Marilyn Monroe, the legendary American actress, once confessed to a Greek journalist that she wished she had been born in Greece.
In a conversation with Alekos Lidorikis, whom she met in 1947 and 1953, Monroe shared her deep affection for the Greek people. “I would love to have been born in your country,” she said. “The Greeks are beautiful!” She was especially captivated by their spirit, their “guts and light-heartedness,” and the “strangely and so… lustfully” sparkling eyes of the men.
Her love for Greece was rooted in a personal memory: a brief, poignant encounter with a young Greek boy in Los Angeles. She affectionately called him “Apollo,” a boy who spent his days collecting seashells.
She remembered one moment in particular: “He kissed me once… then we lost each other.” She mused that he had surely grown into “a perfect and handsome man.”
63 years since Marilyn Monroe’s tragic death
Monday marked the anniversary of her tragic passing, a Hollywood icon whose life ended far too soon. On August 4, 1962, the world lost a legend at the age of just 36. She was found dead in her Los Angeles home, and the cause was ruled a probable suicide due to a barbiturate overdose.
Her death sent shockwaves across the globe, bringing a sudden and heartbreaking end to a career that had made her a symbol of glamour, sensuality, and charm.
Related: The Skouras Brothers, the Greek Magnates of Hollywood and Marilyn Monroe’s Mentors
