Marilyn.

edwards said on 31/Jul/19
i always find this woman quite beautifull since i was a child.she was everyone's heartthrob at that tine.possibly the most beautifull woman i have ever saw.a solid 5'5 from me.a fine example of 5'5 woman,she was easily over average even at that time.

Mouse22 said on 14/May/19
@littlesue is right - the height of shoe heels does not exactly match the seeming increase in the height of the person who wears them; the height increase is a bit less than the height of the heels. That’s because the raise of the person’s foot heels simultaneously alters the posture. Further, I find that people who throw their grades of studies around in order to try making their opinion on something trivial into some kind of objective truth, or are told the truth by their parents, are usually just argumentative without being able to add any solid substance to their claims. Marilyn did not have the top of her head at Jane Russell’s shoulders, I wonder how many people who saw Gentlemen Prefer Blondes would agree with such a far fetched claim. She was about 2 inches shorter than Jane but still an above average tall woman in those days. The height listed here seems realistic to me, maybe she was just 155 cm instead of 166, but people who somehow want to downgrade her height by several inches (?) - I don’t know for which reasons really.

Jancys said on 25/Feb/19
One of the most beatiful woman. Solid 5ft 5. 166 cm.

Anibal said on 29/Sep/18
Available documentation verifies Marilyn’s height and weight at several different times during her life, and her first modeling contract verifies her measurements:
August 2, 1945
Blue Book Modeling Agency
5’ 6”, 120lbs
36-24-34
“Size 12”

February 8, 1954
DOD ID Card
5’ 5 1/2”, 118lbs

August 5, 1962
LA Coroner Medical Report
5’ 5 1/25”, 117lbs

thedude said on 6/Aug/18
Rob,just google "marilyn monroe and marlon brando",with high heels she was still 2/3 inches shorter than 5'9 brando.
she wasn't taller than 5'3

lee168cm said on 19/Jul/18
She was every inch of 5ft 5.5 ignore Scarlett clearly jealous of Marilyn and the queen was 5ft 4 range peak and Marilyn was clearly taller. 5ft 2 is a ridiculous guess

Anibal said on 14/Apr/18
M.M. was 5' 5 1/2 (1,66 m)

Psychedelic Earth 187 said on 5/Jan/18
Could of been 167 Cm.

Anonymous said on 13/Dec/17
In the 5'5 range. Standing next to 5'9 Jack Lemmon she was a clear few inches shorter than him barefoot.5'5 and a half is on her passport and autopsy report.

Tamberlain said on 11/Dec/17
Even with her voluptuous figure, she was a bit petite. Didn't really look above 5'5".

Arch Stanton said on 29/Sep/17
5'5.5 looks too high in How to Marry a Millionaire. She looked 1.1-5 inches taller than Grable and nar 3 inches shorter than Lauren Bacall. Honestly I thought she looked Jennifer Aniston sort of height with them, like 5'4.75, nearer Grable's height than Bacall's.

Bobby said on 22/Sep/17
Not a bad height for a woman, it was definitely above average back in her day since the average was around 5'2-5'3. Nowadays, the average height for women has risen by two inches at least, so 5'4 to 5'5. Then again, it might even still be above average, I see a lot of women around 5ft on campus, but they're all very attractive women.

MJKoP said on 25/Jul/17
@Scarlett Rose

Post one legit photograph where Norma Jeane Mortenson looked even remotely close to being "overweight". I'll wait.

even said on 5/Jul/17
no need to argue she was 5'5.5"

Scarlett Rose said on 28/May/17
@ Rising Force. Interesting comments. I agree with you that Monroe didn't look tall. There were taller actresses that were not encouraged to wear heels as high as Marilyn's as many of them were taller than their leading men.

However, when Marilyn was at her heaviest (said to be 140 pounds), she looked overweight.

According to the Medical News Today website (see link below), people who are 5ft.4ins should weigh between 110 pounds to 140 pounds (averaging at 120 pounds).

Marilyn shouldn't have looked overweight at 140 pounds, even though it was at the highest end of what is considered 'normal' weight for someone who naturally stands at 5ft.4.5ins tall without the aid of high heels.

Mostly, Marilyn's weight was 118 pounds or under, which could put her anywhere between the highest weight for someone of 4ft.11ins (unlikely) and close to the average weight for someone who was 5ft.3ins (which is around 115 pounds), which would place Marilyn's natural height (meaning without high heels) anywhere in between those heights.

Given that 118 pounds at the peak of her career looked right on Monroe's frame (a healthy appearance), I would think she was no taller than 5ft.3ins tall without the aid of high heels.

I hope you've managed to follow that. 😄

Check out the height/weight ratio chart on the website link below...

Click Here

RisingForce said on 28/May/17
Is 5'4.5" possible? That's above average, especially for her generation and she really never struck me as tall. 5'6.5" Grace Kellyin heels could also look as tall as Brando while Monroe typically looked short with Brando.

Scarlett Rose said on 24/May/17
If you want proof that Marilyn Monroe wore four inch heels, click on the link, below, which will lead you to a website about a man called Salvatore Ferragamo, known as "the shoemaker of dreams"...

This is a quote from that website...

"Marilyn Monroe was one of Ferragamo's most high profile fans, wearing his four-inch heels religiously both on and off set."

Click Here

Scarlett Rose said on 24/May/17
I conclude Marilyn Monroe was naturally nearer 5 feet, 2 inches tall. She was 5 feet, 4 inches tall (the height Editor Rob thinks she was), whilst wearing two inch heels; 5 feet, 5 inches tall, whilst wearing three inch heels and 5 feet, 6 inches tall, whilst wearing four inch heels - Marilyn's maximum height. To look any taller, Marilyn would have to wear platforms and that's all there is to it. 🎓🍀🎰🎊😁

Scarlett Rose said on 23/May/17
Here's a picture of Marilyn Monroe being introduced to Queen Elizabeth II. There doesn't look much of a height difference between them...
Click Here

Marilyn curtsies to the Queen. You can just catch a glimpse of Marilyn's platform shoes!
Click Here

Scarlett Rose said on 23/May/17
Quotes from the book "Goddess: The Secret Lives Of Marilyn Monroe" by Anthony Summers...

"Dress designer and sometime lover Billy Travilla, who should have known, said the true statistics - in Marilyn's prime - were 35-22-35. I have used this figure."

SR: Close to my own in my prime and I am an inch smaller than my mother and my mother had a bigger bosom.

"...expecting to see the Marilyn of the screen, 'the oversized, over-everything lady from Niagara'. When the flesh-and-blood Marilyn emerged, Haspiel was surprised that she seemed so small - she was five foot six according to her passport application - and by the fact that she had big ears."

Pictures of Marilyn and James Haspiel...
Haspiel is stood behind Marilyn here...
Click Here
Marilyn and James Haspiel, who was a teenager...
Click Here

Here's a picture of Haspiel and Jayne Mansfield 🎶 Go Compare! 🎶...
Click Here

Here's a link to Anthony Summers's book...
Click Here

Scarlett Rose said on 23/May/17
Message to Editor Rob: My mother said Marilyn Monroe looked only 5 feet, 2 inches tall and she would know. 😇 My mother was told she had a better figure than Monroe (she had a bigger bosom), but I suppose you think it's impossible for a petite woman like my mother to have a curvaceous figure. Incidentally, the Queen and Monroe were born in the same year. The Queen had to wear high heels to be seen. She makes a point of wearing brightly coloured clothes to be noticed. Marilyn was not naturally the same height as Donald O'Connor. Try watching "There's No Business Like Showbusiness" to get an idea of the size of Monroe's heels. Marilyn wore much higher heels than her contemporaries. To say Marilyn was anywhere near your expectations of 5 feet, 5.5 inches is not only ambitious, but unrealistic. 😊 It clearly depended on what size heels she chose to wear. At the peak of her career, her official height changed, as you would have seen on one of the links I posted, and that must have depended on what pair of shoes (and the height of the heels) she had been wearing at the time and that could have changed from one day to the next. Sorry if the reality doesn't meet with your fantasy, but some people will just not have it that Monroe was anything other than above average in anything, including her vital statistics and others know better. 😝😁

Scarlett Rose said on 22/May/17
Message to Editor Rob: You said...
"I'd be shocked if Marilyn measured 5ft 2...when does unbelievable become daft?"

I am neither unbelievable nor daft. When has a bloke ever noticed the height of a buxom blonde's heels? Too busy looking elsewhere than to pay attention to detail, if you ask me! My aunt had this expression: "Men don't look at the mantle piece, when they're poking the fire!"

So I am posting some links for you to peruse and try to pay attention to Marilyn's shoes. I don't know of any other actresses of Marilyn's era who wore similar shoes, unless you can prove differently...

Film footage of Donald O'Connor and Marilyn Monroe in "There's
No Business Like Showbusiness"...
Click Here

Donald O'Connor and high kicking Marilyn Monroe. Her heels are no shorter than 2 inches...
Click Here

Marilyn in iconic white dress and one of her quotes about the inventor of high heels...
Click Here

Marilyn in platforms on a sun lounger...
Click Here

Marilyn wore platforms before they became fashionable...
Click Here

Marilyn wore heels higher than most actresses of her era...
Click Here

Marilyn's heels were longer than Jane Russell's in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. (Note Marilyn's left foot with toes pointing downward and her heel off the floor)...
Click Here

A young Marilyn in three inch heels...
Click Here

Marilyn in stilettos with Arthur Miller...
Click Here

Here's Marilyn on the set of River Of No Return and unusually seen without heels. She doesn't look taller than average height to me...
Click Here

Here's Marilyn by a staircase...
Click Here

A young Marilyn in platforms. Note she is not underweight...
Click Here

Marilyn in a swimsuit and high heels...
Click Here

Marilyn in platforms stretches out. Don't you think if she was naturally 5 feet, 5 or 6 inches tall, she would look nearer 5 feet, 10 inches tall in shoes like this?
Click Here

Marilyn's legs in Seven Year Itch...
Click Here

The pink shoes that Marilyn wore in Let's Make Love...
Click Here

Marilyn's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes shoes...
Click Here

Marilyn's black stiletto shoes...
Click Here
and...
Click Here

Marilyn in platforms in 1947...
Click Here
and...
Click Here

A young Marilyn in wedges... Click Here

A lot of actresses have played Marilyn Monroe, but the tall ones look out of proportion. No way was Marilyn naturally above average height. Susan Griffiths, who is a professional Marilyn Monroe look-alike, is closest to her in looks, height and build...
Click Here

I would say Marilyn was naturally no taller than 5 feet, 3 inches.

Two or three inch heels would make her 5 feet, 5 or 6 inches tall. If she was 5 feet, 2 inches tall, she would only need three inch heels to make her 5 feet, 5 inches tall.

Why should that sound unbelievable or daft? Can you prove Marilyn was naturally the same height as Donald O'Connor without the aid of high heels? I don't think so! What is unbelievable or daft is to think heels the size of Monroe's would have no effect on her height. Some people need a reality check.

💎💎 are a girl's best friend.
👯 For Marilyn, Playboy's first pin-up. 👠👠 ♊

Scarlett Rose said on 20/May/17
Donald O'Connor was 1.7m tall, which is 5 feet, 6.929 inches tall. I have a picture of him stood close-up to his co-star Marilyn Monroe. They were the same height, but Marilyn was wearing high heels. Therefore, Marilyn was only 5 feet, 6 inches tall (as it claimed on her passport and at her modelling agency), whilst wearing high heels. That should be the end of the argument. This is Scarlett Rose, dispelling the myth that surrounds Marilyn Monroe (and I don't mean Little Sue).

