The great directors that Marilyn Monroe collaborated with.

 Although her film career was relatively short, lasting little more than a decade, Marilyn Monroe is widely regarded as one of the great actresses in the history of cinema. Beyond her status as a cultural icon, her filmography is particularly remarkable for another reason: the extraordinary caliber of the directors she worked with. In a surprisingly brief period of time, Marilyn managed to collaborate with several of the most important filmmakers of classical Hollywood, something that reflects not only her growing prestige within the industry but also the unique place she came to occupy in the cinema of her era.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

One of the first major directors Marilyn Monroe worked with was Joseph L. Mankiewicz, with whom she collaborated on All About Eve. Mankiewicz is widely regarded as one of the most distinguished filmmakers of classical Hollywood and was especially respected for his work as a screenwriter. Coming from a family deeply connected to the film industry, he began his career in Hollywood as a writer and producer before establishing himself as a director. Over time he developed a very distinctive reputation thanks to his elegant style, sharp intelligence, and exceptional ability to craft brilliant dialogue and complex characters. Throughout his career he directed many notable films beyond All About Eve. Some of the most important include A Letter to Three Wives, The Barefoot Contessa, Suddenly, Last Summer, and the massive historical epic Cleopatra. He also directed works such as Julius Caesar, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, and The Quiet American. His filmography shows a considerable range, spanning psychological dramas, literary adaptations, and large-scale historical productions. He was also one of the directors with whom Elizabeth Taylor had one of her most significant collaborations, particularly in Suddenly, Last Summer and Cleopatra.

Ironically, although All About Eve is usually considered Mankiewicz’s most acclaimed film and one of the greatest films ever made, I personally have never liked it quite as much as most critics do. Of the Mankiewicz films I have seen, my favorite is clearly Suddenly, Last Summer, a much darker and more psychological work that I find particularly fascinating. As for his relationship with Marilyn, their collaboration was brief but apparently quite cordial. Marilyn had only a small role in All About Eve, but during the production they seemed to get along well, especially considering the limited amount of time they actually worked together. In later years, Mankiewicz spoke about Marilyn on several occasions and always did so with respect, acknowledging both her talent and the impression she made on him during that early professional encounter.

Fritz Lang

Another major director Marilyn Monroe worked with was Fritz Lang, with whom she collaborated on Clash by Night. Lang is an absolutely central figure in film history and is often considered one of the greatest directors of German cinema, as well as one of the most important filmmakers of the twentieth century. His career began in Germany during the silent film era, when he became one of the key figures of German Expressionism. Within that movement he directed some of the most influential films ever made, including the monumental Metropolis, a film widely regarded as one of the earliest and most influential works of science fiction in cinema. Even before Metropolis he had already directed important films such as Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, and later he made works like M, one of the first great psychological thrillers of the sound era. With the rise of Nazism in Germany, Lang left the country and moved to the United States, where he continued his career within the Hollywood studio system.

In Hollywood he developed a very significant second phase of his career, particularly in the fields of film noir and crime thrillers. During this period he directed films such as Scarlet Street, The Woman in the Window, The Big Heat and Ministry of Fear. His visual style, strongly shaped by German Expressionism, fit perfectly with the dark and fatalistic atmosphere of film noir, making him one of the genre’s most influential directors. It was during this Hollywood period that he directed Clash by Night, in which Marilyn had a secondary but still significant role in the story. As for their relationship, it does not appear to have been particularly close or contentious. From what is known, their interaction remained largely professional: they worked together on the film without major tensions, but they did not develop any notable personal friendship either. It was simply one of those encounters between a rising star and a major director within the machinery of classical Hollywood.

Otto Preminger

Another important director Marilyn Monroe worked with was Otto Preminger, with whom she collaborated on River of No Return. Preminger is widely regarded as one of the most influential directors of classical Hollywood, known for his elegant visual style, highly controlled staging, and his willingness to tackle complex or controversial themes for the time. Born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he began his career in theatre before moving to the United States and entering the film industry. His major breakthrough in Hollywood came with Laura, one of the most famous and admired film noirs in cinema history. The film stood out for its sophisticated atmosphere, ambiguous narrative and refined visual style, quickly becoming a classic. Over the following years Preminger built a very diverse filmography that included thrillers, dramas and films dealing with socially sensitive topics. Among his most notable works are Angel Face, The Man with the Golden Arm, Anatomy of a Murder, widely considered one of the greatest courtroom dramas in American cinema, and later Exodus. His career was marked by a strong sense of creative independence and by repeatedly challenging the limitations of Hollywood’s censorship code.

