When it comes to Hollywood in the 1950s and 1960s, two actresses shined brighter than the rest. We are, of course, talking about Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. But who were those women anyway and did they even know each other through their time on the silver screen? We find out everything you need to know about Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn’s relationship, including if they were friends, enemies or strangers.

Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood’s blonde bombshell

Marilyn Monroe in 1954
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Marilyn Monroe was an American actress who skyrocketed to fame during the 1950s and early 1960s thanks to her bright blonde hair and sultry demeanor.

She was born in 1926 in Los Angeles, California, and began acting at age 21 in the film Dangerous Years (1947). Following that, she had a few other minor roles in various projects, but it was the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes that put her on the map.

From then on out, she became the one to watch, starring in classic films like How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), The Seven Year Itch (1955), The Prince and The Showgirl and The Misfits (1961), all of which mainly showed her as a “dumb blonde.”

Monroe was also the first ever woman to pose for Playboy, starring as both the cover girl and centerfold for an issue in 1953.

“I feel a double connection to her [Monroe] because she was the launching key to the beginning of Playboy,” Hugh Hefner told CBS Los Angeles in 2012.

The late magazine mogul also revealed that despite their connection, they never met in person. “The reality is that I never met her. I talked to her once on the phone, but I never met her,” he said in 2011. “She was gone, sadly, before I came.”

Marilyn Monroe was married three times, each relationship shaping a chapter of her life. Her first marriage, at 16, to James Dougherty ended as she pursued acting and modeling. In 1954, she wed baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, but the marriage was marred by jealousy and abuse, leading to their divorce, though they remained close friends. Monroe’s final marriage to playwright Arthur Miller in 1956 was marked by deep love but also heartbreak, as miscarriages and career pressures led to their split in 1961. Despite persistent rumors of an affair with President John F. Kennedy, no concrete evidence ever emerged.

Monroe tragically died in 1962 from an accidental drug overdose. She was 36, and her death came after a long-fought battle with anxiety, depression and substance abuse.

Audrey Hepburn: elegance and grace on the silver screen

Audrey Hepburn in 1954
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Similar to Monroe, Hepburn was an actress who rose to fame during the 1950s and 1960s, but where Monroe was blonde and sexy, Hepburn was brunette and regal.

Born in Belgium in 1929, Hepburn had quite a life before becoming an actress. She played a role in supporting the Dutch resistance against Nazi forces in the Netherlands during World War II and was even reportedly almost captured and killed several times.

At the end of the war, Hepburn decided to turn her lifelong passion for ballet into a career, which turned into acting.

In 1953, she starred in Roman Holiday alongside Gregory Peck, a role that would soon launch her into silver-screen stardom. Following that, she could be found in things like Sabrina (1954), War and Peace (1956), Funny Face (1957), Charade (1963), My Fair Lady (1964), Paris When It Sizzles (1964) and How to Steal a Million (1966).

She also famously played Holly Golightly in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s—more on that later.

Audrey Hepburn was married twice, first to Mel Ferrer in 1954, with whom she had one child before divorcing in 1968 due to infidelity, and then to Andrea Dotti in 1969, with another child born before their 1981 divorce, also due to his affairs. Later, she entered a long-term relationship with Robert Wolders in 1980, considering him her “husband” until she died in 1993, even though they never formally married.

Did Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn know each other?

Sadly, Monroe and Hepburn were not friends despite being two of the biggest stars in Hollywood during the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, there isn’t any proof that the two even met each other, which makes sense, though, since Monroe spent her downtime in California and Hepburn spent hers in Europe.

Despite not knowing each other, the two did share a shocking connection: Tiffany’s!

Audrey Hepburn in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ (1961)
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While casting for the hit 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, author Truman Capote repeatedly voiced his concern over Hepburn being considered and eventually cast as Holly Golightly. He instead wanted Monroe in the role, saying she was a better fit.

In the end, Hepburn won the role, and it became arguably her most iconic and well-known film to date.