Scarlett Rose said on 19/May/17
Message to Editor Rob: I respect the fact that Little Sue is entitled to a difference of opinion about Marilyn Monroe's height, but there was no need for Little Sue to make personal remarks about me for saying high heels make you look taller than you really are. I am baffled as to why you waited to attach a message to one of my postings, telling the pair of us to respect each other's opinions. After all, I am not the first to suggest on this page that Marilyn Monroe was naturally about 5 feet, 2 inches tall and about 5 feet, 5 inches tall in high heels. However, I am the only one to be criticised by Little Sue for it, which is unfair and I didn't see evidence of you editing Little Sue's messages or attaching a message on one of Little Sue's postings, telling either one of us to behave ourselves. I get the impression you are biased toward those you are in agreement with. You have the right to monitor and edit messages, but I think you should be impartial. 😇

Sandy Cowell said on 19/May/17
....well, they say the collar and cuffs matched, so she MUST have been a natural blonde...mustn't she? 😉

Scarlett Rose said on 19/May/17
If Marilyn Monroe was a natural 5 feet, 5 inches tall, she should have weighed nearer the 125 pound mark. If she was 5 feet, 6 inches tall, she should have weighed nearer 130 pounds. She should not have weighed as little as 118 pounds or less as she did at the peak of her career. She was more in line with a woman who was 5 feet, 3 inches tall. I wouldn't say Marilyn was fat, unlike Elizabeth (Liz) Hurley, but Marilyn was very healthy looking at the start of her showbiz career and in the mid-1950s. She put weight on (140 pounds), after getting pregnant a couple of times by Arthur Miller (although she miscarried). She then lost a lot of weight and looked poorly. Mostly, she was a healthy weight for a woman who was 5 feet, 3 inches tall, but Marilyn was robust, not fat and not unhealthy.

littlesue said on 18/May/17
Lol, I've not wore flat shoes for about 45 years.

Scarlett Rose said on 17/May/17
Incidentally, I have a Grade A in Media Studies (1991) and Marilyn Monroe was the subject of one of my essays, set by my tutor. I have thoroughly researched my subject.

Scarlett Rose said on 16/May/17
Sixseven said on 6/Jan/17 that Marilyn was no taller than 159cm. That's 5 feet, 2.598 inches tall in old money. Anyone who thinks Monroe was taller is not taking high heels into account and is unrealistic. They'll be saying she was naturally blonde next!

Scarlett Rose said on 16/May/17
I agree with anyonmious's posting on 23/Dec/16 - that Marilyn was 5 feet, 2 inches tall and 5 feet, 5 inches in high heels. Clearly, I'm not the only one to think so. If people could think Carrie Fisher was taller than 5 feet, one inch, then surely people could mistake someone who was an inch taller for being above average in height.

Scarlett Rose said on 16/May/17
To read James Haspiel's (one of the Monroe Six) comments about his expectations of Marilyn Monroe and saying he was surprised about how small she was and to read Marilyn's true vital statistics given by William Travilla (her costume maker and the man in the know), I recommend you read "Goddess - The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe" by Anthony Summers (1992), a very well researched book.

According to the following website, Gina Lollobrigida was 5 feet, 5 inches tall (and Marilyn only half an inch taller)

Click Here

It doesn't explain why Marilyn looks more than half an inch taller than Gina in photos published on the Internet. However, the photos are close-ups and it's impossible to gauge the height of the heels that both women are wearing.

The following website about Marilyn's dress size is interesting.

Click Here

The following website disputes her attributed dress size.

Click Here

If Marilyn Monroe was naturally 5 feet, 5 inches tall and a smaller dress size than the official line, then Marilyn was underweight for someone of her height.

And I am not addressing this message to Little Sue. I suggest readers ignore her postings. Little Sue should try wearing high heels!

Scarlett Rose said on 16/May/17
Little Sue, your messages are becoming abusive. Someone who met Marilyn and knew her better than you - namely James Haspiel (one of the Monroe Six) and considered an authority on all things Monroe - said she was small. You are the one who said Marilyn was three inches smaller than Jane Russell who was officially 5 feet, 7 inches tall and take into consideration that Marilyn was wearing four inch heels in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Some people have longer feet than others (Marilyn had long toes), but I don't believe people of the same height have different length legs. When you are wearing no shoes or flat heeled shoes, you are at your smallest. High heels force you to stand on the balls of your feet, the nearest you will ever get to standing on tiptoe for a long period of time without it being too painful. Are we meant to be believe YOU when you say that high heels do not make you taller? I've worn three inch heels and they made me three inches taller. I've stood next to my mother when she was wearing high heels and I, then a teenager, was wearing flat shoes and my mother was visibly taller. You are unrealistic. Everyone standing on their heels, either with bare feet or flat shoes is at their smallest. If a pathologist was measuring a dead body from the top of the head to the tip of the toe, whilst on a mortuary slab, they would measure the body at it's longest point as the toes are the furthest away from the heels. It would take into account what height you would be when wearing high heels. Marilyn was also known to have worn platforms, long before they became fashionable. They didn't make her legs look any longer than they were and tall people have long legs, like Cyd Charisse. Marilyn used to pose with her toes pointed downwards to make her legs look longer. Tall women don't have to try that hard! Short men in Hollywood sometimes wear built-up heels to make them look taller than they really are. If what you say is true, that high heels have no effect and don't make you look taller than you really are, then what's the point of wearing them. Marilyn even exaggerated about her vital statistics! If you were a true fan of Marilyn's, you would have read about all this by now. I am under the impression, Little Sue, that you have lost contact with reality. It doesn't sound to me like you've ever worn high heels, or you would know they make you taller or what's the point in wearing them. Have you never seen Priscilla Presley taking off her high heels in one of the Naked Gun films? Of course they made her look taller. You clearly believe the Hollywood publicity machine, the same publicity machine that told Joe Public that Rock Hudson was a straight man. There is no point in anyone trying to educate you as you think you know better than the rest of us, especially us real women who have worn high heels to make us look taller than we really are. Please go back to your little fantasy world, little child, and keep your opinions to yourself. I've never read anything so ridiculous as your postings. Oh and by the way, look at Marilyn standing next to a man, if you want to compare her height and not another actress who might be wearing shorter heels than Marilyn or who might be naturally taller than Marilyn. Marilyn wasn't an inch or two shorter than Bogart, because Bogart wasn't wearing high heels and Marilyn was, so Marilyn was more than a couple of inches shorter than Bogart. Now go away!

littlesue said on 16/May/17
4 inch heels do not make you 4 inches taller, its only the back of the foot that is raised not the whole body. Legs play no part in height. My Mom and myself same height but her legs 2 inches longer. Marilyn not under 5ft 5. 5ft 2 is just daft!! look at her with other actress's like Gina L.lolobrigida who was around 5ft 2 to 3. It would have made her only about 4ft 11 if your claim is right.

Scarlett Rose said on 15/May/17
LOL. Of course 4 inch heels make you four inches taller. I've seen Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Jane Russell was head and shoulders above Marilyn. No way was Marilyn the same height as Cyd Charisse. Marilyn's legs were not as long as Cyd's. My mother had a figure and legs like Marilyn's, in fact she was compared to Marilyn, and my mother was 5 feet, 2 inches. No way was Marilyn 5 feet, 6 inches tall as four inch heels would make her 5 feet, 10 inches tall - the same height as Princess Diana. Further more, one of her fans (one of the Monroe Six) who met and photographed Marilyn when she was in New York said he expected her to be "oversized everything" but was surprised at how small she was and that she had big ears. Carrie Fisher used to say people thought she was taller than 5 feet, one inch. Some people have no perspective. An inch is the distance between the tip of your thumb and the knuckle. I have studied photographs of Marilyn. Her heels were four inches high, Jane Russell towered above Monroe and Russell is said to have been 5 feet, 7 inches tall. If Marilyn was three inches shorter, that would have made her 5 feet, 4 inches tall. By the way, Jane Russell's heels were not as high as Monroe's.

littlesue said on 13/May/17
lol, no way Marilyn was a short as 5ft 2!!, she did'nt come up to Jane Russell's shoulders, she about 3 inches shorter, Marilyn was not under 5ft 5. Also 4 inch heels would'nt have given 4 inches of height, more like 2 3/4

Scarlett Rose said on 11/May/17
Marilyn was about 5 feet, 2 inches tall in her bare feet. She never wore heels shorter than four inches high and models always include heels, when they talk about their height. Marilyn was a model before she was an actress, so she included her heels when she talked about her height. Worth noting that Marilyn came up to Jane Russell's shoulders in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Russell towered above Marilyn. I would have called Jane Russell a tall woman, not Marilyn. It's doubtful Marilyn was 5 feet, 6 inches tall plus 4 inch heels. That would have made Marilyn 5 feet, 10 inches tall altogether. Unrealistic.

Milanaka said on 3/May/17
I would even believe 5'6 for Marilyn

John said on 27/Mar/17
She's 5'6. She stood next to a height chart and it showed she was 66" tall.

Bobby said on 24/Mar/17
Rob, I think maybe you should have a CelebHeights for historical figures, like it's own separate website.

littlesue said on 2/Mar/17
I would still say 5ft 6 start of tall, records from the 40's and 50's I have in fashion books show 5ft 2/3 average for women back then. I would say 5ft 3.5 to 5ft 5.5 now.

Sandy Cowell said on 1/Mar/17
@ Sarah - Yes, Sarah, the average height for a woman in the 1950's was 5ft3 and, according to the very same report, had a waist size 27", which is considerably slimmer than today!
I believe today's average woman is all of 5ft5! That's quite a leap!
So Marilyn, with her 5ft5-6, was fairly tall, there's no getting away from it!

Sarah said on 1/Mar/17
Interesting that 5'6" was tall back then. The average must have been closer to 5'3.5 than 5'4.5".

Jay said on 28/Feb/17
She was 5'5. Don't know why some here are thinking Marilyn was some tiny girl, when she wasn't. She wa an above average woman.

Sixseven said on 6/Jan/17
She was no more than 159 cm.

anyonmious said on 23/Dec/16
5'5" with heels and 5'2" without heels

Arch Stanton said on 22/Dec/16
I've long said that a lot of actresses back in the Golden period were a lot more attractive than today. Most of them are unhealthily underweight nowadays, the hourglass classic shapely look is much sexier. Marilyn was really sweet, loveable, but doesn't do it for me in the way that Vivien Leigh and Ava Gardner did in terms of sexiness.

Sandy Cowell said on 21/Dec/16
Good point Littlesue! She WAS Marilyn Monroe after all, and if every woman could claim such curves, there wouldn't have been such a to-do about her figure. She also had a rather angelic face so she really was made for the movies!
I do think though that it does help to keep the waist measurement as petite as possible if you work at it!

littlesue said on 21/Dec/16
Not all women were blessed with the hip to waist ratio Marilyn had, if you have the flatter hip gene you won't look like you have much of a waist whether you 7 stone or 17 stone!

Sandy Cowell said on 20/Dec/16
Yes, I agree with what Marilyn said above: 5ft6 is the only height I have ever seen for her! Also, I believe she was 118lbs at her best. She might have eaten her way up to 140lbs at times of intense depression, poor girl, but when you see her dinky little form on the screen, 118lbs is surely the more likely!
Didn't women from that era have gorgeous figures? It's a shame that all of today's labour saving devices to cut physical exertion is ruining our womanly waistlines, unless we go out of our way to find alternative methods of trimming down what we all regard as an important focus of our figures!

