Marilyn Munster is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom about the home life of a family of benign monsters that aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBS. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster (Frankenstein's monster),Episodes referring to the fact that Herman is ...

'', originally played by

Beverley Owen Beverley Jane Stone (''née'' Ogg; May 13, 1937 – February 21, 2019), known professionally as Beverley Owen, was an American television actress, best known for having played the original role of Marilyn Munster on the sitcom ''The Munsters'' ...

and later by Pat Priest. In the original series, she is the daughter of

Lily Munster Lily Munster (née Dracula) is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom, ''The Munsters'', originally played by Yvonne De Carlo. The matriarch of the Munster household, Lily is a vampire. The role was later played by Lee Meriwether in ''The Munsters ...

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...

, and is therefore the granddaughter of Grandpa Munster (Count Dracula) and the cousin of Eddie Munster. She was played by

Hilary Van Dyke Hilary Van Dyke (born ) is an American actress and singer. Early years Van Dyke is the daughter of Bruce and Judy Van Dyke of Camarillo, California. Career She made one commercial (for Kentucky Fried Chicken) before landing the role of Marilyn ...

in the 1988 series ''

The Munsters Today ''The Munsters Today'' is an American sitcom and a revival of the original 1964–66 sitcom ''The Munsters'' that aired in syndication from October 8, 1988, to June 8, 1991. Plot The series concerns the day-to-day life of a family of benign m ...

''.

Description

Marilyn is Lily's niece, although her surname is Munster. She attends Westbury College in Mockingbird Heights, the city where the Munsters live. Like the rest of her family, she believes that the Munsters' appearance and lifestyle are normal, although Marilyn is actually the only family member whose appearance does not shock or disturb people outside the family. She is considered attractive by outsiders, but by the aesthetic standards of her family she is distressingly unattractive. Marilyn laments that she keeps scaring away potential boyfriends, not realizing that the young men are frightened away by her family.

Actresses

In the original series Marilyn was played in the first thirteen episodes by Beverly Owen, who left because she married and moved to New York, and then by Pat Priest starting with the fourteenth episode. Marilyn was also played by Debbie Watson in the 1966 film ''

Munster, Go Home! ''Munster, Go Home!'' is a 1966 American comedy film based on the 1960s family sitcom ''The Munsters''. It was directed by Earl Bellamy, who also directed a number of episodes in the series. The film was produced immediately after the television ...

'', Jo McDonnell in the 1981 film '' The Munsters' Revenge'',

in the 1988–1991 series ''

'',

Christine Taylor Christine Joan Taylor Stiller (born July 30, 1971) is an American actress. She has played Marcia Brady in '' The Brady Bunch Movie'' and '' A Very Brady Sequel'' and appeared in '' The Craft'', '' The Wedding Singer'', '' Zoolander'', and '' Do ...

in the 1995 film '' Here Come the Munsters'',

Elaine Hendrix Katherine Elaine Hendrix (born December 28, 1970) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in ''Dynasty,'' '' Superstar'', '' Romy and Michele's High School Reunion'', the 1995 ''Get Smart'' series, the 1998 remake of '' The Parent Tra ...

in the 1996 film '' The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas'', and Charity Wakefield in NBC's 2012 pilot ''

Mockingbird Lane ''Mockingbird Lane'' is a 2012 American horror comedy television special that served as a re-imagining of the 1964–66 television series ''The Munsters''. It was developed for NBC by Bryan Fuller. The pilot episode aired on October 26, 2012, as ...

''.

References

Television characters introduced in 1964 Marilyn American female characters in television {{Tv-character-stub