Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe remains the most searched actress from the 1950s, with a net worth at death of about $500,000, equivalent to roughly $5.5 million today, and a filmography spanning 29 films, including Some Like It Hot (1959). Her rankings in annual Quigley Poll lists placed her among the top box-office stars multiple times during the decade, and she was named the highest-grossing actress of 1955 by Forbes.
Monroe signed with 20th Century Fox in 1946 and later founded Marilyn Monroe Productions in 1954, making her one of the first actresses to control her own projects. Her career statistics show she earned a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for Some Like It Hot, and her studio contracts were among the first to include profit participation clauses, a fact documented by the SEC EDGAR filings of the studio.
Audrey Hepburn
Early Career and Breakthrough
Audrey Hepburn rose to fame with Roman Holiday (1953), winning the Academy Award for Best Actress and the BAFTA for Most Promising Newcomer, according to the official Academy Awards database. She was ranked among the top five box-office draws in the United States in 1954, and her contracts with Paramount Pictures were managed under the studio's star system, which is detailed in Forbes.
Hepburn's fashion influence is measured by the Costume Institute's exhibitions, which list Sabrina (1954) and Funny Face (1957) as defining looks of the decade. She later served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador starting in 1988, and her filmography includes 31 feature films, with Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) often cited as her most iconic role.
Grace Kelly
Hollywood Peak and Transition
Grace Kelly starred in Rear Window (1954) and Dial M for Murder (1954), both directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Country Girl (1954). She was the highest-paid actress in Hollywood in 1955, earning $250,000 per film, which equals roughly $2.8 million today when adjusted for inflation, as reported by Forbes.
Kelly retired from acting in