Published to commemorate Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday on June 1, 2026, THE MARILYN MONROE CENTURY (Abrams; May 19, 2026; Hardcover) is a visual biography unlike any other—a deeply personal journey through the life of the world’s most enduring icon. Featuring never-before-seen photographs by Bruno Bernard (Bernard of Hollywood), the book traces the emotional and artistic evolution of Norma Jeane Mortenson into Marilyn Monroe.

Bernard is the photographer behind Marilyn in White—the defining image of twentieth-century Hollywood glamour, but his role in Marilyn’s life was far more profound. Through a bond forged early in her career, their relationship reveals an intimate dialogue between a young woman discovering herself and the photographer who recognized her potential long before the world did. Their connection, preserved in Bernard’s personal diaries and never-before-seen correspondence, chronicles a complex and often fragile friendship between two outsiders who found solace in one another.

More than a collection of photographs, THE MARILYN MONROE CENTURY unfolds as a cinematic narrative. Bernard was the only photographer who witnessed and helped shape the full arc of Norma Jeane’s metamorphosis into Marilyn Monroe. Authors Joshua John Miller, Bernard’s grandson, and Mark A. Fortin open Bernard’s archive for the first time to reveal a history that challenges familiar myths and reframes one of the most documented figures in modern culture.

Personal writings from Bernard, commentary from contemporary Hollywood voices, including Academy Award–winning director Sean Baker, and a foreword by actress, activist, and filmmaker Rose McGowan, bring new emotional context to Marilyn’s journey, presenting the woman behind the icon in a way she has never been seen. In addition, the book is thoughtfully supplemented by the work of other photographers.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dr. Bruno Bernard was the most sought-after photographer of Hollywood’s Golden Age. He was the first still photographer to be honored by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1984 with an exhibition of 150 of his photographs of such luminaries as Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Gregory Peck, John Wayne, Marlene Dietrich, and many others.

Joshua John Miller is a novelist, actor, and director. With partner Mark Fortin, he cocreated the hit USA/Netflix series Queen of the South and cowrote and produced Sony’s critically acclaimed The Final Girls. He is producing the forthcoming Trapeze, based on the diary by Anaïs Nin, with Fortin, Angelina Jolie, and Pablo Larraín. While an undergrad at Yale University, he published his first novel, The Mao Game. His writing has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar and Esquire. Miller is completing his second novel, I’ll Be Your Mirror.

Mark Fortin was born in Montreal, Québec, and graduated from Emerson College (BFA) and the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University (MFA). He and his partner, Joshua John Miller, wrote and produced The Final Girls and created Netflix's Queen of the South. They are producing the forthcoming Trapeze, based on the diary by Anaïs Nin, with Miller, Angelina Jolie, and Pablo Larraín. He is also at work on another book, Little Death, about the late writer/director James Bridges.

ABOUT THE BOOK

THE MARILYN MONROE CENTURY: From Norma Jeane to Icon—A Story in Photographs

By Dr. Bruno Bernard with Joshua John Miller and Mark Fortin

Abrams | May 19, 2026 | US $60.00

Hardcover | 368 pages | Full-color photographs throughout | 6" x 9"