Actor Peter Lawford spoke to Marilyn Monroe the night he died UK News

I have to start by saying that I was sad to read that the Hollywood actor and star of Top Gun and Batman Val Kilmer lost his natural voice due to throat surgery for cancer. Val does willow at Elstree Studios and apparently could be a “difficult” actor. I remember the production building a big castle on the backlot of the studio. I also remember that the late great Jack Hawkins also lost his voice due to cancer and in his later years his voice was dubbed by fellow actor Charles Gray. Cinephiles will remember Charles as a James Bond villain and worshiper of black magic in the Elstree made The devil goes away. Ironically, Charles also died of cancer.

This week, I look back on the career of star Peter Lawford, whom you may remember, if only because of the conspiracy buffs linking him to the murder of Marilyn Monroe. Peter started his career at Elstree but rose to fame as a leading man at MGM Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. He was good looking but not a great actor, his career began to falter as the studio was starting to fade. He then married the Kennedy family which put him on another level and joined the “rat pack” which also included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra.

He was to fall out with the bird Sinatra during a visit to JFK. He had assured Sinatra that the president would stay with Frank and the singer even built a helipad for the occasion. However, the President was informed that this was not a good idea due to Sinatra’s contacts with organized crime, so he stayed with Bing Crosby instead. This was a bit silly as JFK’s father had crowd ties dating back to the 1920s and it is alleged that their aide got JFK elected.

Regardless, many books have alleged that Peter and Robert Kennedy organized the death of Marilyn Monroe as she was about to wreak havoc on her affairs with Bobby and JFK, both of whom were good. married Catholic men and in the 1960s this would have forced them both to resign. We have seen that this can still happen today in recent weeks. Incidentally, I met John Profumo through his wife actress Valerie Hobson, who was also shot down by his affair while on post.

Peter admitted to having spoken on the phone to Marilyn the night of her death, but never admitted anything more, even after having divorced the Kennedy family and that JFK and Bobby had been murdered.

His career deteriorated rapidly in the 1970s when he became an alcoholic and drug addict. When he was broke, he could have made a fortune by revealing that he had helped cover up the murder of Marilyn Monroe if that was the case, but officially his death remains either a suicide or an accidental overdose.

I visited Marilyn’s grave and even today the fans still leave flowers. When Peter died, his ashes were ironically buried near the screen goddess. However, his family never paid the bill, his ashes were dug up and scattered at sea. What a sad end to his life and career. Personally, I have no idea what happened to Marilyn. I know Stanley Kubrick didn’t simulate the 1969 MGM moon landings in Borehamwood with help from NASA. I can of course lie, but if before next week I am run over by the mob in a car shootout using Thompson submachine guns or, if you prefer, Chicago pianos, then you will know the truth.

• Paul Welsh MBE is a writer and historian from Borehamwood of Elstree Studios