Marilyn Monroe

**Marilyn Monroe** (born **Norma Jeane Mortenson** on June 1, 1926 – died August 5, 1962) was a Golden Globe Award-winning American actress, singer, model and sex symbol.

She was known for her comedic skills and screen presence, going on to become one of the most popular movie stars of the 1950s and early 1960s. At the later stages of her career, she worked towards serious roles with a measure of success. However, she faced disappointments in her career and personal life during her later years. She was a top-billed actress for only a decade, but her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $2 billion in 2019) by the time of her death in 1962.  Her death has been subject to speculation and conspiracy theories.

## Biography

Probably the most celebrated of all actresses, Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jean Mortenson in Los Angeles General Hospital. Prior to her birth, Marilyn's father, bought a motorcycle and headed north to San Francisco, abandoning the family in Los Angeles. Marilyn grew up not knowing for sure who her father really was. Her mother, Gladys Pearl Baker, had entered into several relationships, further confusing her daughter as to who it was who fathered her.

Afterward, Gladys gave Norma Jean (Marilyn) the name of Baker, a boyfriend she had before Mortenson. Poverty was a constant companion to Gladys and Norma. Gladys, who was extremely attractive and worked for RKO Studios as a film cutter, suffered from mental illness and was in and out of mental institutions for the rest of her life, and because of that Norma Jean spent time in foster homes.

When she was nine she was placed in an orphanage where she was to stay for the next two years. Upon being released from the orphanage, she went to yet another foster home. In 1942, at the age of 16, Norma Jean married 21-year-old aircraft plant worker James Dougherty. The marriage only lasted four years, and they divorced in 1946. By this time Marilyn began to model swimsuits and bleached her hair blonde. Various shots made their way into the public eye, where some were eventually seen by RKO Pictures head Howard Hughes. He offered Marilyn a screen test, but an agent suggested that 20th Century-Fox would be the better choice for her, since it was a much bigger and more prestigious studio. She was signed to a contract at $125 per week for a six-month period and that was increased by $25 per week at the end of that time when her contract was lengthened.

Her first film was in 1947 with a bit part in *The Shocking Miss Pilgrim* (1947). Her next production was not much better, a bit in the eminently forgettable *Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!* (1948). Two of the three brief scenes she appeared wound up on the cutting room floor. Later that same year she was given a somewhat better role as Evie in *Dangerous Years* (1947). However, Fox declined to renew her contract, so she went back to modeling and acting school.

Columbia Pictures then picked her up to play Peggy Martin in *Ladies of the Chorus* (1948), where she sang two numbers. Notices from the critics were favorable for her, if not the film, but Columbia dropped her. Once again Marilyn returned to modeling. In 1949 she appeared in United Artists' Love Happy (1949). It was also that same year she posed nude for the now famous calendar shot which was later to appear in Playboy magazine in 1953 and further boost her career. She would be the first centerfold in that magazine's long and illustrious history. The next year proved to be a good year for Marilyn. She appeared in five films, but the good news was that she received very good notices for her roles in two of them, *The Ashhalt Jungle* (1950) from MGM and *All About Eve* (1950) from Fox. Even though both roles were basically not much more than bit parts, movie fans remembered her ditsy but very sexy blonde performance.

In 1951, Marilyn got a fairly sizable role in *Love Nest* (1951). The public was now getting to know her and liked what it saw. She had an intoxicating quality of volcanic sexuality wrapped in an aura of almost childlike innocence. In 1952, Marilyn appeared in Don't Bother to Knock (1952), in which she played a somewhat mentally unbalanced babysitter. Critics didn't particularly care for her work in this picture, but she made a much more favorable impression later in the year in *Monkey Business* (1952), where she was seen for the first time as a platinum blonde, a look that became her trademark. The next year she appeared in *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* (1953) as Lorelei Lee. It was also the same year she began dating the baseball great Joe DiMaggio.

Marilyn was now a genuine box-office drawing card. Later, she appeared with Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall and Rory Calhoun in *How to Marry a Millionaire* (1953). Although her co-stars got the rave reviews, it was the sight of Marilyn that really excited the audience, especially the male members. On January 14, 1954, Marilyn wed DiMaggio, then proceeded to film *There's No Business Like Show Business* (1954). That was quickly followed by *The Seven Year Itch* (1955), which showcased her considerable comedic talent and contained what is arguably one of the most memorable moments in cinema history: Marilyn standing above a subway grating and the wind from a passing subway blowing her white dress up.

By October of 1954, Marilyn announced her divorce from DiMaggio. The union lasted only eight months. In 1955 she was suspended by Fox for not reporting for work on *How to Be Very, Very Popular* (1955). It was her second suspension, the first being for not reporting for the production of *The Girl In Pink Tights*. Both roles went to others. Her work was slowing down, due to her habit of being continually late to the set, her illnesses (whether real or imagined) and generally being unwilling to cooperate with her producers, directors, and fellow actors.

In *Bus Stop* (1956), however, Marilyn finally showed critics that she could play a straight dramatic role. It was also the same year she married playwright, Arthur Miller (they divorced in 1960). In 1957 Marilyn flew to Britain to film *The Palace and the Showgirl* (1957) which proved less than impressive critically and financially. It made money, but many critics panned it for being slow-moving. After a year off in 1958, Marilyn returned to the screen the next year for the delightful comedy, *Some Like It Hot* (1959) with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The film was an absolute smash hit, with Curtis and Lemmon pretending to be females in an all-girl band, so they can get work. This was to be Marilyn's only film for the year, and is, to this day, considered by many film critics to be one of best films ever made.

In 1960, Marilyn appeared in George Cukor's *Let's Make Love* (1960), with Tony Randall and Yves Montand. Again, while it made money, it was critically panned as stodgy and slow-moving. The following year Marilyn made what was to be her final film. *The Misfits* (1961), which also proved to be the final film for the legendary Clark Gable, who died later that year of a heart attack. The film was popular with critics and the public alike. The exhausting shoot of *The Misfits* had taken place in the hot Nevada desert. Monroe, Gable and Montgomery Clift delivered performances that are considered excellent by contemporary movie critics. Tabloid magazines blamed Gable's death of a heart attack on Monroe, claiming she had given him a hard time on the set. Gable, however, insisted on doing his own stunts and was a heavy smoker. After Gable's death, Monroe attended the baptism of his son.

In 1962, Marilyn was chosen to star in Fox's *Something's Got to Give* (1962). Again, her absenteeism caused delay after delay in production, resulting in her being fired from the production in June of that year. It looked as though her career was finished. Studios just didn't want to take a chance on her because it would cost them thousands of dollars in delays. She was only 36 when she died, the 5th of August 1962.

Marilyn made only 30 films in her lifetime, but her legendary status and mysticism will remain with film history forever.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Howard Hertzel & Don Heff. "From the Archives: "Marilyn Monroe Dies; Pills Blamed"", *Los Angeles Times*, Tribune Publishing, August 6, 1962. Retrieved on May, 2, 2020.
2. ↑ http://marilynmonroepages.com/facts.html#surgery
3. ↑ http://obits.com/monroemarilyn.html
4. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0812885252/
5. ↑ *Some Like It Hot* (1959). *Rotten Tomatoes*. Retrieved on 2006-08-01.
6. ↑ *The Misfits* (1961). *Rotten Tomatoes*. Retrieved on 2006-08-01.

## External links

* Marilyn Monroe Biography
* Marilyn Monroe links at FreeOnes
* Marilyn Monroe at Babepedia
* Marilyn Monroe article at *Wikipedia*