Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, comedienne, singer, and model of English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh descent. She became one of the world's most enduring iconic figures, embodying the Hollywood sex symbol, and her life and death remain shrouded in controversy and speculation.
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926, at the Los Angeles County Hospital, her mother, Gladys Pearl Monroe, was a film-cutter at Consolidated Film Industries, and her biological father was Charles Stanley Gifford, a Newport, Rhode Island native. Due to her mother's mental and financial instability, Marilyn was placed in foster care, experiencing a series of traumatic events, including being molested by her foster father, and eventually being forced to choose between returning to the orphanage or marrying at the age of 16.
Marilyn married James Dougherty, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1946. She continued to model, study acting, and take literature courses at UCLA, eventually landing a contract with 20th Century Fox, which was later dropped. She then signed with Columbia Pictures and appeared in the B-movie "Ladies of the Chorus" in 1948.
Her breakthrough role came in "All About Eve" in 1950, followed by "Niagara" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" in 1953, cementing her status as a sex symbol superstar. Her marriage to baseball legend Joe DiMaggio in 1954 was widely publicized, but the couple divorced the same year.
Marilyn continued to work in films, including "Bus Stop" in 1956 and "The Prince and the Showgirl" in 1957, which was marred by her tumultuous relationship with co-star Laurence Olivier. She also underwent psychoanalysis and began to focus on more serious acting roles.
Marilyn's personal life was marked by struggles with addiction, relationships, and mental health. She married playwright Arthur Miller in 1956, but the couple experienced miscarriages and marital issues. Marilyn's final film, "The Misfits," was released in 1961, and she was dropped from her next project, "Something's Got to Give," due to chronic lateness and drug dependency.
On August 4, 1962, Marilyn's final day began with threatening phone calls, and she was found dead in her bedroom the following morning, with the coroner ruling that she died from acute barbiturate poisoning, likely a suicide. Despite numerous conspiracy theories surrounding her death, Marilyn Monroe's legacy as a Hollywood icon and cultural phenomenon remains unchanged.
