Marilyn Monroe appeared in a film directed by a director.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a 1953 American musical comedy film of the 1949 stage musical , released by 20th Century Fox , directed by Howard Hawks , and starring Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe with Charles Coburn , Elliott Reid , Tommy Noonan , George Winslow , Taylor Holmes and Norma Varden in supporting roles . How to Marry a Millionaire is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed by Jean Negulesco and written and produced by Nunnally Johnson . Marilyn Monroe . By 1953 , Monroe was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars , with leading roles in three films : the noir Niagara , which focused on her sex appeal , and the comedies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire , which established her star image as a `` dumb blonde '' . Niagara is an American 1953 film noir thriller film directed by Henry Hathaway , and starring Marilyn Monroe , Joseph Cotten , Jean Peters , and Max Showalter .