Top Marilyn Monroe Characters
Throughout her filmography, Marilyn Monroe brought to life a wide range of characters who, beyond their acting quality, provoke very different reactions in the viewer. Some are irresistibly charming, others more complex, and some can even be unlikeable depending on how they are perceived. For that reason, this article is not a ranking of her best performances, nor an analysis of which characters are the most well-written; it is not about quality or technique. Instead, it offers something much simpler and, at the same time, more personal: a journey through her characters from the one I like the least to the one I like the most, in a completely subjective exercise based solely on my personal opinion and the connection —or lack of it— that I feel toward them. I should also note that there may be spoilers throughout the article. Because in the end, a character can be brilliantly performed and still come across as irritating, while a simpler one can win all the sympathy.
13 Rose Loomis
12 Nell Forbes
At number 12 is Nell Forbes in Don’t Bother to Knock. Nell is a young woman with mental health issues caused by the death of her husband. She has been released from a psychiatric institution, but she is clearly not fully recovered. She is a deeply vulnerable person, with a constant sense that, at her core, she has a good heart and does not want to harm anyone.
However, throughout the film, a series of events pushes her instability to the limit, eventually leading her to hurt both a young girl and her own uncle. Clearly, Nell is not a malicious character like Rose Loomis; she is a sick person, not a cruel one. Still, even though she is the kind of character you almost want to embrace because of how fragile she is, it cannot be ignored that she does end up causing harm to others, even if unintentionally. That is why this position in the ranking feels justified. Even so, I would say Nell is almost likable to me, precisely because her personal tragedy outweighs everything else.
11 Kay
At number 11 is Kay in River of No Return. From this point onward, all of Marilyn’s characters are likable to me, although to different degrees. Kay is a saloon singer who has lived a hard life, but she is still a kind, sweet, and caring person, as well as protective of the boy Mark. However, compared to Marilyn’s other characters, she can come across as somewhat more abrasive at certain moments, particularly at the beginning of her relationship with Matt, where she shows a tense and resentful attitude that gradually softens as the story progresses.
The other factor affecting her placement is her loyalty to Harry Weston. Although they are in a relationship, Kay defends him even when he steals a horse from a father and his son, with whom she has a close relationship, and although the horse is supposed to be returned, the act of stealing and threatening already crosses a clear line. Despite this, Kay continues to protect him for much of the film and even attempts to escape alone with him on a raft, leaving Matt and the boy behind, which is a significant mistake in her arc. That said, the character does evolve positively, as by the end Kay realizes Harry’s true nature and stops defending him. She is a character who grows throughout the story, but her initial harshness and her defense of Harry justify this placement within the ranking.
10 Amanda Dell
At number 10 is Amanda Dell in Let’s Make Love. Amanda is an off-Broadway theater actress, talented, very hardworking, and essentially a fairly typical character within Marilyn’s universe: sweet, kind, and friendly. So the obvious question is: why is she at number 10 and not higher?
The answer is simple and entirely subjective: she is probably the Marilyn character I connected with the least. I don’t know if it is due to the script, the softer comedic tone, or how she is written within the film, but the truth is that I find her less interesting than Marilyn’s other characters. She lacks that distinctive spark others have, she does not feel as likable, and in a way she comes across as almost too perfect in her professional world, too focused on her work, which makes her a bit harder to empathize with. Still, she remains at number 10 because, compared to the previous entries in the ranking, those characters either made worse choices or generated a more negative reaction, while Amanda simply leaves me more indifferent.
9 Vicky Parker
At number 9 is Vicky Parker in There’s No Business Like Show Business. Vicky is a very talented and successful theater singer, with strong ambition and a powerful presence within the world of show business. As with many of Marilyn’s characters, she also has a sweet side, although here it is more hidden or less immediately visible than in others.
At the beginning she can come across as a bit harsh with Tim, but she changes quickly throughout the story, and by the end it is clear that she truly loves him. She is an interesting character because she combines intelligence, talent, and ambition, using those qualities to climb the ladder and become a star. For that reason, she is a character I respect quite a lot within Marilyn’s filmography. However, she is not particularly one of the most likable, as she lacks some of the warmth, humor, or charm that other Marilyn characters tend to have. In addition, since this is a musical with many main characters and a more ensemble structure, her screen time and dialogue-driven development are somewhat limited, which also reduces the level of connection with her. Still, she is a character I like, just not as much as others.
