Meta description: Donald Spoto’s Marilyn Monroe: The Biography (1993) draws on 150+ interviews and 35,000 pages of files. Covers contents, sources, death conclusion, and reception.
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography is a 1993 book by Donald Spoto, published by HarperCollins in New York. It draws on over 150 interviews and more than 35,000 pages of previously sealed files. The book covers Monroe’s childhood, marriages, career, and death. Spoto rejected both the suicide theory and the murder theories about her death.
What is Donald Spoto’s Marilyn Monroe biography?
Donald Spoto’s Marilyn Monroe: The Biography is a 1993 HarperCollins book that documents Monroe’s life from childhood to death. It uses previously unreleased documents, including letters, diaries, and other personal papers. Examples of covered topics include her marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller.
What are the key facts about the book?
Table 1 lists the core facts about the book. Each row is one attribute. The columns show the attribute name and the recorded value.
| Attribute | Recorded Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Marilyn Monroe: The Biography |
| Author | Donald Spoto (1941 to 2023) |
| First publisher | HarperCollins, New York |
| First publication year | 1993 |
| Later edition | Cooper Square Press, 2001 |
| Length (library record) | xix, 698 pages plus 32 pages of plates |
| Back matter | Bibliography, filmography, and index |
| Interviews | More than 150 |
| Archive material | More than 35,000 pages |
Who is Donald Spoto?
Donald Spoto was an American biographer, theologian, and former Catholic monk. He was born on June 28, 1941, in New Rochelle, New York, and died on February 11, 2023, at age 81 in Køge, Denmark. He wrote 29 books.
Which biographies did Spoto write?
Spoto wrote biographies of Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier, Tennessee Williams, Ingrid Bergman, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Alan Bates, and Marilyn Monroe. He began writing biographies of film directors, actors, and playwrights in the 1970s.
Which Spoto works became screen adaptations?
His book on Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis became a four-hour CBS drama in 2000. He served as script consultant for The Girl (2012), an HBO and BBC film based on his Hitchcock books.
What does the book cover?
The book covers 5 areas of Monroe’s life: childhood, marriages, relationships, career, and death. The publisher summary lists her childhood and adolescence, her marriages, her personal and professional relationships, and the circumstances of her death. The main topics are:
- Childhood and adolescence
- Marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller
- Relationships with the Strasberg and Kennedy families
- Rise to stardom
- Death and its circumstances
Sources: retailer summary of the 1993 edition and a LibraryThing reader review.
What sources did Spoto use?
Spoto used more than 150 interviews and more than 35,000 pages of previously sealed files. The files include Monroe’s diaries, letters, and other personal documents. The library record lists a bibliography on pages 671 to 675.
What did Spoto conclude about Monroe’s death?
Spoto concluded that Monroe did not intentionally end her life, and he rejected murder theories. Monroe died on August 5, 1962, and the official ruling was probable suicide caused by a barbiturate overdose. Spoto’s findings largely matched the official investigation on the drug combination as the cause of death.
Table 2 compares the official conclusion with Spoto’s conclusion. Each row is one aspect of the death. The columns show the aspect, the official conclusion, and Spoto’s conclusion.
| Aspect | Official Conclusion | Spoto’s Conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Cause of death | Barbiturate overdose | Drug combination, largely matching the official finding |
| Intent | Probable suicide | Not intentional |
| Murder theories | Not adopted | Rejected |
What medical details does Spoto discuss?
Spoto notes that Monroe’s psychiatrist, Ralph Greenson, treated her for years with Nembutal. Several weeks before her death, he prescribed chloral hydrate to wean her off the drug.
Does the book settle the debate?
No source treats the question as closed. Questions about Monroe’s death have never been fully resolved, despite Spoto’s conclusions.
How does the book treat the Kennedy and mob rumors?
The book addresses the Kennedy and mob rumors and rejects the claims. A summary of the book states that Spoto puts questions about Monroe’s connection with the Kennedys to rest. A Goodreads reviewer reports that Spoto presents evidence for his position on both rumors, and that the epilogue examines hoaxes about her death.
How did reviewers receive the book?
Reviewers praise the research depth and disagree on the death conclusions. Reviews differ in 3 documented ways:
- Rambles.net: praises the detailed research and questions the death conclusions as resting on less-than-concrete evidence
- Goodreads reviewer: praises the epilogue that discredits false stories about her death
- LibraryThing reviewer: describes the book as one of the most thoroughly documented Monroe biographies
Which editions of the book exist?
The book exists in at least 2 editions: HarperCollins (1993) and Cooper Square Press (2001). The Cooper Square Press edition is dated 2001. Page counts differ by listing. One retailer lists 448 pages, and another lists an estimated 725 pages. The library record cited above lists 698 pages plus plates.
People Also Ask
Who wrote Marilyn Monroe: The Biography?
Donald Spoto wrote Marilyn Monroe: The Biography.
When was Spoto’s Marilyn Monroe biography published?
HarperCollins published the book in 1993.
How many interviews did Spoto conduct?
Spoto used more than 150 interviews.
What did Spoto conclude about Monroe’s death?
Spoto concluded that Monroe did not intentionally end her life and rejected murder theories.
How old was Marilyn Monroe when she died?
Marilyn Monroe was 36 years old when she died on August 5, 1962.
When did Donald Spoto die?
Donald Spoto died on February 11, 2023, at age 81.
What is the summary of the Donald Spoto Marilyn Monroe biography?
Donald Spoto’s Marilyn Monroe biography is a 1993 HarperCollins book that uses 150+ interviews and 35,000 pages of files to document Monroe’s 36 years. The book has 5 core facts:
- Author: Donald Spoto, a biographer with 29 books
- Sources: interviews, letters, diaries, and sealed files
- Coverage: childhood, marriages, relationships, career, and death
- Death conclusion: not intentional, with murder theories rejected
- Editions: HarperCollins (1993) and Cooper Square Press (2001)