MJKoP said on 19/Nov/16
jtm said on 22/Jan/16
Brad said on 22/Nov/06
5' 4" so says my mother. I was born down the hall from her 8/1/57 date of miscarriage. She was crying a lot. So was I.

Brad said on 11/Jun/14
My mother walked by her lots of times when we lived near Sutton Place, so did I in one of those big baby buggies but don't ask me she just shook my rattle. Weak 5' 6" is the height.

this is why brad is not reliable.


Good catch, jtm. As Judge Judy often says, "Truth-tellers don't need to have good memories."

John said on 20/Sep/16
She was 1,66 m

ian said on 19/Feb/16
She was 5' 5 1/2''

jtm said on 22/Jan/16
frank2 was right. she was closer to 5'4 than 5'6.

jtm said on 22/Jan/16
Brad said on 22/Nov/06
5' 4" so says my mother. I was born down the hall from her 8/1/57 date of miscarriage. She was crying a lot. So was I.

Brad said on 11/Jun/14
My mother walked by her lots of times when we lived near Sutton Place, so did I in one of those big baby buggies but don't ask me she just shook my rattle. Weak 5' 6" is the height.

this is why brad is not reliable.

Sy said on 20/Jan/16
I see many controversies about her measures. I mean she looked absolutely gorgeous but her bra size for example has never been a 36D as stated everywhere. Her bust was allegedly 37 inch measured at its peak so it makes her only a 36B. She only wore dresses that enhanced her breasts. Her breasts look very small in each of her nude shoots.
She also looks much shorter next to Marlon Brando for example. Since Brando wasn't a tall man just average and Marilyn was surely wearing heels she still looks 2-3 inches shorter than him.
Also worth noting that she looks significantly shorter than Jane Russell who was only 5'7 herself while they are wearing the same high heels. I doubt that Marilyn was 5'5.5 or everybody else is lying. I think she added an extra inch or two to her real height.

Kelly Felix said on 15/Jan/16
Actresses. movie stars are known for being 5'5 and under of course there were taller ones as well But when you think of tall you think of models As for Marilyn Monroes height she is listed as 5'5 though I believe she could have been 5'4

HeightObsession said on 12/Jan/16
I think I agree with this but at Madame Tussauds London she was way taller than me at equal heel height. I am 169 cm definitely and this was one of the few wax models that does not seem to match their height description.

Steve said on 19/Aug/15
Unless the Department of Defense measured her barefoot, they went with what she told them.

Official documents routinely list innacurate heights. I'd bet half the US driver's licences as well as passports have inflated heights listed.

That said, I believe Marilyn was at least 5'4" and could have been 5'5".

M said on 18/Aug/15
@Sam this is an excellent proof that she was 5'5" - Now nobody can denie it.

Sam said on 2/Apr/15
Probably been linked before but her Department of Defense passport states 5'5.5" and 118 pounds.
Click Here

177cmGuy said on 7/Mar/15
5'5 it's the most traditional height for a U.S female. Certain body proprtions can make you look tall or short but they don't actually tell you the exact height. Somebody might look tall or short but doesn't always mean they are.

Arch Stanton said on 4/Nov/14
Rob any chance of a photo from preferably Some Like it Hot era and adding The Misfits, River of No Return and Niagara? I think her role in Monkey Business, a majestic comedy film wasn't really that notable, it was largely all Grant and Ginger, and Bus Stop was a piece of **** of course hehe.

Sam said on 19/Aug/14
She was very curvy in Some Like It Hot, probably closer to the 140 lbs. mark then, she did look good in The Misfits.

littlesue said on 23/Jun/14
Agree she looks good in the misfits' looked luscious in SOme LIke it Hot too, nice curvy figure, she went really skinny the year she died, not a good look for marilyn

Arch Stanton said on 19/Jun/14
Best I saw her look was in The Misfits. She really does look very beautiful and lovely in that film. Most of the 50s though she looked too tacky and platinum blonde for my taste. She had beautiful innocent looking eyes though and a cute smile.

Arch Stanton said on 19/Jun/14
This looks questionable actually next to Eli Wallach in The Misfits. He was 2 or 3 inches taller and she was in heels!

walter said on 13/Jun/14
Aside the authopsy that confirms her height (1,66 m), you can watch her standing up close to Ethel Merman in the final number "There's no business like show business" and both Marilyn and Ethel are the same height and Merman 's height was 1,66 m

Brad said on 11/Jun/14
My mother walked by her lots of times when we lived near Sutton Place, so did I in one of those big baby buggies but don't ask me she just shook my rattle. Weak 5' 6" is the height.

walter said on 26/May/14
Monroe was 5' 5 1/2" is written in her authopsy and in other documents, case closed

Mon said on 16/May/14
If she was 5ft 5.5in she would likely have been rounded up to 5'6'' which was a height commonly attributed to star actresses of that era (apparently it was thought ideal for PR purposes). Doubtful she was even 5'5''. She looked taller onscreen or in stills because she was very photogenic, but next to Russell ... well, see for yourself

Click Here

Mon said on 14/May/14
Not quite that tall. Look at her with 5'7'' Jane Russell.

little sue said on 29/Dec/13
Remember Frank 2 who used to post on here? his Mom must have had some sort of job at the film studio's in the 40's and 50's as he remembers monroe,Liz Taylor etc visiting his MOm's house. He always reckoned Monroe was the same height as his MOther which was around 5ft 4

Arch Stanton said on 24/Dec/13
Rob can you add The Seven Year Itch to this list. Spot on I'd say at 5'5.5.

(S)aint 185 said on 6/Dec/13
Her driver license says 5'5 3/4". Search it for yourself.

Arch Stanton said on 1/Sep/13
Click Here

Without makeup..

Arch Stanton said on 1/Sep/13
Belen says on 12/Jun/13
She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, but there's no way she was 5'5'' tall, that might be the way in which today's industry tries to approximate her to today's standards...in the movies she seems soooo small. I believe she was short, and not skinny...she was perfect the way she was.

Attractive yes, but not a natural beauty. I don't think she looks sooo small at all, in fact I think the could look tallish at times, average at others, not short like somebody like Teresa Wright or Debbie Reynolds. For some reason I've got the feeling that she smelled of greasy chips and bacon. Something made me think that she'd smell of fat, lord knows why!!

Arch Stanton said on 1/Sep/13
Spot on, weak 5'6".

Sam said on 25/Jun/13
Certainly no less than as listed. In her pics with Cary Grant from Monkey Business, she makes him look shorter than I've seen him look any place else. He looks often approximately 5 inches taller than her, not around 8 inches. However, in the picture with Monroe, Grant and Joe DiMaggio, Cary Grant does seem to be taller than DiMaggio, probably by a inch+.
Click Here

little sue said on 13/Jun/13
I never thought Marilyn looked short, she was easily around 5ft 4.5 to 5ft 5.5

Belen said on 12/Jun/13
She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, but there's no way she was 5'5'' tall, that might be the way in which today's industry tries to approximate her to today's standards...in the movies she seems soooo small. I believe she was short, and not skinny...she was perfect the way she was.

Chris said on 3/Nov/12
Her wax-work in Madam Tussauds is shorter than the listed height - but I'm not sure if the wax-works are completely accurate with regards to height. I stood next to her representation in the same pose, wearing the same height of heels and we looked almost exactly the same height - I am 5'3 (possibly and a half).

amber said on 24/Oct/12
Most woman of an average height would be underweight at 115-118 lbs. Ask your doctor, ladies. Please do not put impossible or unhealthy expectations on your own body according to someone's opinion. I am 5'5" and a normal build. I went to my doctor because I felt my weight was out of control and he told me I was only 20 lbs. overweight, at most. I thought I was over 60 lb.s overweight. 140-150 lb.s is a very healthy weight, as is 115-120s. It's just the way we are supposed to be.

Jean said on 17/Nov/11
Back in the 50's when I bought movie mags all the time Marilyn's height was listed as 5'5" and she weighed 115-118 lbs.

andy said on 7/Sep/11
I think that most average women are this height and weight. All of us can't be 90 lbs. That's unhealthy and unattractive
People. ..

Llke- Marilyn and Anna were beautiful. Unforgettable and memorable.

carrottop4ever said on 23/Jun/11
I agree that there is an obesisty epidemic in America but you don't have to get so nasty about it! Other world nations are catching up to us quickly so don't marginalize Americans. plus, the men here or anywhere else aren't exactly thin either! i always heard 5' 5 1/2" as well!

e88 said on 4/Jun/11
To Anonymous it was actually in fact Marilyn Monroe that used to alter her shoes!!! she used to alter one of her heels so it was half inch shorter than the other one so that he bum wiggled when she walked and men would look at her. I have read most books about her and it is a fact printed in most.

lemon said on 3/Jun/11
no no 166 cm is REALLY off

she looked like a SOLID 5-4" even 4.5" to me (163-164 cm) ???

Chris said on 1/Jun/11
How long were her arms, though? I saw a picture of her with her and some black guy hand-to-hand, and Marilyn's elbow was an inch lower than the man's.

sonja said on 29/Apr/11
because she was wear a nice shoes,I believe she still if she somewhere
,she was,so,so,so,the first,she just get something,she is alive:)but unhappy,as always,she just need a free world with God..and she is always in my minds,a get her in telephone:)I'm tall too

sonja said on 29/Apr/11
because she was wear a nice shoes,I believe she still if she somewhere

Fed said on 27/Apr/11
5 ft 5 1/2 in - 5 ft 5 3/4 in,
many her documents - Click Here

rafa said on 15/Apr/11
Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe were about the same height.

little sue said on 3/Mar/11
Marilyn Monroe may have had a 36 24 36 figure when she was younger or even at towards the end of her life when she lost quite a bit of weight but if you look at her last 5 or 6 films her measurements would have been more than that. Her underwear was sold at an auction a few years back and some of her bra's were a 38c which meant she would have had a 40 inch bus measurement, being as she was prone to being a pear shape her hips would have matched that to. Personally I think she looked better with more weight but even at her heaviest she would'nt have been classes as 'overweight' just up towards the top end of her BMI. x

natasha said on 3/Mar/11
I am about her height and my stats are 36-25-36.
I am nearly having a similar figure to Marilyn. I am not considered fat at all infact my bmi is underweight.
Marilyn was not fat. Look at her waist,arms and legs.Very slim.
And she wasn't any voluptous 38-28-40..like crazy people say sometimes.
She was 36-24-36;very perfect and her bmi must be like 18 or 19 tops.

Nick Thompson said on 23/Jun/09
I believe that Marilyn Monroe's official height was 1.666 meters which is 5 foot 4 and one half inches. Her official site may round this to 5 foot 5. Shorter than most thought and closer to Taylor she often wore heels that added height.

Joanna said on 13/May/09
This article in The Times (UK) says that she was 5'5", a British size 8-10 and in her early years had the stats 36-23-35 and was around 8 stone. She had a very small ribcage. I think that this is as accurate as it gets. Perhaps 5'6" tops.