8 Peggy Martin
She is a very “classic Marilyn” character: sweet, friendly, and kind, with that warm presence that already begins to define her on-screen persona in her early roles. Her relationship with her mother is one of the most touching aspects of the character, adding a human and relatable layer that makes her very pleasant to follow. Still, I place her at number 8 because, while she works well in her context, she is a simpler character with fewer nuances than others ranked higher. She has less emotional complexity and fewer narrative layers, which makes more developed and richer Marilyn characters surpass her.
7 Cherie
Still, as the story progresses Cherie changes for the better, Bo becomes more and more extreme, and Cherie starts to stand her ground, and finally when Bo changes his attitude, that is when Cherie gives him a chance, which makes her a very good character. She is very likable because she is vulnerable and has a good heart, but because of that rodeo attitude I have to place her slightly below the remaining characters, who are even more outstanding.
6 The Girl
At number 6 is the girl from The Seven Year Itch. She is a model who moves into an apartment in New York during the summer and becomes the center of her neighbor’s fantasies. Like many of Marilyn’s characters, she is sweet, friendly, kind, warm, and very funny, which makes her an extremely likable character; she is the kind of character who instantly creates sympathy, with a light, playful, and genuinely charming presence.
However, she is not higher on the list due to her extreme naivety, which becomes almost absurd, like a small child in an adult body. While this adds to her adorable charm and is part of her appeal, it also makes her feel less complex than other characters ranked above her. She does not evolve as much or explore deeper emotional layers, so although she is very enjoyable and charismatic, she comes across as comparatively simpler.
5 Lorelei Lee
At number 5 is Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Lorelei is a singer who, together with her best friend Dorothy, goes on a cruise to Paris. She is a character who could easily come across as unlikable, since she is a complete gold digger and quite materialistic, but she is fully “Marilyn-ized”: sweet, friendly, kind, and incredibly funny, which turns her more opportunistic traits into something charming rather than unpleasant.
On top of that, Lorelei is far more intelligent and cunning than she appears. Although she loves diamonds, her relationship with them feels almost innocent, like a sweet addiction rather than something harmful; similar to someone who loves chocolate, driven by enjoyment rather than malice. And above all, her relationship with Dorothy is the emotional core of the character: Lorelei loves Dorothy far more than she loves diamonds, and that friendship carries much of the film’s heart and depth. Still, I place her slightly below the top four because, although her bond with Dorothy is very strong, her approach to romantic love is less consistent: she seems to care about Gus, but not with the same intensity or sincerity as she does about diamonds, which adds a slightly cynical edge to her character. She is a brilliant, charismatic, and iconic character, but the remaining four are just a bit stronger in my view.
4 Pola Debevoise
At number 4 is Pola Debevoise in How to Marry a Millionaire. Pola is a model who, together with her friends Schatze and Loco, joins a plan to marry millionaires. She is a very typical Marilyn character: sweet, kind, friendly, funny, and warm, with a level of innocence that makes her extremely likable from the start.
Her dynamic with Schatze and Loco is excellent, full of chemistry and entertaining moments, but where she truly stands out is in her relationship with Freddie, which is arguably the most sincere and heartfelt romance in the film. He helps her overcome something as simple yet meaningful as wearing glasses, which is her main insecurity, and that small development adds emotional weight to her character. Moreover, even when Freddie’s neck is broken, Pola supports him and continues to care for him, reinforcing the sincerity of her feelings and giving her story a very genuine emotional core. Still, I place her at number 4 because, although she is adorable and very likable, she is also more basic and less nuanced than the top three, which have greater depth and emotional complexity.
3 Roslyn Taber
At number 3 is Roslyn Taber in The Misfits. Roslyn was in Reno to get a divorce, but there she meets two cowboys she likes, and since she has nothing better to do, she ends up joining them. She is another very typical Marilyn character: sweet, kind, warm, friendly, and fun, but what makes her stand out is her extreme sensitivity and vulnerability, along with a deep sense of empathy. Roslyn is deeply affected by the suffering of others, of any living being, human or not, which makes her an especially likable and admirable character.
