Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me — release date, trailer, premise and everything we know about the documentary

Anna Nicole Smith laying with a book in Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me (Image credit: Netflix)

While the world thinks they know the real Anna Nicole Smith, they may find that they don’t when the new documentary Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me airs on Netflix. 

At the height of her career in the public eye, Anna Nicole Smith was on TV, was featured on magazine covers and drew comparisons to Marilyn Monroe. Unfortunately, behind all her fame and success was a woman that had a few struggles. The new documentary aims to shed an intimate light on these struggles using never-before-seen footage, interviews and home movies. 

Here’s what else we know about Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me.  

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me release date

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me premieres on Tuesday, May 16 on Netflix

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me trailer

The background music sets up quite the ominous feeling in the trailer. Take a look and listen below. 

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me premise 

Here is the official synopsis for the documentary film: 

"From director Ursula Macfarlane (Untouchable) and producer Alexandra Lacey comes an unflinching and humanizing examination of the life, death and secrets of Vickie Lynn Hogan - better known as model and actress Anna Nicole Smith. From her first appearance in Playboy in 1992, Anna Nicole’s dizzying ascent was the very essence of the American dream, brought to a tragic halt with her untimely passing in 2007. With access to never-before-seen footage, home movies and interviews with key figures who have not spoken out until now, this film reveals new insights into the story of the quintessential blonde bombshell hardly anyone really knew."

Who is Anna Nicole Smith? 

Black and white photo of Anna Nicole Smith

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me (Image credit: Netflix)

Born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Houston, Texas, Anna Nicole Smith rose to stardom with her 1992 Playboy magazine cover and subsequent feature spread. She then made headline news when she married oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall, who was considerably older than her at the time. Upon his death, she found herself in a long drawn-out legal battle with Marshall’s family over his estate. She passed away in February 20007 at the age of 39. 

In terms of television and film, she starred in Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, Be Cool and her own reality show, The Anna Nicole Show.  

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me director

The documentary was directed by Ursula Macfarlane. Macfarlane has previously directed The Lost Sons, Untouchable and One Deadly Weekend in America. She also was at the helm of the documentary West Side Stories: The Making of a Classic

More documentaries worth watching

Here are some other fairly recent documentaries you might want to check out. 

Terrell Smith

Terrell Smith has a diverse writing background having penned material for a wide array of clients including the federal government and Bravo television personalities.  When he’s not writing as Terrell, he’s writing under his pseudonym Tavion Scott, creating scripts for his audio drama podcasts. Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film. Some of his favorite shows include The CrownWandaVision, Abbot Elementary and Godfather of HarlemAnd a fun fact is he's completely dialed into the TLC 90 Day Fiancé universe.