An intense, personal memoir spanning more than a decade (1952-1962) by the then-actor John Gilmore, detailing his acquaintance with the most important movie star in the world, Marilyn Monroe. Gilmore turned from acting to devote himself to writing and is well-known for his hardboiled non-fiction on true crime. Here, he gathers Marilyn's personal life through many associates and stars known to Marilyn and himself. Gilmore shuns the conspiracy theories and instead focuses on Marilyn as she really was, not as the media-created, cardboard sexpot. Includes many exclusive photographs.