Marilyn Monroe looked great in these shots... only she wasn't there (30 photos)

Marilyn Monroe is often imitated, but no one has ever succeeded in replacing her. These photos have circulated online as pictures of Marilyn, but they are not actually her.







Eva Six was a Hungarian-born actress who starred in three B-movies in the early 1960s and was considered a carbon copy of Zsa Zsa Gabor. The photo on the left is often presented as a picture of Marilyn Monroe, but the photo of Eva on the right wearing the same towel proves it is not Marilyn. However, even Marilyn's first husband, James Dougherty, didn't recognize the fake and included the photograph in his book.



Legendary makeup artist Kevin Econe transformed Lisa Marie Presley into the real Marilyn for his 1997 book, Making Faces. He was such a master of makeup that these photographs are still mistaken for those of the real Marilyn.



This photo is often passed off as a vintage photograph of Marilyn Monroe, but it's actually supermodel Eva Herzigova in a 1992 Guess ad campaign, shot by photographer Ellen von Unwerth.



Susie Kennedy is an internationally recognized actress who specializes in portraying Marilyn Monroe. She can be seen on posters and in films, and she even recreates Marilyn's outfits. These images have been replicated on T-shirts, mugs, and watches as photographs of Marilyn Monroe. The photo on the right is an example of a Marilyn tattoo design, and in fact, it depicts Susie Kennedy's face.



This is a photo of Marilyn, not Monroe, but Waltz. She was a minor pin-up model and Playboy Playmate of the Month for February 1954, April 1954, and April 1955. This photograph was taken in 1955. It was mistaken for a 1946 photo of Marilyn Monroe and sold at auction for a substantial sum.



These photographs are all over the internet, purportedly depicting intimate moments between Marilyn Monroe and US President John F. Kennedy. However, they were taken by photographer Allison Jackson, who used lookalike models. Jackson is known for her photographs using celebrity doubles, including members of the British royal family.



Susan Griffiths is an actress and Marilyn Monroe lookalike who has portrayed her in numerous films, including Pulp Fiction. This photo is often mistaken for a still from the film "The Seven Year Itch."



This portrait of Scarlett Johansson, shot by Mario Testino for the 2007 album Let Me In, is often passed off as a rare photo of Marilyn Monroe.



Jimmy James is a singer, songwriter, and actor. In the 1980s and 1990s, he played Marilyn so well that people still can't distinguish him from the famous 1950s sex symbol. The photo on the left is often used for tattoos, but it's actually Jimmy in an eyeglasses ad.



Sunny Thompson is the actress who plays the lead role in the show "Marilyn: Forever Blonde." On stage, she miraculously transforms into her character, so it's understandable why their photos are often confused.



This photo surfaced relatively recently, and people are claiming it's Marilyn Monroe applying makeup. In fact, it's actress Shirley Kilpatrick, who starred in the 1957 film "The Stunning Beast."



A cropped version of the photos from this photo shoot is sometimes passed off as Marilyn Monroe, but they are actually of Latvian model Ginta Lapina in the 2012 Blackglama fragrance campaign.



Sybille Saulnier is a French actress who bears a striking resemblance to Monroe in these photographs taken by Paul Schutzer. She starred in several French films in the 1960s. These photos have recently resurfaced, and to the disappointment of fans of the real Marilyn, her face has been grafted onto Sybille's body.



Diana Dors has been called the British Marilyn Monroe, but her successful film career began even before Norma Jeane Baker's fame. These Christmas adverts are often mistaken for images of Marilyn, and sometimes even have her face Photoshopped into them.



This dazzling image of a Greek goddess is often mistaken for Marilyn Monroe, but it is Sandy Fulton, photographed by the famous Bunny Eager and included in the album "Bikini Girls of the 1950s."



This is Elsa Sorensen, not the young Marilyn, as you might think. She is a former Miss Denmark and the 1956 Playboy Playmate. She is also known by her stage name, Dane Arden.



Banbury Cross is a London burlesque dancer. She thrills audiences with classic, seductive dances and stripteases in a glass of champagne and is known as the Bulletproof Blonde. She's a world-famous sex bomb, but she's not Marilyn.



Perhaps the polka-dot dress is misleading: this photo is often captioned as "Marilyn Monroe in 1960." In fact, it's singer Gwen Stefani in a Vogue photoshoot.



The photo on the left has recently been frequently seen as a portrait of Marilyn Monroe, especially as a sketch for tattoos or smartphone cases. The photo on the right indicates that this is not Marilyn Monroe at all, but Ukrainian model and singer Olya Polyakova.



Kathleen Hughes starred in 14 films, but is better known for her television appearances on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," and "I Dream of Jeannie." Incidentally, she was married to Stanley Rubin, the producer of the Marilyn Monroe film "River of No Return," and attends annual memorial events for her late colleague in Los Angeles.



Pauline Bailey is a well-known British actress who portrays Marilyn. She appeared in print ads, commercials, music videos, and on television. Both photographs are often mistaken for Monroe's, and the frame on the left is often retouched to include her face.



Before her acting career, Charlize Theron worked as a model in Europe. In this photo, 18-year-old Charlize portrays Marilyn in a 1993 photo shoot for the French magazine Madame Figaro.



The photo on the left is often passed off as one of Marilyn's early shots for a Christmas ad, and Monroe's face is sometimes added to it. In fact, it is actress Virginia Welles, who married Orson Welles. The photo on the right clearly shows that this is not Marilyn Monroe.



Actress Jayne Mansfield aspired to be like Marilyn and emulated her style.



Rostislav Savchuk is a Ukrainian model who has appeared in several Marilyn Monroe-themed photo shoots, including reconstructions of Bert Stern's famous shots. This photo is often mistaken for the real Marilyn and is printed on mugs, T-shirts, and even tattoos.



Rosalina Neri is an actress who has been called the Italian Marilyn Monroe. As in other cases, her photos are sometimes Photoshopped to resemble the American star, but this one is the most widely reproduced.



Marian Stafford is an actress and model who appeared in the March 1956 issue of Playboy magazine. This photo is often confused with other beach photoshoots of Marilyn.



Betty Bjurström is a Swedish model and actress. This photograph, taken in 1947 by Christer Strömholm, is sometimes claimed to be of Marilyn, but Monroe never visited Paris, and her hairline is different.



Photographer André de Dienes is famous for both his photographs of Marilyn Monroe and his nude shots. However, he was unable to combine the two, as Marilyn never consented to pose nude for him. He writes about this in his published diaries. Chuck Murphy, the sole owner and copyright holder of the Dienes collection, has officially stated that Marilyn never posed nude for André and that the woman in this photograph is an unknown model.