Click Here

buffmanly said on 9/May/09
I came to Hollywood in 1960. Marilyn Monroe was luscious when she was made up but, take off the makeup and the face was so different. Almost unrecognizable. Lovely in a different way. Elizabeth Taylor without makeup was absolutely breathtaking. Her skin and coloring were incredible. You couldn't take your eyes off her. Yes, her eyes are lavender. And, yes, she was short, about 5ft 3. Marilyn was a bit taller. I was also surprised how short Raquel Welch is. She looks so statuesque in films.

Anonymous said on 4/Apr/09
How are you. To achieve great things we must live as though we were never going to die.
I am from Australia and too poorly know English, give please true I wrote the following sentence: "Looking for a cheap hotels or airline tickets to europe we have the."

Regards :-( Riona.

Sarah said on 2/Apr/09
Brrap I completely agree with you. Curves and that kind of height are great and to those who are comparing their mesurements to hers you dont have her genetics so your not the same.

It doesn't matter what height or weight your are or what others think as long as you are happy its alright.

Remember Ms. Monroe for the bright genuine and talented lady she was not what she looked like or how much she weighted.

leonari said on 16/Feb/09
nah she was the height Rob has her at. But yes she was the sexiest woman ever and extremely talented

shelby said on 16/Feb/09
Monroe was a BEAUTIFUL woman who was around 5.6 she was a model, actress, and every thing in between her height was perfect for her she was the right size but her autopsy report says she was 5.6 so i'm pretty sure thats how tall she was.

Bunny said on 10/Feb/09
My friend is 5"3.5 and weighs just under 130. Very sexy very curvy. Monroe was probably just under 5"6, let's not forget that she was also a model as well as an actress therefore she was probably at least a little bit taller, not that of matters she is sexy sexy unique gorgeous lovable no matter what

Anonymous said on 18/Jan/09
Ladies and gentlemen: What are we talking about ? Marilyn Monroe autopsy is written 5.6 (1,67 m).Case closed.
In any of her movies, and so many photos where she is standing next to other stars , etc. she looks exactly between 5.5 1/2 or 5.6

Anonymous21 said on 2/Jan/09
She looks more like 5ft7. Not to tall and can securely carry 125-140 pounds and have a small waistline. Considering Angelina Jolie is somewhat of a new age Marylin Monroe. Marylin is way more gorgeous, well proportioned physically and taller.

Adrienne said on 9/Dec/08
Marilyn was beautiful-that is that.

As for her weight in "Some Like it Hot"-I read somewhere that she was actually pregnant during the filming of this-hence why her weight was obviously heavier than in other films.

Anyway, no matter what her weight, she had the most gorgeous figure in Hollywood-in my opinion!

Anonymous said on 27/Nov/08
I am 5.5, weigh 130lbs and am 34" x 26" x 38" so it is possible

Steven DeFalco said on 26/Nov/08
Miss Monroe's height is some what of a mystery to me. The official measurements keeps changing. Her autopsy report listed her height at 168cm long. While others list it at 166cm. Most people who met her recall that they were startled at how tiny she was. I don't think that we'll ever get to the bottom of this controversy.

anominous said on 24/Nov/08
look, guys, the reason her weight was higher than average for her height and measurements was because her legs and thighs were so much thicker than the average woman with 37in hips. Most women with her height and dress size are going to be significantly lighter because they lack the considerable amount of muscle and fat monroe had in her legs. This is not a factor in dress measurement, although if tight pants were as popular in monroes day as they era now, she might have had trouble selecting some that her legs would fit into. she was brilliant, of course, and its a little weird that this is what we are discussing, given the fact that her iq was tens of points higher than kennedys. body image is much too crucial in todays world, and its too bad there arent blogs debating monroes moral character and intelligence.

Anonymous said on 23/Nov/08
Marilyn's height was 1,66 m.She was quite tall, remember Liz Taylor was much shorter, barely 1,61 m.Barbra Streisand is 1,64 m (shorther than Marilyn). Madonna is 1,61 m (much shorter).Gina Lollobrigida was 1,63 m she was short

Olivia said on 19/Nov/08
Yes, absolutely, I agree. She was at least 5 ft 5.5, maybe even 5 ft 6 !
I see her today in a movie with Cary Grant who was a tall man and she was really not small next to him, she was reaching him at the level of his eyebrows ! I was a lot surpised of it because I was always thinking she was not more than 5 ft 5.
Gosh ! She was a SO BEAUTIFUL woman and a very talented actress, too bad she was at this time only considering like a bimbo...

dd said on 13/Oct/08
I don't see how she could be 5'6"-ish and weigh 140 and still have the measurements they give her (36-24-36). I'm about that height and weight, but I've got 28 waist, 41 hips.

blondie said on 12/Oct/08
A woman should be 100lbs if she is 5ft tall, after that you add 5lbs for every inch, in Marilyn's case she was her ideal weight for her height. That is not PLUS SIZE! I am so tired of people calling her volumptous and curvy when she was just clearly showing off more flesh then other actors from the 50's!

herfan said on 3/Aug/08
take a look on her official web site and on fast facts. it says she is 5 feet 5 1/2 inches and 115 - 120 lbs.

anonymous said on 30/Jul/08
i think she's 5'6. btw i saw the blonde movie and its her biography movie, it was so sad. i feel sorry for her, anyway hope she's in a beautiful place right now.

brapp said on 21/Jul/08
I asked my dad about her as he's seen her films, and he said that he would have guessed she was about 5'6" and that she seemed quite tall and was definately not a "piddly actress".

So according to him she didn't even look short.

If her autospy report said 5'5.5" then she would have been 5'6" because they can't have measured her upright with perfect posture so a little would have been knocked off her actual height.

I've been looking at pictures of her, she was nicely shaped - I'd always thought she was bigger, because these days curvy is synomomous with "fat" lol. I don't think her shape would have made her look a lot shorter.

Many of her recent fans seem to like her because of her curvy figure which they seem to imagine to be bigger than it was. they probably imagine her to be shorter as well becuase then she would be the perfect antidote to the very women girls these days are jealous of - the tall slim girls. Well, I'm sorry to say, she had a nice figure, NOT dumpy, and she was tall.

I think she needs to be upgraded to 167 or 5'6"

Patricia said on 7/Jul/08
It doesn't matter how tall or short Marilyn Monroe was. and besides shes not even remmebered forthe simple things as her height or weight. She was stunnigly beautiful and knew what she wanted for herself. And that's all that matters.

Aimie said on 30/May/08
That's what women are supposed to look like. None of that nasty 5'11'' 90lbs model look they pretend is pretty today

walter said on 30/Apr/08
Something's got to give (1962) longer scenes are available in youtube.It can be seen Marilyn and Cyd Charisse together.Miss Charisse height is 5'6 1/2.Both are using high heels in the scene and Marilyn's height is almost the same of Cyd Charisse, only 1 inche or less shorter.Marilyn height was 5' 5 1/2 or 5' 6''.Case closed

C. said on 9/Mar/08
She looked this height (well, more around 5'5" to me) as well as 140 lbs (sometimes more, sometimes less given her weight fluctuations). However, she was by no means fat. Not incredibly thin, but that's what made her appealing. She wasn't a stick, but curvy.

And she was quite tall for her era. and since when was 5'6" the average then? More like 5'1"-2".

G. said on 20/Feb/08
MM says on 14/Jun/06
She was curvy all right, but not fat!

Sorry but I don't agree. A woman whose height is 5'5.5'' and weight is 140 lbs is NOT fat. I'm exactly like that, now, and I'm NOT fat. Marilyn was BEAUTIFUL, one of the most beautiful women in the world.

leonari said on 10/Feb/08
grandma H: 5'6" was average for women in the 50 ies?? So waht has happened that average today for woman is a tad above 5'4". Maybe 5'6" was average at your school which would still be strange...

kami said on 10/Feb/08
i agree with 5ft5-5ft6 but i don't think that she was more than 11o pounds(55kilograms)

TJ said on 13/Jan/08
Marilyn was slimmer just before her death than she had been a few years before. I expect the 115-120 refers to her weight towards the end.

Felix said on 13/Jan/08
Wow thats weird I wonder which one is the accurate one.

grandma H said on 26/Nov/07
I was in high school when Marilyn Monroe died. 5'6" was average height at that time. I reached that height in 8th grade and was taller than most of the boys my age. By the time I graduated most of the boys had caught up. Also, 140 pounds is the weight I should weigh at my age for my height. A woman of 36, which what Marily was when she died, would have been at her average weight and height and by today's dress sizes in a 14. Back in the day, all the actresses had their vital statistics listed below any photo taken of them. It is unheard of now to list that. Curves were in fashion and there was nothing wrong with them. Curves were in until Twiggy came into fashion around the late sixties and early 70's. These girls today are "twiggy" and ugly. I would prefer to look like Marilyn if I had my wish. So 5'5" and 140 lbs. was maybe at the top of her weight, but still average. Whatever, she had it and no one since her has kept our imagination for as long except maybe Lady DI.

Sabrina said on 20/Nov/07
I unfortunately made the mistake of actually looking at her picture taken when she had died at the morgue. Please if you love Marilyn do not do this to yourself, as you will not be able to get the picture out of your head infact you would not be able to even recgonise her. I ready the autopsy report and it clearly stated she was at death 5ft 5.5inches, I cannot remember the weight. It is strange because she always looked quite short in some of her films but she was very very curvaceous, infact she looked like how I feel a woman should look, and this could make a woman appear shorter. So I agree she was definately 5ft 5.5 minimum

Peter said on 24/Sep/07
How tall was Arthur Miller? Judging from pictures standing next to Marilyn I would put him at 6'1.5"

girlfriend said on 9/Sep/07
M.M. was a beautiful woman & had a great figure. If you compare some of the actresses from the past to the actresses & models of today the women today look sick & too thin-just imagine how thin these women must be in person. M.M. was her heaviest in "some Like it Hot" but she was every inch a real woman.

Mari said on 3/Aug/07
I read the Autobiography of Susan Strasberg--the daughter of the founder of The Actor's Studio in NY.She said that Marilyn's height was 5'5..so it was no doubt that Marilyn was indeed 5'5 or better yet 5'5.5 in tall.

Truth said on 23/May/07
Frank2, did you ever get a chance to see Marilyn in person? If so, what is your opinion of her? Was she as beautiful as they say? What did people really think of her acting?

I recently watched "There is no business like show business" and I do believe she was shorter than 5 ft5. Donald (Tim) looked really short and Marilyn standing face to face with him and wearing heels was the same height.

Kevin T said on 10/May/07
"Marilyn was 140 at her heaviest, during filming of Some Like it Hot."

You must be joking. She had a double chin in that film..she looked at least 160 or heavier when she played Sugar. She looked more like 130-140 in The Seven Year Itch and Bus Stop. Around the time of her death, she did look much thinner, having gone on a crash diet after The Misfits, and the 117 pound number seems credible. Most of her acting career she was heavier than that.

Xx candyxX said on 1/May/07
I'm 5'5 and i find myself average around women, back then women were like 5'1 and men 5'7 no days, most women are 5'4-5'5 1/2 is average for the USA

Lee said on 8/Apr/07
The interview with Marilyn's costume designer was in 1982, and he was probably calling her "short" in comparison to the idea normal height for models and actresses in the 80's. I think 5'5 1/2" is average, and I assume most people agree.

Xx candyxX said on 3/Apr/07
back then 5'5 1/2 was tall. now days 5'4 is average for american white women

nicole said on 25/Mar/07
for lee's comment, i'm 5'5.5", and when i was 140lbs, i was a size four dress too.
it seems credible to me.

