Marilyn Munster
| Marilyn Munster | |
|---|---|
| The Munsters character | |
Original portrayer (ep1-ep13) Beverley Owen as Marilyn Munster.
|
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| First appearance | "Munster Masquerade" |
| Last appearance | "A Visit from the Teacher" |
| Portrayed by |
Beverley Owen (1964) Pat Priest (1964–1966) Debbie Watson (1966) Jo McDonnell (1981) Hilary Van Dyke (1988–1991) Christine Taylor (1995) Elaine Hendrix (1996) Charity Wakefield (2012) |
| Information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Relatives |
Lily Munster (aunt) |
| Nationality | American (possibly formerly Romanian) |
Lily Munster (aunt)
Herman Munster (uncle)
Marilyn Munster is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom The Munsters, originally played by Beverley Owen with actress Pat Priest later assuming the role. In the original series she is the daughter of Lily Munster's sister, with Herman alluding to her "plain" looks coming from Lily's side of the family. In a revamped mid 1980s version, the role was played by Hilary Van Dyke in The Munsters Today.
Played first by Beverley Owen and then by Pat Priest, Marilyn lives with the Munsters throughout the series run. It is never made clear why Marilyn lives with the Munsters, rather than with her parents, who are said to still be in Transylvania. It is noted that the Munsters had raised Marilyn since she was fairly young. Although she is Lily's niece (according to Herman, the daughter of Lily's sister), she is always referred to as "Marilyn Munster" (while the character was being developed, her name was Marilyn Mundane). The fractured familial ties were never explained. Although Lily and her father the Count (AKA Grandpa) are vampires/ghouls, Lily's brother Lester is a werewolf. One can only guess at the nature of Grandpa's late wife/Lily's mother. A photograph of a woman in European peasant garb was seen faintly in Marilyn's bedroom, suggesting it may be Marilyn's mother.
Marilyn is a fetching young blonde resembling Marilyn Monroe, and the only family member who is not ghoulish in appearance; by the Munsters' aesthetic standards, she is distressingly unattractive. The family views Marilyn's appearance as an affliction, but still treat her with kindness and love. Marilyn herself is all too aware of her "homeliness" and bemoans that she keeps scaring off potential boyfriends, having no clue that the young men are in fact frightened away by her monstrous family.
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Wikipedia