Anna Strasberg, third wife of theater professor Lee Strasberg, has died at the age of 84. It was she who inherited a large part of Marilyn Monroe's fortune, although she was undoubtedly never close to the legendary actress. Explanations.
She was neither a close friend nor a work colleague. However, it was she who inherited a large part of Marilyn Monroe's fortune. Anna Strasberg has died at age 84, announced the Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute, a theater school co-founded by her husband, legendary acting professor Lee Strasberg.
The actor, who trained the biggest names in show business by introducing them to method acting, was once a close friend of Marilyn Monroe. This revered star, who had no family or real friends, looked to his father as a mentor.
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Marilyn, whose childhood was spent between orphanages and foster families, had found refuge with Lee Strasberg's second wife Paula and the latter. After the actress's tragic death in 1962 at the age of just 36, the Strasbergs were paid most of their inheritance: their personal belongings, clothing, jewelry, amounts related to the income from their films and film rights. Use of his image. In total, 75% was his intellectual property, while the remaining 25% had been bequeathed to his psychoanalyst, Doctor Marianne Kris. After her death in the 1980s, the amount was transferred to the Anna Freud Center for the Psychoanalytic Study and Treatment of Children in London.
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Marilyn Monroe was no longer so rich at the end of her life
Wealth Advisor states that Marilyn was not digging for gold at the time of her death. According to the financial media, the star, who lived a luxurious lifestyle and loved diamonds, had “only” $800,000 at the end of his life, which is $7 million today. Of that amount, $10,000 went to her assistant and half-sister, and $100,000 went into trust to help care for her mother, with whom she had little contact throughout her life.
But how did Anna Strasberg end up at the helm of most of the blonde icon's fortune? A year after his wife Paula's death, Lee remarried to young aspiring Venezuelan actress Anna Mizrahi, who later became artistic director of the Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute.
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Lee Strasberg, who himself died in 1982, passed to his second wife, Marilyn's heir. And although her husband never really took advantage of his famous friend's image, Anna Strasberg decided to expand their estate.
Anna Strasberg, Al Pacino, Ellen Burstyn and Sally Kirkland attend the funeral of Lee Strasberg on February 18, 1982 at Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings, New York. © Ron Galella Collection via Getty
The Daily Beast explains that after obtaining a license to use the actress' image, she auctioned off some of her possessions. Anna began to earn a lot of money with the company CMG Worldwide, which specialized in the estate administration of deceased celebrities. “We've done hundreds and hundreds of programs with companies like Mercedes-Benz, Coca-Cola, perfumes, clothing, gift items, collectibles, paper products…” CMG CEO Mark Roesler commented on WBUR radio.
Auctions that paid off
While Marilyn Monroe had requested in her will that her personal belongings and clothing go to friends and colleagues, in 1999 Anna Strasberg commissioned the famous house Christie's to auction several of these famous items, including the dress she wore for President John F .Kennedy's birthday party, recently seen on the MET Gala red carpet, worn by Kim Kardashian. The iconic dress was then sold for more than a million dollars and the little grand piano that Marilyn treasured because it originally belonged to her mother was purchased by Mariah Carey for more than $600,000.
In this May 19, 1962 photo, actress Marilyn Monroe is seen in the iconic dress she wore to sing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy during a reception in New York at Madison Square Garden. © Cecil Stoughton/AP/SIPA
Scott Fortner, a collector of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, wrote on Instagram that many of his fans were “upset with the Strasbergs.” “But I can personally say that she (Anna) was misunderstood. She was incredibly discreet and rarely let Marilyn's fans near her. In reality, she may have been the only one protecting them. […] I can say without a doubt that Anna was a fan of Marilyn Monroe. She did her best to nurture and protect Marilyn. That said, it wasn't a role she enjoyed or wanted. Lee himself never knew he was in Marilyn's will until her death.
After several lawsuits, Anna Strasberg finally sold the remainder of Marilyn Monroe's inheritance to a new company, Authentic Brands Group (ABG), for an estimated amount of between $20 and $30 million.