Lee said on 20/Mar/07
Leonari, please reread what I said before you fly off the handle. HER COSTUME DESIGNER SAID SHE WAS ACTUALLY VERY SHORT and was APPROX. 5'5. I personally do not feel 5'5 is short at all, I'm only 5'10 and I feel that is about average.

leonari said on 18/Mar/07
Lee: an american woman from this era at 5'5.5" very short?? Yeah man . Smart comment. Come on go on...You talk nonsense!!! Today this height may be short(even though it's not!!) but back in the 50's and 60's that was a fairly tall height for a chick: what do you consider tall for a girl? 5'11"? Man comments like these tick me off!

Lee said on 17/Mar/07
Marilyn was 140 at her heaviest, during filming of Some Like it Hot. She was also pregnant. In 1962, she weighed 117 lbs. Her autopsy report says she was 117 and her body was 5 foot 5 and 1/2 inches.

Look at nude photos of her taken by Tom Kelly in 1949. She has small but beautiful breasts and a flat washboard tummy. In 1962, Bert Stern took nude photos of her. She was very thin. Thinner than she was in 1949. Months after the photos were taken, she was dead.

You can't argue with the autopsy report of her weight and height. It is fact.

Bill Travilla, who designed her pink Diamonds dress, her white Seven Year Itch dress, and numerous others said in 1982 that she was actually very short, approx. 5'5. He also said her breasts were padded a bit and she often wore falsies to give the impression she went braless.

And finally, Christie's Auction house in their 1999 auction of Marilyn's personal items said all of her gowns that were not on hangers or tables were modeled on size 4 mannequins and forms, which surprised them because they believed she was larger than that.

Antron said on 5/Feb/07
she was 140lbs, there is no reason to lie about it Matt...

Anonymous said on 16/Jan/07
I enjoyed reading Frank2's comments! The truth is that a 1 1/2 inch height difference is fairly negligable, and very difficult to discern from photos and anecdotes. Maybe she was 5'4", maybe 5'5". Not much difference there at all. We're not talking the difference between 5'1" and 5'9" here. I'm 5'7" and 120 lbs, which has been "officially" measured many times, and people estimate my height between 5'6" and 5'9" and my weight always under 120, and those are all people who know me personally and could claim to be authorities. But they would be wrong! A website like this is fun, to be sure, but it's all speculation unless you have the celebrity on hand, along with an accurate measuring system!

Matt said on 10/Dec/06
Marilyn I believe the height but their is now way and i mean no way in hell she weighed 140 bs more like 115 lbs

Brad said on 22/Nov/06
5' 4" so says my mother. I was born down the hall from her 8/1/57 date of miscarriage. She was crying a lot. So was I.

John said on 29/Oct/06
Howard Keel who banged Marilyn for a while says she was 5'5" and he saw every inch of it

Leah said on 10/Oct/06
Wow. Not what I expected. I was told she was 5'2" Haha, I was really off I guess. Her curvier frame sure made her look shorter.

library nerd said on 22/Sep/06
If Frank2 ever read this: you have never met her, so you never can tell if she was 5'4, you're perfetic!! if the autoposy said 166 cm tall, than that it is, or do you think, they thought, oh, she's dead, just give her the extra 1 and half inch..? get a life! she didn't look real small, so I go with this height by the way.

sam said on 3/Sep/06
yes I noticed she was thinner, laura. Her face structure looked slighlty different and more longer.

k said on 18/Aug/06
just heard that they want to dig up marilyn and do modern tests on her! im not sure that theyll find anything after 40 yrs but you never know! i hope they do find out something though!

Laura said on 14/Aug/06
If you look at Marilyn's pictures before she died, especially in her last movie, she looked thinner, and my guess is she was probably around 125 by the time she was killed.

audrey said on 17/Jul/06
Marilyn could not have been under 125lbs. in the majority of her films. Her frame and bust simply wouldn't have allowed her to have her lushes curves without the weight.

E said on 29/Jun/06
Why are you all still talking about it? Her height according to the autopsy report was 5 feet 5.5 inches. Her weight was 117. You're arguing about verified facts. She certainly didn't grow after she died, did she? It is independent and corroborating evidence of her height.

Frank2 said on 26/Jun/06
Nobody is questioning Marilyn's place in history. She could have been 5' tall and it wouldn't have mattered as far as detracting from her abilities.

And of course no photo I ever publish has any "weight" if it goes against the official line.

Walter said on 26/Jun/06
Frank:
Relax ! Don't be upset.If Marilyn height was 5'5.5" as the more important sources states or if she was 5' 4" as you say, it does not change what she was at all.
In the photo of Bus Stop, Marilyn is in a movement while Miss Field is standing up erected , so this photo does not have any weight .
You did not answered a word about the may 1962 photo of the spanish site, where Marilyn is standing up in front of ugly greekamerican coloratura singer Maria Callas who was 5' 7.5".Callas height was 5' 7.5" , this is a FACT.Can you show to all friends this photo ?.There are two photos taken in may 1962 but in one of them they are standing up together very close.Only one advise, please don't tell me ugly Callas was barefoot that night at the president Kennedy birthday.

Frank2 said on 25/Jun/06
Here's Marilyn in a scene from Bus Stop: Click Here

There is absolutely no way she was nearly 5'6". Just look how much taller Murray is. He was about 6'2". And look how much taller Betty Field is and she was no more than 5'5". This debate is just, plain silly. People who automatically buy into official celeb publicity are never going to get to the truth.

Lloyd Nolan and Betty Field: Click Here
Nolan was about 5'9".

Walter said on 24/Jun/06
Frank:
I saw a photo of Gina who is visiting Marilyn in the shooting of "The seven year itch".Marilyn is dressed with the famous white dress.Could you search that photo ? I thought Gina height was 5' 3", if Gina height is 5' 4" as you pointed, then Marilyn height could be 5'5" or around that because in the photo it is noticeably that Marilyn is taller than Gina and I know Gina used the highest heels always.
Another very important photo is the one taken at Madison Square Garden in may 1962.Marilyn is standing up close to Maria Callas.I am sure Callas height was between 5' 7 " or 5' 7.5 ".This is absolutely accurate.In that photo it is noticeable Callas was taller than Marilyn but only two inches or even less.Please try to find the two photos of Marilyn with Callas in the spanish site.I don't know how to copy them to show them.
Another question, which is the real height of Zsa Zsa Gabor.She seems very short in every pic.

Frank2 said on 24/Jun/06
Gina is most likely around 5'4". Same height as Marilyn. Liz Taylor is quite short. I'd say no more than 5'2".

Walter said on 24/Jun/06
I do like Kim Novak since I was a kid.She was so beautiful, even today she is imposing.In my opinion Kim was a fine actress too, however can you explain me why the critics always trashed her ? he never got good reviews, only in Vertigo.I never understood why.
Doris Day had talent, I lo like her very much too.I will say I do love her because perhaps you become angry.When I do like an artist vey much, I say I love, I adore, etc.
Doris performance in "Love me or leave me" is a masterwork. she is GREAT ! and this is one of my very favorite films.Doris possessed a great voice too ! how she sings in that film ! the songs are sung masterfully.
Doris was fabulous , not specially beautiful but beautiful , but not sexy.Kim was a goddess, she was so beautiful and sexy too.Marilyn was beautiful and the most sexy of all.
You did not answer me about Gina Lollobrìgida height.I cannot beleive she is 5' 5", she always seemed to me she is around 5' 3".
Another big lie is Elizabeth Taylor height.5' 4" HAHAHAHA !!!!That is a joke ! I guess Liz height must be 5' 1" or even a bit shorter

Frank2 said on 24/Jun/06
You call me an idiot and then you say you're not angry?

And I don't like Marilyn? Far from it. I found her to be talented to a degree. She was sexy for sure. But I don't love her. Love for a celeb is kind of sick if you catch my drift. I love my mom, my brothers and I'm in love with my wife, but I don't love celebrity icons.

As far as Kim Novak goes, she was a better actress than Marilyn with a much broader range. Marilyn could never have played her role in Vertigo. Kiss me Stupid is an awful film, but it does demonstrate what a fine actress Kim was. You'd hardly know it was the same woman who played Madeline in Vertigo. Marilyn was always Marilyn. Not that it was bad. John Wayne was always John Wayne and he could be terrific. Novak was just better at her craft than Marilyn. In a cooler way she was just as sexy. In fact in real life I'd have gone more for Kim than Marilyn. And the funny thing is Kim is still around today. Fortunately for her, she had a private life that was never a tortured affair.

Larry said on 24/Jun/06
Watched HIS KIND OF WOMAN on TCM recently & Jane Russell was about 5 inches shorter than 6'1" Robert Mitchum, BUT subtract the 2" heel advantage she had in every shot in which feet were shown & the delta grows to about 7". Also, 6'4" Vincent Price was in this one too and she LOOKED 8" shorter, so would really have been around 10" less than him.
Weren't Shelley Winters & Marilyn once room mates? I SEEM to remember an interview with Ms. Winters from the 90's in which she said she & Marilyn were the same height. Ms. Winters claimed she was 5'4". Anyone else recall this interview?

Walter said on 24/Jun/06
Frank , I am not angry at all for what you told me.I read all your posts and I noticed you do not like Marilyn Monroe.I do love her.There is not any problem with this.If Marilyn was 5' 4" or 5'5.5" does not change anything for how Marilyn was.As you know so much of celebrities private lifes , etc.I always thought Gina Lollobrìgida height was about 5' 3", that's how she always seemed to me in all her many films.I do love Gina Lollobrìgida too !However I read in an official site that is written that Gina height is 5' 5".Is it accurate ?If Gina height is 5' 5" then we can agree Marilyn height was 5' 5.5" because there exists a photo with Marilyn using her famous dress of "The seven year itch".I guess the photo must be taken in the shooting of "The seven year itch" in Hollywood in sep 1954.Gina is standing up next to Marilyn and Gina is shorter than Marilyn.
Another remark, I do love Kim Novak too.You wrote Kim was a better actress than Marilyn.I do love Kim and I do love Marilyn.Why the reviews were always so unkind with Kim ? All critics trashed her in all her films with the exception of Vertigo.However I do love her performances in "Strangers when we meet", "Kiss me stupid" !!!! great !!!!, "Boy's night out", "Moll Flanders" etc

Frank2 said on 22/Jun/06
Look, I'm not Hedda Hopper, just a fellow who worked for forty years in the entertainment industry and met many of the celbs discussed on this website. My family was in it as well. I know what I'm talking about. And if you want to resort to name-calling, I'd suggest you look up the word idiot. It perfectly describes your s***ty demeanor. You've never met any of these people yet you go by what you read from official sources and dismiss anything stated by me. Like so many fools, unless it's documented, you don't believe it. Well, so be it. Go by what the publicists tell you. You're a dream come true for them.

Walter said on 22/Jun/06
Frank 2: What a paradox ! You know Miss Russell friends, you took photos with her too, what a wonder ! You also know persons who worked with Marilyn.Aren't you Hedda Hooper ?Russell height was 5' 7", and what about the two Marilyn photos taken in may 1962 with the dreadful greek witch Callas who was 5' 7.5" ??? Now you are going to say that the dreadful greekamerican coloartura singer was barefoot that night and that you were there talking with her and Marilyn ? of course of clothes and jewels, but never watching Marilyn body of course.Idiot !!!!

