Marilyn Monroe: Her Story

No one quite captured the glamour of Hollywood like actress Marilyn Monroe. The curvy Monroe was much more than sex symbol. She enthralled the globe with her combination of innocence and sensuality. She dominated the age of movie stars to become, without question, the most famous woman of the 20th Century.
Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortensen in L.A. on June 1, 1926, to her mother Gladys Baker. Baptized Norma Jeane Baker, the her real father was not known. Gladys, Norma Jeane's mother, eventually wound up in a psychiatric ward.
Because of this, Norma Jeane became an orphan. She lived in orphan homes and foster care up until 1937 when she was brought in by family friend Grace Goddard. When Norma Jeane was 16, the Goddards were forced to move across the country due to a job transfer. They could not take Norma due to financial constraints. Norma could either get married, or return to the orphan way of life. In June of 1942, Norma Jeane married her boyfriend of 6 months and neighbor Jimmy Dougherty. By all accounts Norma Jeane loved Jimmy, and they were happy together until he joined the Merchant Marines and was sent to the South Pacific in 1944.

Norma Jeane then took a job on an assembly line, where she met photographer David Conover. The photographer instantly recognized the star quality in Norma Jeane. He took her picture for his assignment on women helping in the war effort for Yank Magazine. Norma was used in Conover's photo shoot, and he then started giving Norma Jeane modeling work. The camera loved Norma Jeane, and within two years she was a reputable model with many popular magazine covers to her credit. She then enrolled in drama class and began studying popular movie actresses, hoping to someday follow in their footsteps. However, Jimmy's return in 1946 meant Norma Jeane had to make another choice- this time between her marriage and her career.
Jimmy and Norma Jeane called it quits in 1946. She then signed a contract with Twentieth Century Fox Studios. Soon after, Norma Jeane dyed her hair blonde and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe (borrowing her grandmother's last name). After that, the rest of Marilyn's story practically wrote itself.

1947 brought Marilyn's first acting role in 'The Shocking Miss Pilgrim'. She played a series of inconsequential characters until 1950, when John Huston's thriller The Asphalt Jungle provided her with a small but influential role. Also in 1950, Marilyn portrayed Claudia Caswell in All About Eve. The movie starred Bette Davis, but Marilyn received a lot of attention for her role in the film. After that, Marilyn was able to secure steady work as an actress. She had roles in films like "Let's Make it Legal, 'Monkey Business' and 'As Young as You Feel'. It was Marilyn's role as Rose Loomis in the 1953 movie 'Niagara' that really pushed her over the top. In 'Niagara', Marilyn played a young married woman who was scheming to murder her older, overbearing husband played by Joe Cotten.
Based off of her winning role in Niagara, Marilyn scored some more starring roles with the films 'How to Marry a Millionaire' with Betty Grable, and the Jane Russell hit 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'. After winning the Best New Actress award from Photoplay Magazine in 1953, there was no denying it: Marilyn Monroe was a star.
On January 14, 1954, Marilyn married baseball superstar Joe DiMaggio at San Francisco's City Hall. They had been a couple for two years, after Joe asked his agent to arrange a dinner date. Sadly, Joe couldn't handle Marilyn's sex symbol status, and it put a serious wedge in the marriage. After only being married for nine months, Joe and Marilyn called it quits and divorced. Marilyn and Joe said their marriage ended because of career conflict, and they would remain close friends in the following years.

Marilyn was ready to shed her "shallow blonde" image by 1955. It had gotten her into the spotlight, but now that she had the opportunity and experience, Marilyn wanted to pursue serious acting. To accomplish this, she took a break from the Hollywood grind and went to New York City, to study in a famous Actors' Studio. In 1956, Marilyn started her own motion picture company, Marilyn Monroe Productions. The company produced Bus Stop and The Prince and the Showgirl (co-starring Sir Laurence Olivier). These two films allowed her to demonstrate her talent and versatility as an actress. Marilyn won the Golden Globe for Best Actress In A Comedy with 1959's 'Some Like It Hot'.
Marilyn Married playwright Arthur Miller in June of 1956. Marilyn & Arthur were married for 5 years. Their marriage ended on January 20th, 1961.

1962 brought Marilyn another Golden Globe, as she brought home honors for female World Film Favorite.
Sadly, in a shocking turn of events on the early morning of August 5, 1962, 36-year-old Marilyn died in her sleep at her Brentwood, California home. The world was stunned. Marilyn Monroe, so full of life and love, had left this earth. It didn't seem possible.
During her career, Marilyn made 30 films and left one, Something's Got to Give, unfinished. She was so much more to people than just a typical actress. Marilyn's influence is still felt today, as new generations learn to love the Hollywood beauty and appreciate her extraordinary talents.
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