The 4 Movie Roles that Defined Monroe's Career

Although many years have passed since her death, Marilyn Monroe still remains a Hollywood superstar. Monroe seemed innocent yet alluring, and vulnerable yet one of the screens sex symbols. She rose from a pinup girl to a superstar, and was a gifted comedienne with tremendous screen presence. Monroe’s career, however, is defined by her musical and comic roles.

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Here are four roles that helped define Monroe's career:

1. Angela, “The Asphalt Jungle” (1950)
Although this isn’t Monroe’s first time on the silver screen, she plays the mistress to the mastermind behind the crime. This is a noteworthy part for the rising starlet. Taste of Cinema says when the film first was released, Monroe wasn’t famous, nor was she even mentioned as part of the film’s publicity. When the film was released, though, she was prominently mentioned.

2. Miss Caswell, “All About Eve” (1950)
Monroe has a very minor part in this movie as a blond at a party. She wants to make it on Broadway, and Monroe is introduced by (George Sanders) as “a graduate of the Copacabana school of dramatic arts.”

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3. Laura Laurel, “Monkey Business” (1952)
Monroe did not have a lead role in this movie, but this is the first movie she made moviegoers aware of her. She appears with her signature blond hair. This comedy starred Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers, as well as a chimpanzee that gets out of its cage in the lab, The chimpanzee mixes chemicals to offer the elixir of youth. Although her part was small playing a secretary, it turned her into a star. This movie allowed her to capitalize by becoming a sex symbol the rest of her life.

4. Rose, “Niagara” (1953)
Monroe portrayed a femme fatale, in this movie where she is constantly displaying her sexuality as the wife of George Loomis (Joseph Cotten). The film, where Monroe gets top billing, was one of 20th Century Fox’s biggest moneymakers that year, reported The New York Times.

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