Marilyn Monroe was often casually photographed with a book. It wasn't just to combat the babbling bimbo image some might have seen her as - she genuinely liked reading, according to Brain Pickings. Her personal library included authors like Dostoyevsky, Milton, Hemingway and Kerouac. She took history and literature classes at UCLA.
And she wrote poetry.
Hot. Blonde. And a brain. What else could anyone ask to be?
In 1954, Monroe was in a high-profile marriage with baseball hero Joe DiMaggio, but she sought out Lee Strasberg at the esteemed Actor's Studio, according to Vanity Fair, as evidenced in her extensive list of New Year's resolutions she hoped to keep in 1955.
"Must make effort to do
Must have the dicipline to do the following -
z - go to class - my own always - without fail
x - go as often as possible to observe Strassberg's other private classes
g - never miss actor's studio sessions
v - work whenever possible - on class assignments - and always keep working on the acting exercises
u - start attending Clurman lectures - also Lee Strassberg's directors lectures at theater wing - enquire about both
l - keep looking around me - only much more so - observing - but not only myself but others and everything - take things (it) for what they (it's) are worth
y - must make strong effort to work on current problems and phobias that out of my past has arisen - making much much much more more more more more effort in my analisis. And be there always on time - no excuses for being ever late.
w - if possible - take at least one class at university - in literature -
o - follow RCA thing through.
p - try to find someone to take dancing from - body work (creative)
t - take care of my instrument - personally & bodily (exercise) try to enjoy myself when I can - I'll be miserable enough as it is."
