Monroe first met playwright Arthur Miller in 1950 through mutual friend and esteemed director Elia Kazan. At the time, Miller was married to his first wife, Mary Slattery, but the two formed a connection that left an impression on Monroe for years until they met again in 1956, according to Biography. Newly divorced and still curious about Miller, Monroe increasingly became close with the playwright, and the two started an affair. Shortly after, Miller divorced Slattery and the two wed in June 1956. The couple were happily together for the following years, even through Miller's intense scrutiny from the United States House Un-American Activities Committee and Monroe's continued rise to stardom. But by 1960, their relationship began to fall apart.
In 1960, Monroe was working on her film "The Misfits" alongside Hollywood royalty Montgomery Clift and Clark Gable. The film's screenplay was written by Miller, and as the two were working alongside each other, tensions started to rise. By that time, the two had already drifted apart and the starlet felt closed out by her husband, writing in her diary (via Vanity Fair), "I still feel hopeless. I think I hate it here because there is no love here anymore…"
Filming "The Misfits" was exhausting for all, as Monroe struggled with substance abuse while Miller changed the script constantly. The two divorced in January 1961 and Monroe tragically died less than two years later in August 1962.