Frank2 said on 22/Jun/06
Viv, you're dreaming. Marilyn had a serious weight problem as did Kim Novak who Columbia chief Harry Cohn used to call a "fat Pollock." (His words, not mine)

Marilyn was constantly fighting weight and during several films changed weight all over the place causing her wardrobe people to go bonkers. I know since I knew people who knew her as well as anyone. And she wasn't anywhere near being 5'5.5". I just called one fellow I know who worked with her closely and he swears she was about 5'4". I believe him. By the way, I knew Jane Russell since she was good friends with my folks. Somewhere I have photos of her when she was singing with Connie Haines, another close family friend and Beryl Davis. Russell was about 5'6". They performed at a charity benefit my dad put on.

Walter said on 22/Jun/06
Hello everybody:
Please watch the two photos taken in may 1962 at Madison Square Garden.Dreadful Maria Callas was 5' 7.5" or even 5' 8".The greek witch was barefoot that night and Marilyn using 5 inches heels ???? Oh please ! Marilyn height was between 5' 5.5" and 5' 6".Please look the photos from the sapnish site that Frank talked about

Walter said on 22/Jun/06
Dreadful Maria Callas was 5' 7.5" or 5' 8".Can you tell me what does it mean the photo taken at Madison Square Garden in may 1962 ???? from the spanish site Frank show us

Walter said on 22/Jun/06
Yesssssss, Marilyn's height stated in her official place: 5' 5.5" is accurate.
For those who say she was 5' 4", have you watched well the number "Little Rock" from "Gentlemen prefer blondes" ?.The ugly and tasteless Jane Russell height was 5'7".They both can be seen very well standing together and dancing and their heels are the same.It is a fact that Marilyn is only 4 cm or less than 2 inches shorther than awful Jane Russell

Viv said on 16/Jun/06
MM: The higher weight for Marilyn (140lbs.) was from when she was pregnant. She typically wasn't that heavy. And, you're right: she had all the right curves so she could make 140lbs. look lush and beautiful. :-)

Frank2 said on 16/Jun/06
No. I haven't met Beck. And why give it a rest? She wasn't 5'5.5". And her weight varied from about 120 to 150.

MM said on 14/Jun/06
I was just looking at her oficial website (Click Here) and while her height there is listed as 5'5.5", they say her weight varied from 115 to 120 lbs.
Not sure there the original poster got the 140lbs weight.

She was curvy all right, but not fat!

Rut said on 14/Jun/06
Give the woman a rest! 5 five and a half it is!
Love debating like this..
Frank2: have you met John Beck??

Frank2 said on 13/Jun/06
I would throw out anything said by her. Knowing what I know.

Nolifts81 said on 12/Jun/06
I've read her biografy.Miss Lytess was her recitation teacher and she lived with Marilin for about 5 years.In the book Ms Lytess says Marilyn's height was 164cm.

Parker said on 2/Jun/06
I think the most telling picture of Marilyn is the Alan Ladd picture. I doubt Alan was more than 5'6 1'2, yet he has at least 2 inches on Marilyn in the photo - admittedly you can't se their feet, but I wouldn't have thought Marilyn was bare footed.

S said on 2/Jun/06
I don't understand why people are always saying celebrities are shorter than they are.

Frank2 said on 1/Jun/06
Could someone please explain how Marilyn could have been nearly 5'6" when in the film There's No Business Like Show Business she's the same height as 5'6" Donald O'Conner? Marilyn is wearing what look to be at the very least, three inch high heels. They might even be four-inchers. O'Conner in normal shoes was 5'7" and he was not wearing lifts in that film so please don't use that as an excuse.

E said on 27/May/06
Her autopsy report states that she was 65.5 inches long and 117 pounds. Case closed.

Anonymous said on 20/May/06
You can't see her shoes in any of these pics (apart from the modelling one where you don't know how tall the guy is) and you don't know how tall those police men are.

Frank2 said on 19/May/06
Here's Marilyn with 5'10" Dean Martin: Click Here

Marilyn being posed for a studio photo: Click Here

With a couple of "cops": Click Here

With 6'1" Joe DiMaggio: Click Here

Marilyn with two Japanese baseball players while on a tour of Japan and Korea in the 1950's: Click Here

Frank2 said on 18/May/06
Not on that clip. She wore a stunning gown and high heels and was considerably shorter than Murray. And the other day I happened on an early Monroe movie where she was in a shot with actor Paul Douglas who was no more than 5'11" and more likely was 5'10". He towered over here. In the same film when she was next to Kieth Andes who was well-over 6' she looked like a little girl. There is absolutely no way way Marilyn was close to being 5'6". She was more likely around 5'4". I just read where Paramount paid off the California DMV to put 5'10" on Alan Ladd's driver's license so when I read so-called official heights I usually dismiss them entirely. After all, this is showbiz and much of it is make believe.

S said on 17/May/06
She didnt always wear 4 inch heels, in every photo you just assume she 4 inch heels on. Yes, she was a fan of them but she often wore lower heels and when she wasn't out and she was just casual she wore flats a bit.

Frank2 said on 6/May/06
Last night TCM ran a documentary done by Ken Murray. I knew Ken since he and his wife Betty Lou were close friends with my parents. Ken was about 6' tall. Murray shot tons of 16mm home movies of various celebrities going way back to the early 1930's and knew just about everyone in Hollywood. In it he has a scene where he interviews Marilyn who's dressed to the nines. In high heels she was at least six inches shorter than Ken. Had she been nearly 5'6" and wearing four inch high heels she'd have been a lot taller. That's a fact.

Frank2 said on 5/May/06
Steadfastly claiming someone is nearly 5'6" who in real life was about 5'4" is sort of nuts. Watch her films. Compare her to other actresses who were definitely 5'6" and tell me she's as tall. Go to the earlier website I listed that has dozens of photos of her with various famous men and women and tell me she was as tall as some believe. Marilyn almost always wore the highest of high heels. If she was almost 5'6" then she'd have towered over shorter actors and she didn't. It's just common sense. After a while when people keep bucking common sense it does say they're a bit nutty. But then some think I'm nuts for spending so much time here, especially my wife.

richinkle said on 4/May/06
Does this really rise to the level of "insane"?

Frank2 said on 4/May/06
Don't ya know? Marilyn was 5'10". This is insane!

richinkle said on 3/May/06
I agree with Viv. I don't see more than 8" between 6'-1 1/2" +/- John Huston and Marilyn. That would put her in the 5'-5" to 5'-5 1/2" range.

Frank2 said on 23/Apr/06
This website in Spanish has some great Marilyn photos: Click Here

Viv said on 23/Apr/06
Good shot of Marilyn with Huston and Gene Kelly, Frank2. Can't see the shoes with her and Brando, though. The shot with her and Huston - Marilyn appears to come up to about his lips (taking into account her wig), which would put them at a difference of about 7"-8" in height. If Huston was about 6'1" at that time... She's wearing 3"-4" heels in the shot with Gene Kelly (she's too far from Yves Montand to make an accurate height difference there). 3"-4" heels would give her appx. 2.5" extra in height and they appear (if both were standing up straight - Marilyn is very slightly hunched, Kelly is slightly leaning) they'd probably be about the same height - Kelly may be a tad taller than her. I still don't see her shorter than 5'5" according to these photos.

Frank2 said on 22/Apr/06
This is a candid photo of Marilyn taken on the Fox scoring stage circa 1950's: Click Here
Marilyn was recording one of her songs. Notice that three microphones are placed in front of her. Only Fox recorded dialogue on the set as well as singers on their music stage in three-track magnetic stereo. This was used when they magnetically striped their 4-track Cinemascope anamorphic release prints in order to reproduce the proper ambiance on the set. The fourth track was used for surround and was triggered by an annoying high frequency tone which I can still remember hearing. It was a royal pain in the butt for their sound mixers to deal with multiple tracks of dialogue. All other studios recorded set dialogue in mono and then panned it for stereo seperation.

End of today's film 101 history class.

Frank2 said on 20/Apr/06
Cary Grant and Monroe: Click Here

Frank2 said on 20/Apr/06
Explain how a woman nearly 5'6" wearing high heels is considerably shorter than 5'10" Billy Wilder: Click Here

6'1" Dimmagio was roughly 8 inches taller than Marilyn when she was in high heels: Click Here
And Marilyn wore the highest.

And here: Click Here

And here: Click Here

As well as here: Click Here

Marilyn in heels next to two 5'10" guys: Click Here

And for those who still believe Martin and Lewis were 6' tall, here they are next to Burt Lancaster who was over six feet: Click Here

And Jerry standing next to 5'10" Vic Damon: Click Here
I suppose people will now say Damon was 6'!

(I'm getting tired of proving that Dean and Jerry were not 6')

Richard Widmark was 5'10": Click Here

Here's what a woman who's 5'6" and wears high heels looks like next to a man who's 5'10": Click Here

Doris next to Cary Grant and Doris wore low heels in the film: Click Here

There is no way Marlilyn was 5'6.5". NO WAY!!!!! 5'4" maybe.

Frank2 said on 20/Apr/06
Maybe Marilyn was nearly six feet tall when alive!

Viv said on 20/Apr/06
Wow, that's interesting... All I've ever heard about height in death was that there is a possibility of the body increasing a small amount in height due to being laid down. But, shrinking does make sense due to Rigor Mortis/muscle stiffness. Interesting indeed.

ForensicNYC said on 20/Apr/06
A deceased body loses height due to the effects of Rigor Mortis or severe muscular stiffness. The spinal column is compressed by the onset of spasms from 3 hours to 12 hours after loss of life. When a corpse is sent to deep freeze the skeletal joints are further reduced in size due to the low temperature. A loss of 0.5" to 1.5" is not surprising. If a body is measured in deep freeze it has no flexibility and thus stays the same height throughout. It is very rare for a body to "expand"...

Viv said on 19/Apr/06
Autopsy height recording can go either way. I've known people, either living or dead, who have been measured laying down and are measured the same height they are standing up straight against a wall to be measured (I am one of them, I am measured the exact same height whether standing up straight against a wall and laying down flat on my back). I'm sure there are some other people who may gain a half inch (possibly a little more) when laying down and being measured - whether alive or dead. It just depends on the person, I suppose. Not everyone gains extra height when being measured laying down, some do. It would be impossible to tell in this case as it would be in most cases - unless, of course, the person is alive and being measured and can correlate their flat-on-back height measurement to their standing-up-straight measurement. With autopsies, especially those of stars, it would be impossible to tell for sure if extra height was recorded in the autopsy or not.

hombre said on 19/Apr/06
According to her autopsy she was measuring 165-166 cm.

"External examination: The unembalmed body is that of a 36-year-old well-developed, well-nourished Caucasian female weighing 117 pounds and measuring 65-1/2 inches in length"

Frank2 said on 17/Apr/06
I' telling you, Marilyn was no more than 5'4".

Parker said on 17/Apr/06
There are a further 2 photo's of Monroe with Ladd from the same event on the Ladd page that Rob posted. Its from the March 1954 Photoplay awards. Its a shame we cannot ses their feet. Personally I think it supports the Monroe 5'4 theory. If she has 3 inch heels on, it puts her at 5'7 with Ladd looking 5'9 on the photographs. My belief is Ladd was twix 5'6 and 5'7 (5'7 with military posture first thing in the morning!) - A 2 1/2" lift would be easily plausible.

