Glamorous Dressing Room Stars: An intimate look at Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich backstage

1/21
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

In the golden age of Hollywood, when there was no snapchat, Instagram or selfies, movie stars were best known for what they looked like on screen.

While Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo weren’t able to invite the public into their lives through social media and selfies, photographers were sometimes on hand to capture the more off-guard moments ahead of their big performances.

In our new series of photos, we explore exactly what went on backstage when the likes of Marlene Dietrich and Audrey Hepburn were gearing up for their turn in the spotlight.

Giving an insight into the dressing rooms moments of some of the world’s most legendary actresses, the pictures highlight exactly what it takes to become a ‘star’.

Doris Day applies her make-up  on the set of Love Me or Leave Me 
Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Going all the way back to 1926, one snap shows Garbo lounging around in her dressing room in between takes on the set of The Temptress.

Another shows co-stars Adele Jergens with Marilyn Monroe adjusting their hair and costumes together backstage during Ladies with a Chorus shooting in 1948.

A picture taken by Terry O’Neill shows Elizabeth Taylor applying blusher in front a vast array of make-up products in her private dressing room.

Jean Harlow and Doris Day have both been snapped putting the finishing touches to their own make-up, while Rita Hayworth shares an intimate moment with husband Orson Welles in another.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in