Mimosa

Ralph Roberts, actor, masseur, and former Pentagon liaison, could frequently be found in the kitchen of Lee Strasberg’s NYC apartment on Central Park West. One pleasant spring morning he by chance met Marilyn. Not the turned-on public persona of Marilyn Monroe he had crossed paths with in the past, but the honest, casual Marilyn who existed outside the public eye. Thus set in motion the beginnings of a deep friendship that forever changed Ralph, and unquestionably altered the course of his life. The next several years saw him in the Nevada desert with Montgomery Clift and Clark Gable, at the NYC apartment of Lester Markel, grilling at Frank Sinatra’s hilltop home, and on the phone with President Kennedy. Ralph saw Marilyn almost daily, and served as a sympathetic ear and a close friend. He was fiercely protective of his friend and her privacy. This book is a collection of Ralph’s recollections, and a rare and intimate view of Marilyn as the person she was when the cameras were off. Years after her untimely passing, fed up with the many falsehoods printed about his friend, and with the encouragement of Lee Strasberg and May Reis, Ralph set out his honest account of Marilyn Monroe’s last years.

This book is Ralph’s chronicle of his time with Marilyn Monroe from 1959 until her untimely death in 1962. Ralph recounts his behind the scenes experiences with Marilyn and her many circles of friends, giving you an inside look at the deeply layered and very busy Marilyn as she prepared for the next phase of her life – a phase that tragically never came. Ralph gives insight into her thinking through good times and bad. He presents an optimistic and talented woman who not only did great things but was poised to do so much more. Ralph attempts to provide clues as to why events happened as they did, not just for the reader but as a means of coping with the untimely loss of his dear friend Marilyn.

The Amazon hard cover edition was released with a slightly larger 14 point font by reader request, the contents of the book are the same in all versions.

Ralph was born in Salisbury, NC, August 16, 1916. He was educated at Catawba College and the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill). Ralph studied for the stage with Herbert Berghof's Acting Class. He also studied at Lee Strasberg's Actors' Studio in New York in the early 1950's. Ralph appeared on tour with "Big People" in 1947 and made his Broadway debut in the 1948 revival of "Angel Street." Ralph's screen debut was in MGM's "Phone 1119" in 1951.

Hap Roberts was born in Salisbury, North Carolina on October 24, 1950, son of Harold Knox Roberts, Sr., a cotton broker, and Idell McNeill Roberts, a school teacher. Roberts married the love of his life, Annette Bell Roberts in 1974. They have one daughter, Heather Roberts Brady. Hap graduated from Catawba College in 1972 with a degree in accounting. Upon graduation from Catawba College, Mr. Roberts was employed as an accountant by Sherrill and Smith, Certified Public Accountants. In August of 1972 he left there to work for Food Town Stores, Inc., now Food Lion, Inc. and retired as its Corporate Controller in 1982. In 1983 he opened his own accountancy practice, H.K. Roberts, C.P.A., later to become Roberts and Morgan, CPA's. This firm now exists as Gary D. Morgan, CPA. In 1984 he opened a title insurance agency, Statewide Title, Inc. of which he is President and co-owner with his wife, Annette Bell Roberts, Vice President. This company provides title insurance protection for property owners throughout North Carolina. Mr. Roberts' Uncle, Ralph L. Roberts was masseur, close friend and confidant to Marilyn Monroe. Ralph impressed his love of acting and film upon Hap who is now a devotee of both. Hap continues to support the arts and to preserve their history for the appreciation of future generations. Hap released an autobiography in 2019 entitled Everybody Was Happy.