If Monroe was 5'5 1/2, she'd be around 5'8 in the pics and Ladd at 5'10...again with lifts plausible but beginning to stretch it from a height of 5'6 1/2

Frank2 said on 17/Apr/06
5'6" Alan Ladd with Marilyn: Click Here
I'm sure Marilyn's wearing heels.

Editor Rob said on 16/Apr/06
"As a little girl I always wanted to be like the black marilyn monroe. She was so sexy. I think when you're short and you show skin, it makes you look taller, and it gives you the illusion that you're like Cindy Crawford" Tony Braxton.

Frank2 said on 14/Apr/06
She didn't lie. The studio and her agent lied. And it's very common. No surprise. No way was Marilyn nearly 5'6". I've seen most of her films and watched her with other actors and actresses who's height I'm certain of. She comes off as about 5'4". That was an average height for actresses back then.

I did learn something interesting when speaking recently with a doctor. It seems that when a body is lying flat on an autopsy table it becomes longer than it was when the person was alive and standing. Longer sometimes by an inch, even more. That explains my father being written up as 5'10" on his autopsy when at best he was 5'9.5" when he was younger.

Viv said on 11/Apr/06
Let's just agree to disagree on this one. I haven't seen anything legitimate here, or on film, that leads me to believe that Marilyn was shorter than 5'5" (and, why would she lie about the extra half-inch in that case?) I think she was simply one of the few actresses who didn't lie about her height.
And, yes, I can be swayed in a different direction that I originally thought. Look at James Dean. I had thought he was in the 5'8" range, but after studying a quality photo and hearing of family statements, I now see him in the 5'6"-5'7" range. Perhaps, closer to 5'7", but as low as 5'6". We're never going to know for sure, but I feel quite sure, from the legitimate evidence I know to be true and that I have seen, that Marilyn was in the 5'5"-5'6" range.

Frank2 said on 9/Apr/06
Here's a few observations made while watching How to marry a Millionaire. First off, 5'9" Cameron Mitchell is wearing what look to be huge lifts. They make him appear as if he was almost 5'11" barefoot. Lauren Bacall who was about 5'8" although I've heard some reports claiming she was closer to 5'7" wears about two and a half inch heels and in them is about an inch shorter than 5'11" William Powell who by that film had probably lost an inch. If you think he was 6' then watch the Thin Man sequel that had Jimmy Stewart in it. He was shorter than Stewart by at least four inches. In the film Manhattan Melodrama, Powell is shorter than Clark Gable by two inches. When Cam Mitchell and Powell stand together, both are about the same height. In one shot Mitchell actually looks taller by an inch. When Marilyn stands next to Powell and Mitchell she's at least four inches shorter. She's wearing at least three inch heels. Possibly even four inchers. When Marilyn is with actor Alexander D'Arcy who was about 5'11" she's at least five inches shorter and she's wearing quite high heels. I know D'Arcy's true height since in Soldier of Fortune he was slightly shorter than Clark Gable who by that film was no longer 6'1" as well as that he was a good friend of my dad and I saw him many times and he was about an inch and a half taller than my 5'9.5" father. But the key is when 6'1" Fred Clark and 6'3" Rory Calhoun show up and make Betty Grable look like a shrimp and when David Wayne who was a shrimp shows up and is the same height as Marilyn. I doubt Grable was any taller than about 5'3" and in the film she wore very high heels. In scenes with Marilyn she's about an inch and a half shorter. In other scenes they're closer in height so that tells me they wore heels with different heights in different scenes. There is no doubt in my mind that Marilyn was no taller than about 5'4.5". No doubt whatsoever. She looks far too short next to actors who appear 5'11" and with 5'7" David Wayne she's about the same height. Being 5'5.5" and wearing four inch heels would have according to Viv made her about 5'8" and no way is she that tall.

Frank2 said on 9/Apr/06
Marilyn with Napoleon: Click Here
(That is, Brando as the little corporal)

Maybe Jack Lemmon was 6': Click Here

Anyone know who the guy in the middle is? Click Here

Maybe Widmark was clsoe to 6': Click Here

I know Gable was near 6': Click Here

And I know Marilyn wore high heels in that previous shot as this photo shows: Click Here
Those are four-inchers.

Viv said on 9/Apr/06
Haylie, actresses have been adding inches to their heights from (at least) the 1930's. There were still some actresses (5'2" Jean Harlow is one) who's real heights were known. I would venture to say that 5'1" Norma Shearer was another, like Harlow, who's real height was known as she seems to stand that against other "measured" celebrities of known non-inflated height. Hmm...Veronica Lake is another well-known celeb height. She was 4'11", yet I've seen her listed at 5'2". Mae West was about 5' tall, but I've seen her listed at 5'4". Etc. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are two I've seen listed at 5'4" but that I know had fudged heights (Davis was probably closer to 5'1" and Joan was closer to 5'2", I believe). These were stars that were huge in the 1930's and 1940's, primarily. In the 1950's, we see a lot of height inflation for particular stars. Elizabeth Taylor, I am convinced, was closer to 5'2" rather than her official height of 5'4". Natalie Wood (listed anywhere from 5'0"-5'4") was acutally about 5'2" (with the exception of her possible "growth spurt" after children). It seems that the heights became more and more inflated as time went on, but that may only be because Hollywood's "tricks" became more well known as time went on. So, height is shifty and has probably always been inflated by Hollywood. Although, I think in Hollywood's earlier years (up to the "talkies" period, anyhow) the heights were, perhaps, less likely to be inflated than they were later on. But, still, I am not sure. There are still some stars, like Marilyn, who I am convinced (so far, anyhow) that were their stated heights. I tend to concentrate only on certain stars, so I am not completely certain of "the whole". Frank2 would probably have a good answer for you as he was part of the Hollywood system and knew many of the older stars.
I still don't understand why women (stars or not) feel the need to inflate their heights. :-)

Haylie said on 9/Apr/06
I agree with Frank2 that Ave Gardener was closer to 5'5 or 5'4 because she never looks as tall as the commonly listed 5'6. I was just wondering if height was a big deal for a woman in the 50's and would actresses have added inches on to their official heights like they do now?

Viv said on 9/Apr/06
Oh, the Marilyn/DiMaggio photo you put up is nice, Frank2. It's hard for me to guage this one, though, because of DiMaggio's apparent "levitation." He's probably just "stepping up" with his right foot, which makes it hard to guage as Marilyn is standing, not walking. The angle is a bit strange, too. So, if I guessed on this one, it would only be a guess. Without her heels, I see Marilyn leaning appx. at the 5'5" mark...but, that's ONLY a guess. This photo is a lot like the one I posted of Marilyn and Miller walking in the grass - confusing and probably too difficult to guage by, but fun to try to pick apart and see what we find.
Good find, Frank2! I want this one in an 8x10.

Viv said on 9/Apr/06
Frank2: this picture you've posted: Click Here - is too difficult to judge their height by because, if you've seen the full shot, you'd know the ground is slanted away from the tree giving Arthur a noticeable, yet hard-to-gauge, height advantage over Marilyn. That is why it is imperative, when trying to make an accurate height estimation for an actress, that we are able to see the shoes of the people and the ground.
Regarding this photo I posted earlier: Click Here - thank you for your reply on it. I honestly only see a 7

Frank2 said on 8/Apr/06
Doris Day with Cary Grant: Click Here

5'9" Perry Como and Doris: Click Here

Como with 6'4" John Wayne: Click Here

Doris and 6' Rex Harrison: Click Here

Doris and 6'1" James Garner: Click Here
Yeah, Garner wasn't 6'3". I was with him the day he stood and spoke with Sidney Poitier and Sid was at least two inches taller.

Doris with Dom DeLuise: Click Here

The had to put 5'8" Kirk Douglas on a box with Doris: Click Here

Doris with 5'7" Robert Morse: Click Here
Doris is wearing low heels or flats through most of the film.

With 5'8" Gordon MacRae: Click Here
She most likely wore flats. I know Gordon wore lifts!

Doris with 5'9" Cameron Mitchell: Click Here

Mitchell and Monroe along with Grable and Bacall: Click Here

Check out the heels on Novak: Click Here

Kim and 5'11" Bill Holden: Click Here

Gable with Monroe: Click Here(1960).jpg.jpg

Gable and Monroe: Click Here

Marilyn with 6'1" Joe DiMaggio: Click Here

Take another look at Kim and Doris next to Gable who was supposedly 6'1": Click Here

Marilyn with Cary Grant: Click Here

Miller and Monroe: Click Here
And yes, it appears Arthur was 6'3" although I have a shot of him next to 6'2" John Huston and he's slightly shorter.

Monroe with Miller: Click Here
I see an eight inch difference which would make Marilyn 5'4" plus three inch heels to 5'7". FYI A five inch difference would bring her up to Miller's eye level.

Frank2 said on 8/Apr/06
There is no way that Marilyn was as tall as Doris Day or Kim Novak. No way, period. And no, Doris and Kim weren't 5'8" either.

Check out Doris with Cary Grant: Click Here
She wore low heels in that film. If you don't believe me then watch the movie.

Now look at Cary with Marilyn: Click Here
She wore high heels in Monkey Business as she did in all her films. Watch that film and you'll see she's no more than 5'4" which is what the fellow at Fox who knew her told me she was. He spent more time with her then she spent with her husbands!

And here from the same film: Click Here

Here's Kim Novak next to 6'3" Jimmy Stewart: Click Here

Novak and Ty Power: Click Here

Kim and 6'5" Rock Hudson: Click Here

There is no way on earth that Marilyn was just a half an inch shorter that these two women. And by the way, Kim was a better actress. There's no way Marilyn could have matched her in Vertigo. And Kim was great at comedy. She did a fantastic job in Kiss Me Stupid. The film leaves much to be desired, but Kim was wonderful in it. And for that film she purposely looked like a slob! They even did something with her teeth. FYI She also had a serious weight problem.

Doris Day was a fabulous all around entertainer. She could do just about anything whereas Marilyn's range was quite limited. That's not to say she couldn't be good, just limited.

Viv said on 8/Apr/06
I'm sorely neglecting my manuscript due to this website. Must get back to work. But, first, I thought I'd add these photos. The only height that I have found documented for Arthur Miller is 6'3". So, dissect away... :-)
Click Here
Click Here
Click Here

Frank2 said on 8/Apr/06
For those arguing Marilyn Monroe's height using the excuse that being heavy makes one look shorter, I'd like to remind everyone that Liz Talor had a weight problem and most people thought she looked taller than she really was. And Orson Welles had a serious weight problem and his height was so inflated that when I finally met him I was surprised he was my height or 5'11". In fairness to Welles I think he had shrunk a bit by 1977. I'd say he was a solid 6'1" when he was young. But some sites list him at nearly 6'4" which is not the case.

Viv said on 8/Apr/06
I'm well aware of that, TJ. And, it's a problem I've been battling here, too. Unfortunately, with so few photos of Marilyn with "measured" others that show the feet, posture, ground, proximity of the people, the people facing the camera at an exact angle, etc., we have little to go on. In fact, I've never seen a one with Marilyn that has all those aspects to it. If someone can find something really clear with the credentials necessary to make a good, solid estimate of her height, I'd be thrilled to see it. :-)
Mainly, I was trying to show a clearer picture of Marilyn and Billy Wilder because the one Frank2 tried to post (if I have the correct one in mind) is quite hard to distinguish because A: we couldn't see Wilder's feet (we know Marilyn and Jack were most likely barefoot) and B: Marilyn and Jack are leaning over to the point where we can only make a rough estimate of the height difference between her and Wilder and her and Lemmon. I've literally looked through thousands of photos of Marilyn and several hundred of her with others. There are only, I'd say, 2 or 3 that give a clear enough focus on her height in relation to other "measured" stars to give a solid approximation of her actual height. Unfortunately, with so few pictures like that to go on, that leaves hundreds of others that take much more scrutiny or simply being "tossed".

