Marilyn Monroe

**Marilyn Monroe **(born **Norma Jeane Mortenson**; June 1, 1926– August 4, 1962) was an American actress, writer, model, singer and filmmaker. Famous for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s.

Between 1946 and 1962, she made 44 movies. Although she was a top-billed actress for only a decade, her films grossed $200 million by the time of her unexpected death in 1962.

## Early life

Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on June 1, 1926 at LAC+USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, United States. Her father was not known until 2022, when DNA testing revealed he was Charles Stanley Gifford, whom her mother had had an affair with. Her mother, Gladys (Monroe) Baker Mortenson, was mentally unstable and unable to care for her daughter, so when Norma Jeane was about two weeks old, she was sent to live with Ida and Albert Bolender, a devout Christian couple who raised her alongside their adopted son Lester. The Bolenders wanted to legally adopt Norma Jeane, but Gladys refused. Gladys often visited, but Norma Jeane never knew she was her mother. On one occasion, Gladys tried to smuggle her out of the house in a duffel bag, only to be stopped by Ida.

In 1933, Gladys was deemed stable enough to care for Norma Jeane herself. However, after several personal and financial troubles, Gladys had a mental breakdown in front of Norma Jeane, who was forced to watch her flailing and screaming on the floor until the police arrived. Gladys was hospitalized after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a severe mental condition. After this, Norma Jeane went to live with her mother’s friend, Grace McKee Goddard, and her husband, Erwin “Doc” Goddard. In 1935, Grace sent her to live in the Los Angeles Orphans’ Home Society, though she took her back later. As an adult, Norma Jeane would claim that Doc sexually abused her, or at least tried to. She was sent to live with Olive Monroe, Gladys’s aunt, then around 1939, she went to live with Grace’s aunt, Ana Lower, whom Norma Jeane called “Aunt Ana.” Living with her was a stable environment for Norma Jeane, who was finally loved unconditionally.

After Norma Jeane's sixteenth birthday, her foster parents had to move from California. To avoid an orphanage or a new foster home, Norma chose to get married. On June 19, 1942, Norma married James Dougherty, her next-door-neighbor. The marriage was strained when he joined the U.S. Merchant Marines during World War II. Norma Jeane began modeling after being spotted by a photographer while working at the Radioplane Company. Dougherty and his family disapproved of her ambitions. When Monroe wanted to become an actress, the contract stated that she needed to be unmarried, so she divorced him in 1946. She offered to continue the relationship unmarried, but he refused.

## Movies

To enhance her image, she dyed her naturally brown hair blonde and changed her name from Norma Jeane Dougherty to Marilyn Monroe. Monroe began her career with small, supporting parts in movies and as a pin-up model. She gained more attention with roles in _All About Eve_ and _The Asphalt Jungle_, which both came out in the early 1950s. In 1949, she posed nude for photographers. At first, she hid this from the public for fear of damaging her image, but when the news got out, people became more interested in her. She had a more dramatic role in 1952’s _Don't Bother to Knock_. Critics liked her performance in this film. She became very famous in 1953 when she had lead roles in the movies _Niagara_, _Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_, and _How to Marry a Millionaire_.

In 1954, she acted in two films: _River of No Return_ and _There’s No Business Like Show Business_. At the end of the year, she established her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions. This was a very new and radical thing for a woman to do at the time. In 1955 she acted in _The Seven Year Itch_. For this movie, she filmed a very controversial scene which showed her standing on a subway grate while the wind from the subway blows up her dress, showing her underwear. Her performance in this movie earned her a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress.

The next year, she received more praise for her role in _Bus Stop_, earning a nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Actress — Musical or Comedy. In 1957, she acted in _The Prince and the Showgirl_ alongside Laurence Olivier. The film was not a very big success and she and Olivier did not get along well. In 1959, she acted in _Some Like It Hot_, in which she played a band singer named Sugar Kane Kowalczyk. Her performance in this film is widely considered to be one of, if not the best performance she has ever done. While Sugar Kane was written to be sultry and a stereotypical “dumb blonde”, Monroe brought depth to the role by putting humor and sadness behind it. On set, she arrived late a lot of the time and fought with the director Billy Wilder about how she was going to play Sugar Kane. Tony Curtis, who played her love interest, said that kissing her was like “kissing Hitler.” She was nominated again for the Golden Globe, but this time she won. Many expected her to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance, but she was not, even though the movie received 6 other nominations. Today, the Academy’s refusal to nominate her is considered one of the biggest Oscar snubs of all time.

