Iconic 1950s movie star Marilyn Monroe was one of the most renowned celebrities of her time. After her death at the young age of 36, ownership over the rights to her image and the intellectual property went primarily to a former acting coach who you will find out more about below. While that coach received a 75% stake in Monroe’s intellectual property rights, he eventually passed them onto another party. Want to know who has control over Monroe’s intellectual property rights now and how the blonde bombshell’s assets were divided following her death? Keep reading!
After Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas’ casting was criticized online following the trailer release of Marilyn Monroe-based film Blonde, the Hollywood icon’s estate has come to her defense. Several fans expressed their disappointment when the 34-year-old’s accent in the film did not match Monroe’s breathy tone. Although the fictitious film is not backed by the deceased actress’ estate (owned by the Authentic Brands Group), they have come forward to stand behind de Armas’ decision to portray her onscreen; arguing that she has been accurate in capturing all of Monroe’s quirks, mannerisms and personality traits – making it clear that this wasn’t just any other role for which she accepted compensation.
A look at who now owns Marylin Monroe’s intellectual property rights, along with her estate.
Norma Jean Baker, known as Monroe before she changed her name, rose to stardom when she became a star actress and model during the 1940s and 1950s. Not only was she featured in many well-known movies such as All About Eve (1950), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), or The Seven Year Itch (1955), but she set new trends in how actors were marketed.
In her will, Monroe left funds for all those she loved. Some provisions were allocated to her psycho-analyst, Dr. Marianne Kriss (25%), while others were given to her acting coach Lee Strasberg (75%). Following the latter’s death in 1982, when his daughter Anna would inherit his shares of Monroe’s assets including monies accrued through various licensing agreements.
Anastasia and Lansburg saw it fit to sell off a variety of original items belonging to Marilyn including garments worn at parties during JFK’s presidency, furniture, and even musical instruments! Christie’s house notably auctioned these all for charity events where the sale netted $624,480 (U.S). By now celebs have found ways of continuing this tradition themselves – just look at Kim Kardashian who wore one such dress which had been previously bought by Mariah Carey on account of its value at roughly 1million dollars!
Authentic Brands Group LLC manages dozens of well-known brands.
Authentic Brands Group LLC, an entity that owns and manages the rights to well-known entertainment and fashion brands across various mediums – such as TV, radio, music production, and films – offers a wide range of products through its subsidiaries. In addition to popular household names such as Shaq, Julius Erving, and Elvis Presley; it maintains extensive partnerships with renowned international companies such as Sony Music Entertainment Inc., HTC Corporation Limited (Headquartered in Taiwan), Bloomingdale’s Company (a retailer for women’s clothing and accessories) among others who are active at various levels all around the world.
Just a few years after Monroe died, in 1966, Paula Strasberg had passed away. In 1967, Lee re-married actress Anna Mizrahi – a 28-year-old from Venezuela who went on to manage his then 60% stake of the Monroe estate. After signing contracts that used Monroe’s name and image for thousands of different products and endorsements, this new business partner began making Marilyn one of the most profitable dead celebrities in the world.
Eventually partnering with celebrity management company CMG – according to reports which emerged during litigation – Anna received at least $1 million each year for her efforts; going so far as to generate over $7.5 million in revenues during her 4-year contract (between 1996 and 2000).
Authentic Brands may soon be going public.
In May of 2021, Authentic Brands filed confidentially to pursue an IPO, which they may be able to pull off in 2023 or 2024. Reportedly this will give them a $10 billion valuation. For the first three months of the year they made $160 million worth of revenue; up 32% from this time last year. The most recent public information reports them at being valued somewhere between four and five billion dollars when BlackRock bought thirty percent of shares for $875 million in 2019.
Bankers standing as lead underwriters are BofA Securities, JPMorgan Chase, and Goldman Sachs – although some of their larger current investors are BlackRock (which owns twenty-six percent), Leonard Green Limited (which owns twelve-percent), Lion Capital (which has eight percent), General Atlantic (which has six-percent) and Simon Property Group Incorporated (which holds five-percent).
Authentic Brands Group ended up owning Marilyn Monroe’s estate in 2011
The Nance Law Firm reported that Marilyn Monroe donated most of her fortune to people she didn’t know or family members. In 2021, an article published by Celebrity Net Worth revealed that the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes actress had left 75% of her intellectual property rights with her acting coach Lee Strasberg; while Dr. Marianne Kris received 25%. After Lee Strasberg died in 1982, his first wife took over ownership until it transferred to Anna Mizrahi in 1966 – making her Monroe’s largest heir.
