Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe may not have been engaged in a life-long feud like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, but the screen legends have been heavily compared for decades. Audrey and Marilyn slayed on the same level as acclaimed movie stars and style icons. Audrey graced the silver screen with her elegance and beauty. Marilyn is widely regarded as the most recognizable sex symbol from Hollywood’s Golden Age. Both legacies live on, but who’s the more iconic screen legend?
Audrey is arguably the most defining actress of Classic Hollywood.
She made her breakthrough as Princess Anne in “Roman Holiday,” and won the Best Actress Oscar in 1954. Her rise to fame only started there. Following a string of success with films like “Sabrina,” Audrey’s most iconic film role came along—New York socialite Holly Golightly in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” in 1961. Audrey’s success continued throughout the ’60s with “Charade,” “How to Steal a Million” and “My Fair Lady.”
But it was her elegance, her style and her talent that makes Audrey one of the most celebrated movie stars in all of Hollywood, decades after she left us.
There was no other blonde bombshell like Marilyn during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and there hasn’t been another quite like her since, either.
Marilyn blew up in 1953 with “Niagara,” “How to Marry a Millionaire” and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” establishing herself under the “dumb blonde” archetype. Still, Marilyn managed to always give incredible comedic and musical performances until her untimely death in 1962.
Marilyn’s sex appeal was on a whole other level in “The Seven Year Itch,” arguably her most iconic role ever. After receiving praise for “Bus Stop,” she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress — Musical or Comedy for “Some Like It Hot.”
Marilyn was often typecast, but she tried to garner more control over her career and bucked stereotypes by turning out fantastic performances. As a result, Marilyn became not only the ultimate sex symbol, but one of the greatest actresses of all time.
Her sex appeal remains untouchable and her style is groundbreaking. It’s clear that Marilyn will forever be immortalized as one of the most influential entertainers in Hollywood history.