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Natasha Lytess

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Actress

The Resume

    (May 6, 1911-May 12, 1963)
    Born in Ekaterinoslav, Russian Federation
    Birth name is Natalie Postmann.
    Acted in 'Once Upon a Honeymoon' (1942), 'Comrade X' (1940), and 'The House on Telegraph Hill' (1951)
    Best known as the dramatic coach and acting mentor to Marilyn Monroe, from 1948 to 1955
    Coached Marilyn on twenty-two of her films

Why she might be annoying:

    Joe DiMaggio's nickname for her was 'Morticia.'
    She claimed to be the widow of German novelist, Bruno Frank, but they were never married.
    She had an extensive lesbian affair with Monroe, sharing an apartment with her for years.
    She was accused of taking the 'husband' role in the relationship, often exhibiting extreme jealousy towards the men in Marilyn's life and intervening in their relationships.
    She was an unwelcome presence on the set of Marilyn's movies, often aggravating the crew and overriding the directors with her 'coaching.'
    She was barred from the 'River of No Return' set by Otto Preminger, after she leaned over to 12-year-old Tommy Rettig to tell him that child actors lose their talent around his age (Rettig burst into tears).
    She liked to assert that Marilyn actually hated sex.
    Her influence waned in the late 1950s when Marilyn threw her over for Paula Strasberg.
    She probably exaggerated about her importance in Marilyn's life.
    She later said of Marilyn, 'she exploited my feelings as only a beautiful younger person can. She said she was the needy one, alas it was the reverse.'

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was a member of Max Reinhardt's acting troupe in Berlin and Vienna.
    She was half-Jewish and was forced to flee Germany for America when the Nazis came to power.
    She allegedly used to hold Marilyn's hand during close-up shots to give her support.
    She rescued Marilyn from a suicide attempt in 1950.
    She was unceremoniously dumped from the 20th Century Fox payroll when Marilyn outgrew her use for her and would not even be permitted to see her again.
    She died of lung cancer, leaving behind an unfinished memoir on her experiences with Marilyn.
    Marilyn later said 'Miss Lytess made me free. She gave me inner balance and helped me understand life. I owe everything to her.'
    She's one of Marilyn's few close friends who didn't insist that she could have 'saved her' if she had only been there before she died.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 15 Votes: 60.0% Annoying