Marilyn worked with Preminger on River of No Return, a Fox production that, according to various accounts, neither of them was particularly eager to make at first. Nevertheless, the final result works quite well. Although the premise of the film is relatively simple, Preminger manages to craft a solid and visually appealing adventure set in striking natural landscapes. As for their relationship during production, it was probably the most difficult one Marilyn had with a major director. Preminger had a reputation for being extremely authoritarian and very tough on set, with a rigid and demanding directing style. Marilyn, on the other hand, had a much more sensitive and flexible way of working, which led to considerable tension during filming. Their personalities were almost complete opposites, and this resulted in a rather strained professional relationship throughout the production.

Joshua Logan

Another of the most important directors Marilyn Monroe worked with was Joshua Logan, with whom she collaborated on Bus Stop. In fact, Marilyn played an active role in choosing the director for the film and was the one who pushed for Logan to take charge of the project. Logan was a particularly interesting figure in American cinema because he was deeply influenced by the acting technique known as the “Method,” which was derived from the teachings of Konstantin Stanislavski. Logan had studied directly with Stanislavski and became one of the first directors in Hollywood, along with Elia Kazan, to strongly embrace actors trained in this approach. Throughout his career he worked with several performers associated with Method acting, including Marlon Brando and Susan Strasberg, who was also very close to Marilyn and often described as almost like an unofficial sister within the Actors Studio circle. Logan enjoyed a particularly strong period in his career between the mid and late 1950s, when he directed several major films such as Picnic, Bus Stop, Sayonara and South Pacific. This period is generally considered the peak of his work in cinema.

Of the films by Logan that I have seen, my favorite is clearly Bus Stop. The film works very well as a blend of comedy and drama, but what stands out most is the strength of the performances, which fits perfectly with Logan’s actor-focused directing style. As for his relationship with Marilyn, he was probably the director she got along with best during her career. Because Logan understood Method acting, he knew how to work with performers like Marilyn, something many Hollywood directors at the time struggled to understand. As a result, the production process was much smoother than in many of her other films. Logan also became one of Marilyn’s strongest defenders as an actress. On several occasions he spoke about her talent with great admiration, even describing her as one of the greatest actresses in history and the best actress he had ever worked with, which is particularly striking considering that he also directed Marlon Brando.

George Cukor

Another prominent director Marilyn Monroe worked with was George Cukor, with whom she collaborated on Let's Make Love and the unfinished project Something's Got to Give. Cukor is considered one of the great directors of classical Hollywood, known for his skill in working with actors—especially actresses—and for his sophisticated and refined comedies. Some of his most famous films include The Philadelphia Story, My Fair Lady, and A Star is Born. His style is marked by careful character development and sharp dialogue, producing films with an elegant tone and meticulous attention to technical details.

From my perspective, although Cukor is an important director, what I have seen of his work hasn’t impressed me much. For example, Let's Make Love is often considered one of Marilyn’s weaker films, and personally, I haven’t enjoyed some of his other acclaimed works, such as The Philadelphia Story, either. Regarding his relationship with Marilyn, it wasn’t as fraught as the one she had with Otto Preminger, but Cukor was nonetheless one of the directors she got along with the least. There were tensions during filming, although nothing extreme. Still, they managed to work together, and their collaboration—despite its difficulties—produced films that remain an important part of Marilyn’s filmography.

Howard Hawks

I saved my three favorites for last, and one of them is Howard Hawks, with whom Marilyn Monroe collaborated on Monkey Business and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Hawks is considered one of the greatest directors in film history due to his versatility and his ability to excel across multiple genres. He particularly stood out in comedies, noir, and westerns, with a filmography that includes landmark titles such as The Big Sleep, His Girl Friday, Rio Bravo, and Scarface. In comedy, Hawks was highly innovative, creating snappy dialogue, fast-paced situations, and strong, independent female characters, which was unusual for his era. In noir, he is known for discovering Lauren Bacall and expertly cultivating her on-screen chemistry with Humphrey Bogart, particularly in The Big Sleep, where his visual and narrative style remains a benchmark of the genre. His noir sensibilities were shaped by his early gangster films, with Scarface exemplifying innovation, stylized violence, and intense atmospheres that influenced generations of filmmakers.