TJ said on 8/Apr/06
Viv, with the pic you posted, you illustrate the problem I have been talking about. Where one person is closer to the camera or there are differences in posture, pics are totally misleading. In one, someone can look the same height as the other person, and in another several inches shorter.

Viv said on 8/Apr/06
Hi Haylie, yes, thinner girls usually appear taller. Like Rob mentioned above and you mentioned: Marilyn's curvy figure could oftentimes make her appear shorter. I, too, am sticking with 5'5"-5'5.5" for Marilyn until I can actually see a good photo where I can truly guage her height as being shorter. And, I've looked, believe me, I've looked for one. The good photos (showing shoes, ground, etc.) I've found lean Marilyn in the 5'5"-5'6" range. All these photos without seeing the shoes, ground, etc. are simply inconclusive in my eyes because we can't see what's going on with the actors' shoes, the ground, etc. It becomes a guessing game at that point.
Frank2: your link to Marilyn and Billy Wilder isn't coming up, but I think I know which one you are talking about: Marilyn and Jack standing to one side and Billy on the other side of the photo - they're on the beach during SLIH. We can't see Billy's feet, though, but, even let's say Billy is barefoot, Marilyn still appears in in the 5'5"/maybe a bit more range (considering the posture - Marilyn is leaning over a bit and Billy's head is tilted slightly forward).
I managed to find a nice photo on the internet that shows their shoes, the ground, posture, etc., though. I'm posting the same picture at two different links, so one of them ought to work! ;) Click Here
Click Here
This photo definitely leans Marilyn in the 5'5"-5'6" taking into consideration differences in posture and Marilyn's heels.

Frank2 said on 7/Apr/06
Still think Marilyn was nearly 5'6?: Click Here
That's director Billy Wilder on the right towering over her and Jack Lemmon. Wilder was 5'10".

Wilder with Audrey Hepburn and Bogie: Click Here

And here with Audrey: Click Here

Wilder next to 5'11" Bill Holden: Click Here

Wilder with 5'8" Jack Lemmon: Click Here

Dancing with Lemmon who's weaing high heels: Click Here

Wilder lost a couple of inches by the time of this photo: Click Here

And finally, Kim Novak was 5'6". Doe anyone here believe that Marilyn was only half an inch shorter? If so I have a nice bridge I'd like to sell you.

Cary Grant with Kim's back turned to the camera: Click Here
Notice how tall she is next to 6' Grant.

And next to 5'11" Ty Power: Click Here

And here walking with from left to right, 5'11" Brian Keith, 6' Guy Madison, 5'8" Alvie Moore and 6'1" Kerwin Mathews: Click Here

Kim with 5'6" Doris Day and 6' Clark Gable: Click Here

There is no way in hell that Marilyn EVER looked that tall in any of her films. End of argument. I'm now going to take a well deserved break.

Haylie said on 7/Apr/06
This is in reply to a few posts back but I have to say I am the same as you Viv I really think there is somethong very special about Marilyn you never get bored looking at her! As for her height I'm gonna stick with what I know and say she is 5'5.5 not because it's official but because IMO (just my opinion) she looks this and I really believe that her figure made her seem shorter. I have two friends exactly the same height and the thinner girl looks about an inch or two taller- it's weird!

Frank2 said on 7/Apr/06
TJ, I've read an interview with Curtis regarding Some Like it Hot where he claimed he was 5'11" and that Jack Lemmon was also 5'11". When I find it I'll post it.

Frank2 said on 7/Apr/06
Marilyn was about 5'4". I just ran Some Like It Hot and in the scenes on the sand when both she and Jack Lemmon are barefoot, Lemmon is at the very least about four to five inches taller. Believe me, Jack was not tall. I met both Lemmon and Curtis and I was taller than both of them, especially Jack and I'm not even 6'. Marilyn being pregnant on the set didn't excuse her weight problem going back to when she was under contract to Fox. I knew one fellow who worked for publicity at Fox and his job was to keep her out of trouble. He even acted as an escort. Marilyn was not that bright and became a very troubled individual in her later years. She ate tons of junk food and drank far too much. Then she combined barbiturates with booze and the rest is history. And I'm not one to buy into the Monroe/Kennedy conspiracy. She took her own life. And TJ, I'm not touchy, just tired of arguing.

Viv said on 7/Apr/06
Actually, Frank2: I found both your pictues of Cary Grant with Marilyn (both barefoot by a pool) and Tony Curtis (in slippers) with Marilyn very intriguing and they both lead me to believe Marilyn to be 5'5" or a tad more. It's going on pictures where we cannot see shoes, posture, the ground, etc. that are confusing as is just taking someone's personal statement. A lot goes into determining a rough height estimate and it's rather a personal thing. Nothing to get angry about or argue about. I really enjoy your comments on this site. I just don't always agree with you. But, that's life and it's certainly nothing personal. :-)

TJ said on 6/Apr/06
Incidentally, Marilyn was pregnant on the set of Some Like It Hot. Curtis claims to be 5'9 in his autobiography. I've never heard him say otherwise, but I'm sure he did if you recall it.

TJ said on 6/Apr/06
No need to get touchy Frank. I'm not one who refuses to believe anything but the official record. My point was that pics with two people stood next to each other with a similar stance and where the ground can be seen are valuable. Pics where one person is in the background and one in the foreground, or one person is leaning and the other isn't do not tell us much. You posted the Bacall and Mitchell pic and commented on the large height difference, as if they were stood next to each other. And of course you could change my mind. All it needs is a pic where it's remotely possible to make a height judgement. I've already said twice that I'm not totally sold on Marilyn being 5'5.5. Just haven't seen solid evidence to contradict that yet.

Frank2 said on 6/Apr/06
My pictures will always be inconclusive to people who refuse to accept anything save the official record. I could show you shots of Marilyn with anyone and it wouldn't change you mind. Believe what you want. I'm tired of arguing.

Viv said on 6/Apr/06
TJ - even though I'm a woman, I adore looking at Marilyn, too. She had a luminous quality about her that draws people in. I agree, many of these pictures are inconclusive as you say. The ones where we can actually see the feet, ground, posture, etc. and measure her against someone of relatively known height seem to lean Marilyn towards 5'6", while some lead her towards 5'4". It's just impossible to tell with most photos. I guess we'll probably never really know her true height. But, I do think, from what I've seen to be conclusive, that Marilyn was about 5'5", perhaps a bit more. No matter, she was a lovely and talented lady.

TJ said on 5/Apr/06
Frank2. Your pics are inconclusive. In the first Gable pic, you cant see the feet of either. In the second Marilyn is in mid-air on his back. In the first pic with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis, she does look her claimed height. In the second pic with Curtis, she's further back and not stood up straight. In the pic with Lauren Becall and Cameron Mitchell, both are in the forground and Marilyn is in the background, so the height difference is very exaggerated. I'm not totally convinced Marilyn was 5'5.5, just confused by her autopsy height if she wasn't. That said, those pics prove nothing either way. Nice to see them though. I don't need an excuse to look at Marilyn :-)

Frank2 said on 5/Apr/06
Here's 5'10" Billy Wilder with Jack Lemmon: Click Here
As Billy got older he shrank down to about 5'6" and towards the end was confined to a wheelchair after suffering a series of strokes.

Isn't he cute?: Click Here
Are you kidding? With legs like that?

Tony almost ready for an evening out on the town: Click Here

Curtis looks a bit taller that Jack in this shot: Click Here

Tony's Rolls Royce Silver Cloud drophead: Click Here

Tony with Roger Moore: Click Here

Curtis with his wife Jill: Click Here
And no, she's not a drag queen! She is a lot taller than him.

Frank2 said on 5/Apr/06
The reason why Jack looks taller in that shot is he's wearing higher heels than Curtis. I've seen and met both men and Curtis was the taller of the two by about an inch. Neither man was that tall to begin with. just look how short Tony is next to Cary Grant in Operation Petticoat. I crack up when I read Curtis claiming to be 6' and Lemmon 5'11". The whole showbiz line of crap just cracks me up. The last time I saw Jack and spoke with him was at The Grill in Beverly Hills. He was as usual at the bar. That day I saw Bob Wagner as well as director John Landis who I had a nice chat with about the upcoming special edition DVD of Animal House. That was about a year before Lemmon died. I could tell he was quite ill since he looked awful and had shrunk down to about 5'6".

Trust me. Marilyn was no taller than 5'4". Had she been just under 5'6" it would have showed on screen. Also, Marilyn had a weight problem. During the filming of Some Like It Hot she ballooned up to nearly 150 lbs. I know since Billy Wilder mentioned it. She fought her weight all her life. Compare her to Doris day who was 5'6" and thin. Day always looked taller and Day usually wore lower heels. Another actress who was relatively tall was Gloria Graham. She was at least 5'6" and looked it. as far as Natalie Wood looking "tall, that one I never heard. She was really tiny. Now, Roz Russell was tall at about 5'7" and looked it.

Viv said on 5/Apr/06
Ooh, my first double-post.
Anyhow, nice shot of Tony Curtis and Marilyn where we can see their feet, Frank2. Does lean her closer to the 5'4"-5'5" region (hard to tell due to her shoes and the step, but she's definitely leaning towards 5'4"-5'5" based on that photo with Tony). However, the Cary Grant photo leans her to the 5'6" region. So, she's definitely quite shifty with her height.
In other scenes in Some Like It Hot, she's more in the 5'5" region against Tony (considering Tony is 5'9").
Anyhow, I'm really confused as to Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon's heights: Click Here (there's about a 1"-2" difference without the hats in Jack's favor between them from what I can see).
And, Click Here (Marilyn's standing a bit too far back to estimate her accurately, but it does show nicely Tony and Jack's relative height.)
Jack and Marilyn both barefoot in the sand: Click Here
And, Click Here (I think Jack's wearing heels in this photo judging by his posture - unfortunately, we can't see his feet and I usually just dismiss those photos...but, it's a neat photo, none-the-less and something to drool over).
Sorry if these links don't turn out too great. I'm terrible with adding links. :-)

Viv said on 5/Apr/06
Photos without seeing the feet, etc. are just too hard to determine. I've seen a lot of photos of Cable and Monroe together from the Misfits (without seeing their feet) and most show Marilyn closer to 5'6" - so, it's just too hard to tell and it's all left to perception without seeing the actors' feet. Too, we can't compare one actress looking taller on screen than another actress of the same purported height not looking as tall on the screen unless the two actresses are actually standing together and we can see their feet. Look at how many people thought Natalie Wood was "tall" in Gypsy. It was because of camera angles, costuming, ect. that made her look taller. Hollywood is great with all the tricks. Some people just taller than other people of the same height for many different reasons. Doris Day does look tall in movies, but she was a lot skinnier, less curvy had a different way of carrying herself, etc. than Marilyn, too. I'm 5'1" (and 98 lbs.) and alot of people think I look 5'3" or 5'4" (probably because of my posture and being very thin). Other people think I'm shorter. It's all in perception and if we're going to make a good guess as to an actor's height, there need to be certain factors involved to do it.