She also has a very decisive side and a strong moral compass: she manages to convince Gay and Perce that hunting wild horses to be turned into dog food is morally wrong, and that defense of life and freedom for the mustangs makes her even more admirable. Even in such a dramatic film, Roslyn maintains a generally joyful presence in many moments and also manages to positively influence the cowboys’ lives, bringing them more emotional openness and pushing them to rethink their actions. However, I place her at number 3 below the top two because, at the end of the film, during the mustang capture scene, Roslyn snaps and explodes at the cowboys, calling them murderers and telling them they should kill themselves instead of killing animals. While this is fully understandable in context — a moment of extreme tension, nerves, and emotional pain — and clearly not meant literally, it is still a very harsh outburst toward people who were her friends. Later, when Perce and Gay change their minds and free the horses, Roslyn immediately forgives them, showing it was a moment of anger. Still, in such a close ranking where all characters are excellent, that brief outburst is the small detail that separates her, even if only slightly, from the top two.
2 Elsie Marina
At number 2 is Elsie Marina in The Prince and the Showgirl. Elsie is an American chorus girl in London who ends up winning the heart of a foreign prince. She represents the ultimate version of Marilyn’s typical character: if her characters are usually sweet, kind, friendly, warm, and funny, Elsie takes all of that even further, with a constant charm that makes her almost irresistible on screen.
She is also genuinely intelligent. Elsie supports democracy in a country where Carpathia is still an absolute monarchy, and she manages to convince the prince to democratize the nation, helping prevent a revolution. She is funny, charismatic, and someone anyone would want to be around, essentially a near-perfect character in every sense. In fact, she used to be my favorite Marilyn character, but that is exactly why she is no longer at number 1: she is too perfect. She is charming, smart, good-hearted, and everything works out for her, but the character I now consider my favorite is perhaps not as idealized or as “efficient,” yet she feels deeper, more human, and more nuanced. Elsie is brilliant and almost flawless, but my current favorite feels more real.
1 Sugar Kane
Sugar Kane is the singer of an all-female band who has had romantic problems with saxophone players and dreams of finding a millionaire with glasses. On her trip to Miami she meets two new “friends”, Josephine and Daphne, and from that point her world starts blending chaos, comedy, and deception… but also a very special kind of humanity. Sugar is, essentially, the ultimate Marilyn archetype taken to its warmest level: sweet, friendly, kind, warm, and funny. But what elevates her above all other characters is her real vulnerability. Like Cherie, she has not had an easy life, yet she still tries to keep smiling even when life hits her hard. That mix of fragility and constant optimism makes her deeply admirable.
She is a character who not only charms but also connects. Sugar makes mistakes, hesitates, misjudges situations, and does not always succeed, which makes her extremely easy to empathize with. She is human in the most vivid sense of the word: brilliant but imperfect, tender but wounded, always trying to move forward without losing her light. Her active kindness is also key in the film: she is the first to approach Josephine and Daphne on the train, she immediately includes them, and she genuinely tries to help them from the very beginning. She dreams of all of them finding their own “millionaire”, even when reality is more complicated. Even with Joe, when he is disguised and inventing his emotional problem, Sugar tries to help him sincerely. And when she discovers the truth, she forgives him despite the lie, the hurt, and the disappointment. That moment defines her: she understands, feels, and keeps loving. That is why Sugar Kane is number 1. Not because she is perfect, but because she is not. She is charming, yes, but also fragile, contradictory, and deeply human. And that is her magic: in the middle of the spectacle, she is the one who feels the most real.
Conclusion
Beyond the rankings, this list is about how each character represents a different way of being human within Marilyn’s universe: sweetness, vulnerability, intelligence, chaos, or innocence. Some stand out for their near perfection, others for their flaws, but all share one key trait: they feel alive and relatable. In the end, what matters is not who is at the top, but how each one adds a different piece to the overall mosaic. Sugar Kane wins not because she is perfect, but because she feels the most human of them all.
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