In 1960, she acted in _Let’s Make Love_, which did not do very well. Her final film was in 1961’s _The Misfits_. It failed upon release but had been well-regarded in the 21st century. She started filming another movie, _Something’s Got to Give_, but it was never completed.

In 1962, she sang "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy. It turned out to be one of her last appearances.

### Marriages

Monroe married the baseball star Joe DiMaggio on January 14, 1954. The marriage lasted for nine months. She had met DiMaggio on a blind date, during the filming of the movie _Monkey Business_ in 1952. The marriage was closely followed by the public. DiMaggio retired from baseball, and Monroe became very famous. DiMaggio was sad that his career as a baseball star was ending, and was jealous of Monroe for being admired. He spent most of his time watching television and Monroe found it boring. They separated on October 31, 1954. From 1961, they became friends again. After she died, DiMaggio was very sad and sent roses to her grave every week for 20 years.

Marilyn married Arthur Miller on June 29, 1956. To marry him, she converted to Judaism. She had met him during the filming of _As Young As You Feel_ in 1951. She was very happy with him and they tried to have children together. Marilyn had three miscarriages, because of her endometriosis. Miller wrote the screenplay for the movie _The Misfits_. The filming caused many problems between Marilyn and Arthur and they divorced in 1961.

## Death

She died early from an overdose of barbiturates on August 4, 1962 in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. at 36 years old.

## Filmography

- _Dangerous Years_ (1947)
- _Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!_ (1948)
- _Ladies of the Chorus_ (1948)
- _Love Happy_ (1949)
- _A Ticket to Tomahawk_ (1950)
- _The Asphalt Jungle_ (1950)
- _All About Eve_ (1950)
- _The Fireball_ (1950)
- _Right Cross_ (1951)
- _Home Town Story_ (1951)
- _As Young as You Feel_ (1951)
- _Love Nest_ (1951)
- _Let's Make It Legal_ (1951)
- _Clash by Night_ (1952)
- _We're Not Married!_ (1952)
- _Don't Bother to Knock_ (1952)
- _Monkey Business_ (1952)
- _O. Henry's Full House_ (1952)
- _Niagara_ (1953)
- _Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_ (1953)
- _How to Marry a Millionaire_ (1953)
- _River of No Return_ (1954)
- _There's No Business Like Show Business_ (1954)
- _The Seven Year Itch_ (1955)
- _Bus Stop_ (1956)
- _The Prince and the Showgirl_ (1957)
- _Some Like It Hot_ (1959)
- _Let's Make Love_ (1960)
- _The Misfits_ (1961)
- _Something's Got to Give_ (1962 - unfinished)

## Awards and nominations

- 1951 Henrietta Awards: The Best Young Box Office Personality
- 1952 Photoplay Award: Fastest Rising Star of 1952
- 1952 Photoplay Award: Special Award
- 1952 Look American Magazine Achievement Award: Most Promising Female Newcomer of 1952
- 1953 Golden Globe Henrietta Award: World Film Favorite Female.
- 1953 Sweetheart of The Month (Playboy)
- 1953 Photoplay Award: Most Popular Female Star
- 1954 Photoplay Award for Best Actress: for _Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_ and _How to Marry a Millionaire_
- 1956 BAFTA Film Award nomination: Best Foreign Actress for _The Seven Year Itch_
- 1956 Golden Globe nomination: Best Motion Picture Actress in Comedy or Musical for _Bus Stop_
- 1958 BAFTA Film Award nomination: Best Foreign Actress for _The Prince and the Showgirl_
- 1958 David di Donatello Award (Italian): Best Foreign Actress for _The Prince and the Showgirl_
- 1959 Crystal Star Award (French): Best Foreign Actress for _The Prince and the Showgirl_
- 1960 Golden Globe, Best Motion Picture Actress in Comedy or Musical for _Some Like It Hot_
- 1962 Golden Globe, World Film Favorite: Female
- Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame 6104 Hollywood Blvd.
- 1999 she was ranked as the sixth-greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute in their list AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars.

## Other websites

- The Official Marilyn Monroe Website
- Gallery: The Life of Marilyn Monroe
- Marilyn Monroe Quotes

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Marilyn Monroe
- **image**: Monroecirca1953.jpg
- **caption**: Monroe in 1953
- **birth place**: Los Angeles, California, United States, U.S.
- **death place**: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- **death cause**: Barbiturate overdose
- **nationality**: United States, American
- **occupation**: Writer, Filmmaker, actress
- **birthname**: Norma Jeane Mortenson
- **othername**: Norma Jeane Baker
- **known**: _Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_ (1953) and _The Seven-Year Itch_ (1955)
- **yearsactive**: 1945–1962