For decades, Kathryn managed Monroe’s estate and turned her into one of the highest-paid celebrities posthumously after signing deals with brands to use the long-deceased icon’s name. By 2011, she had signed a contract selling her stake in Marilyn Monroe LLC (Marilyn Monroe Management Company) to New York City-based mass merchandiser Authentic Brands Group. The deal was valued at up to $30 million dollars, making it among the most valuable assets owned by an individual or family-owned business ever sold.
When Blonde- directed by Andrew Dominik – premieres this fall, it will be based off of Joyce Carol Oates’ novel of the same name and depict a fictionalized version of Marilyn Monroe’s life. On top of starring Adrien Brody, Sara Paxton, Julianne Nicholson, Bobby Cannavale and Garrett Dillahunt in key roles; Blonde also features dialogue that has been written specifically for this project.
Monroe’s Legacy Is Making Fortune, But For Whom?
Marilyn Monroe, an internationally renowned icon of beauty and charisma was found dead on August 5th 1962. 50 years later she has been reborn as a multimillion-dollar commodity; most often being seen on refrigerator magnets or other miscellaneous items purchased at the nearest store. Her classic yet seductive look can be found plastered all over commercial advertisements which are only increasing her worth even more. It is possible though, that this could never have happened had it not been for her will which she drafted before her death in 1962 – one that showed us just how different Marilyn actually was from what we thought.
Growing up in the orphanage and foster homes where she did not have any relationship with her father, Monroe could never find a strong connection to anyone until she met her half-sister when she was 12 years old. Although it took time for them to bond, they gradually became close through letters before going on vacation together. Her mother spent most of her adult life in mental institutions but once Mona realized what had happened, she created a trust fund for her own mom so that someone would always be there when needed. She also left money to other people that were important such as poets or those who cared about their work and values.
Actress Marilyn Monroe’s estate was heavily favored to her instructors who had acted as parental figures to her. Upon the death of Strasberg, his wife Anna took over administrating the estate and decided it would be wise to hire company who specifically manages deceased celebrity estates (CMG Worldwide) since they specialize in licensing out property rights for those deceased celebrities.
One year after hiring CMG worldwide, all she had done was exploit Monroe by allowing companies such as Mercedes-Benz or Coca-Cola for example use her name for profit without giving anything back nor giving any credit where it is due. We did hundreds and hundred of programs with companies like Mercedes-Benz to Coca Cola, fragrance [sic], clothing, giftware – you name it. said Mark Roesler, CEO at CMG Worldwide – further proving how unethical this woman has been from day one.
In her last will and testament, Monroe wrote that she wanted to leave all of her personal belongings to close friends and colleagues. However, when New York-based businesswoman Anna Strasberg bought the rights from her family in 1999, many items were immediately auctioned off. The most notable of these was Monroe’s signature dress which she wore for President John F. Kennedy’s birthday party– a dress now worth millions of dollars thanks to its famous owner.
ABG’s Nick Woodhouse emphasizes how widely Monroe appeals – ranging from the lowest to highest income levels. At its core, they want to showcase her as something much more than an objectified sex symbol. We have great partners who do gift items at $4.99, he says, and then yet we have a Dolce & Gabbana T-shirt at $299. But due to advances in technology, you don’t even need her or any celebrity for that matter!
Recently Dior released a perfume commercial featuring a digitally resurrected Marilyn Monroe alongside both living actresses – Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart – as well as two other dead celebrities – Grace Kelly and Marlene Dietrich.
FAQs About Who Owns Marilyn Monroe
Who was Marilyn Monroe?
Monroe’s first contract with 20th Century Fox fell through, as well did her second attempt at acquiring a position at Columbia; however, Monroe never lost sight of what she wanted to become. I knew how third-rate I was, she wrote in her memoirs. But oh, god, I didn’t want to stop learning.
Why should we still care about Monroe?
Though Monroe found success in Hollywood, she met with difficulty towards the end of her career. Her last production, The Misfits, was a product of her failing marriage to Miller; it served as an allegory for the death of their relationship. A difficult role due to its close connection with real life events and people, The Misfits proved unsuccessful commercially.
Conclusion
Marilyn’s short-lived life led to many rumors about what might have happened during those times. Some say she ended up committing suicide after living through periods of immense sadness and pain; others contend that it was all just good acting. What no one can argue is how many lives she touched with her presence, even if it was just for such a brief period of time. Burning candles – lyrics used by Elvis Costello said it best, as Marilyn died in 1962 due to an accidental overdose of sleeping pills at the young age of 36 years old – though arguably Marilyn will never truly die because there are too many people who believe this person really existed and will continue to remember her regardless what happens.
