Marilyn Monroe

Born Norma Jeane Mortenson in Los Angeles in 1926, Marilyn Monroe overcame a difficult childhood in foster homes to become one of the most radiant, iconic, and culturally enduring motion picture stars in global history. Renowned for her comedic timing, vulnerability, and luminous screen presence, Monroe achieved international superstar status throughout the 1950s in classic films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Seven Year Itch.

In August and September 1958, Marilyn Monroe arrived in Coronado to star as ukulele-playing singer Sugar Kane Kowalczyk in Billy Wilder’s classic comedy Some Like It Hot. Director Wilder selected Hotel del Coronado to portray the fictional Seminole Ritz resort in 1920s Florida because its ornate red turrets, sweeping ocean verandas, and sunlit Pacific beach provided the lavish Gilded Age aesthetic required for the production.

To escape intense media scrutiny, Monroe stayed in a private luxury beachfront cottage on the hotel grounds with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller. Local residents and vacationers gathered along the boardwalk daily to watch Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon film unforgettable scenes along the Coronado surf. Monroe’s effervescent performance won her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy.

The American Film Institute later voted Some Like It Hot the #1 Comedy of All Time. Marilyn Monroe’s brief, enchanting residency at Hotel del Coronado cemented the resort’s status as a Hollywood legend, celebrated with lobby exhibitions, historic walking tours, and international fans who visit her beachfront cottage suite year-round.