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Quick Facts
- NAME: Marilyn Monroe
- OCCUPATION: Film Actress, Pin-up
- BIRTH DATE: June 01, 1926
- DEATH DATE: August 05, 1962
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Los Angeles, California
- PLACE OF DEATH: Los Angeles, California
- Originally: Norma Jeane Mortensen
- Full Name: Marilyn Monroe
- AKA: Norma Mortensen
Best Known For
Actress Marilyn Monroe overcame a difficult childhood to become of the world's biggest and most enduring sex symbols. She died of a drug overdose in 1962.
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Marilyn Monroe - Childhood (1:57)
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Marilyn Monroe - Death (1:45)
Marilyn Monroe - Marriage to Joe DiMaggio
In 1952, Marilyn Monroe was introduced one of the biggest heroes in baseball, Joe DiMaggio. She was drawn to his quiet, conservative nature-- as well as the fact that he wasn't in show business.
Marilyn Monroe - Happy Birthday, Mr. President
On May 19th, Marilyn Monroe made history when she sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" provocatively to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden.
Marilyn Monroe - Childhood
Marilyn Monroe's mother was mentally unstable, causing Marilyn to grow up in foster homes, were she suffered abuse.
Marilyn Monroe - Death
Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her home on August 5, 1962. She died of an overdose of barbiturates at the age of 36.
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Play NowMarilyn Monroe. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:19, Jun 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/marilyn-monroe-9412123.
Marilyn Monroe. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/marilyn-monroe-9412123 [Accessed 19 Jun 2013].
"Marilyn Monroe." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 19 2013, 08:19 http://www.biography.com/people/marilyn-monroe-9412123.
"Marilyn Monroe," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/marilyn-monroe-9412123 [accessed Jun 19, 2013].
"Marilyn Monroe," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/marilyn-monroe-9412123 (accessed Jun 19, 2013).
Marilyn Monroe [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/marilyn-monroe-9412123.
Marilyn Monroe, http://www.biography.com/people/marilyn-monroe-9412123 (last visited Jun 19, 2013).
Marilyn Monroe. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/marilyn-monroe-9412123. Accessed Jun 19, 2013.
Synopsis
Actress Marilyn Monroe was born as Norma Jeane Mortensen on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California. During her all-too-brief life, Marilyn Monroe overcame a difficult childhood to become of the world's biggest and most enduring sex symbols. During her career, Monroe's films grossed more than $200 million. Monroe died of a drug overdose on August 5, 1962, at only 36 years old.
Contents
Quotes
"Being a sex symbol is a heavy load to carry, especially when one is tired, hurt and bewildered."
"I don't want to make money, I just want to be wonderful."
"A career is wonderful, but you can't curl up with it on a cold night."
"Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a $1,000 for a kiss and 50¢ for your soul."
"If I close my eyes and think of Hollywood, all I see is one big varicose vein."
Early Life
Marilyn Monroe was born as Norma Jeane Mortensen (later baptized as Norma Jeane Baker) on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. During her all-too-brief life, Marilyn Monroe overcame a difficult childhood to become of the world's biggest and most enduring sex symbols. She never knew her father, and once thought Clark Gable to be her father—a story repeated often enough for a version of it to gain some currency. However, there's no evidence that Gable ever met or knew Monroe's mother, Gladys, who developed psychiatric problems and was eventually placed in a mental institution. As an adult, Monroe would maintain that one of her earliest memories was of her mother trying to smother her in her crib with a pillow. Monroe had a half-sister, to whom she was not close; they met only a half-dozen times.
Growing up, Monroe spent much of her time in foster care and in an orphanage. In 1937, a family friend and her husband, Grace and Doc Goddard, took care of Monroe for a few years. The Goddards were paid $25 weekly by Monroe's mother to raise her. The couple was deeply religious and followed fundamentalist doctrines; among other prohibited activities, Monroe was not allowed to go to the movies. But when Doc's job was transferred in 1942 to the East Coast, the couple could not afford to bring Monroe with them.
At 7 years old, Monroe returned to a life in foster homes, where she was on several occasions sexually assaulted; she later said that she had been raped when she was 11 years old. But she had one way out—get married. She wed her boyfriend Jimmy Dougherty on June 19, 1942, at the age of 16. By that time, Monroe had dropped out of high school (age 15). A merchant marine, Dougherty was later sent to the South Pacific. Monroe went to work in a munitions factory in Burbank, California, where she was discovered by a photographer. By the time Dougherty returned in 1946, Monroe had a successful career as a model, and had changed her name to Marilyn Monroe in preparation for an acting career. She dreamt of becoming an actress like Jean Harlow and Lana Turner.
Famed Career
Monroe's marriage to Dougherty fizzled out as she focused more on her career. The couple divorced in 1946—the same year that Monroe signed her first movie contract. With the movie contract came a new name and image; she began calling herself "Marilyn Monroe" and dyed her hair blonde. But her acting career didn't really take off until the 1950s. Her small part in John Huston's crime drama The Asphalt Jungle (1950) garnered her a lot of attention. That same year, she impressed audiences and critics alike with her performance as Claudia Caswell in All About Eve, starring Bette Davis.
Book
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See Sam Shaw's iconic Hollywood photos in Sam Shaw by Lorie Karnath.
Visit the Shaw Family Archives
100 Photos by Sam Shaw for Press Freedom, published in English and French by the non-profit organization Reporters Without Borders, includes Shaw's rare behind-the-scenes movie photography as well as previously unpublished images. Sales of the book support Reporters Without Borders.
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View groupThese pouty mouths have become so iconic, that they're almost celebrities on their own. Here are a few of our favorite full-lipped lovelies.
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Numerous Nuptials
View groupLife imitates art in Hollywood, where passionate romances turn into short-lived marriages and quickie divorces. Numerous nuptials are one of the hallmarks of the celebrity lifestyle. Hollywood royalty Elizabeth Taylor married eight times—even more than real royalty King Henry VIII, who married six times. Here's a look at the famous individuals who tied the knot—and then tied it again, and again, and again.
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USO Entertainers
View groupThe United Service Organization was founded in 1941, as a way to provide morale to service members through entertainment. Hollywood was happy to promote its patriotism (and its stars), and sent entertainers to combat zones, often in danger, to perform for the troops. From Marilyn Monroe to Stephen Colbert, many of the biggest names in showbiz have put on shows for the American service members around the world. Check out these famous USO entertainers.
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