Hawks was also a master at creating chemistry between actors, as seen in Bogart and Bacall’s pairing, and also between Marilyn and Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I have watched several Hawks films, and my personal favorite is Scarface, although Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ranks a close second. Regarding his relationship with Marilyn, it was positive and highly professional, though perhaps less personally close than with some other directors. Nevertheless, he was one of the directors Marilyn worked with the most and helped her deliver some of her most memorable performances.

Billy Wilder

Now we come to my favorite director Marilyn ever worked with, and possibly the best actor-director pairing of her career: Billy Wilder. Marilyn collaborated with Wilder on The Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot. Wilder was an incredibly versatile director who excelled in comedy, noir, drama, and romantic comedy. What he achieved is astonishing: he is one of the few, if not the only, directors regarded as having created the best film in two completely different genres by numerous critics—specifically the best comedy with Some Like It Hot and the best noir with Double Indemnity. Additionally, I would argue that, in my opinion, the best romantic comedy is Sabrina. He was not only versatile but a master of almost everything, and as a screenwriter, he was even better. His scripts were sharp and acerbic, and his acid comedies have hugely influenced later filmmakers who have adopted that bite in their own work. Wilder was heavily influenced by German Expressionism, evident in his noir films, and he was among the first to use flashbacks and voice-over narration in mainstream cinema. He constantly challenged the Hays Code; in Some Like It Hot, he broke it so thoroughly that the film can be considered a precursor to New Hollywood: it includes references to homosexuality and transgender issues, extended kisses, sexual references, and, though less discussed, a level of violence more intense than previously allowed under the code, almost feeling pre-code. The film’s massive success contributed to the eventual erosion of the Hays Code in the following decade.

Wilder also had a remarkable talent for endings. The finales of Sunset Boulevard, Witness for the Prosecution, and Some Like It Hot could easily be ranked among the top 10 best endings in film history. I have seen many of Wilder’s films, and my favorite is Some Like It Hot, while The Seven Year Itch, in my view, falls in the middle of his oeuvre. Some believe Marilyn and Wilder had a difficult relationship, but this is false. They got along very well and were quite close. Marilyn could be a challenging actress, and Wilder occasionally got frustrated, but there was mutual respect and admiration. Wilder recognized Marilyn’s talent, and in The Apartment there is even a reference to her. He also stated that, despite being very demanding, he would have loved to work with her again. Wilder is not only my favorite director with Marilyn but also my second favorite director in history, just behind Martin Scorsese.

John Huston

Finally, I saved John Huston for last, my second or third favorite, roughly on the same level as Howard Hawks in my opinion. Marilyn worked with Huston on The Asphalt Jungle and The Misfits. Huston was another incredibly versatile director, excelling in noir, adventure, and drama. In noir, he was almost a pioneer, creating the genre with The Maltese Falcon and, within that genre, the heist movie with The Asphalt Jungle. Regarding adventure, Huston had a special talent, and although adventure films are often associated with younger audiences, his were as raw and intense as his noirs or dramas, especially in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Huston propelled Marilyn to stardom with The Asphalt Jungle and later helped her achieve her finest performance in The Misfits. His collaboration with Humphrey Bogart was also notable, establishing Bogart as the definitive noir detective and delivering his best performance in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Huston had a particular affinity for desperate, down-and-out characters, turning them into masterpieces. I have watched several of his films, and my favorite is The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, with The Misfits and The Asphalt Jungle as my second and third favorites, respectively. As for their relationship, Marilyn and Huston got along very well. Marilyn greatly respected him, especially for his direction in The Asphalt Jungle, and she personally chose him as the director for The Misfits, demonstrating the strong trust she had in his talent.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Marilyn Monroe was not only one of the most iconic actresses in history but also one of the performers who collaborated with the greatest directors in an impressively short time. She worked with legendary figures like Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, and John Huston, but also with other remarkable filmmakers who left their mark, even if not as prominently. For instance, Henry Hathaway in Niagara, whose direction I particularly admire and consider probably his best film; Hathaway even stated that Marilyn was the best actress he ever worked with. Jean Negulesco in How to Marry a Millionaire was one of the directors Marilyn got along with best, and this film is possibly his finest work. Lastly, Laurence Olivier directed Marilyn in The Prince and the Showgirl; although Olivier was a master of theater and Shakespearean cinema, his relationship with Marilyn was challenging. Overall, Marilyn’s career with these great directors demonstrates not only her talent but also her ability to adapt and shine under very different styles and demands, cementing her status as a legend of classic cinema.