Probably the most celebrated of all actresses, Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jean Mortenson on June 1, 1926, 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, 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 headHoward 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. Her next production was not much better, a bit in the eminently forgettable Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!. 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. 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, where she sang two numbers. Notices from the critics were favorable f0r her, if not the film, but Columbia dropped her. Once again Marilyn returned to modeling. In 1949 she appeared in United Artists' Love Happy. 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 Asphalt Jungle from MGM and All About Eve from Fox. Even though both roles were basically not much mor than bit parts, movie fans remembered her ditzy but very sexy blonde performance.

In 1951, Marilyn got a fairly sizable role in Love Nest. 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, 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, 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 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. 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. That was quickly followed by The Seven Year Itch, 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. 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, 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 Prince and the Showgirl 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 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.

In 1960 Marilyn appeared in George Cukor's Let's Make Love, 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, 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.

In 1962 Marilyn was chosen to star in Fox's Something's Got to Give. 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.

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



Something's Got to Give (1962): $100,000
The Misfits (1961): $250,000
Some Like It Hot (1959): $200,000 + 10% gross over $4 million.
Bus Stop (1956): $100,000+500/week expenses
The Seven Year Itch (1955): $1,500/wk
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954): $1,000/wk
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953): $1,250/wk
We're Not Married! (1952): $750/wk
Clash by Night (1952): $500/week
All About Eve (1950): $500/wk, 1-wk guarantee
The Asphalt Jungle (1950): $1,050
Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948): $75/week
Dangerous Years (1947): $75/week
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947): $75/week

Voted 'Sexiest Woman of the Century' by People Magazine. [1999] In her autobiography "My Story," she recounted her guardian told her she was a direct descendant of James Monroe. Her mother's maiden name was Monroe, but there is no evidence she was a descendant of the president. Ranked #8 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Playboy "Sweetheart" of the Month, December 1953. The licensing of Marilyn's name and likeness, handled world-wide by Curtis Management Group, reportedly nets the Monroe estate about $2 million a year. Started using the name Marilyn Monroe in 1946, but did not legally change it until 1956. Given a dog she named Tippy by foster father Albert Bolender. Her final, unfinished film, Something's Got to Give (1962), the dog was also named Tippy. Hundreds of items of memorabilia auctioned off in late October, 1999 by Christie's, with her infamous 'JFK' birthday-gown fetching over $1 million. Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#2). [1995] Died with the phone in her hand. When putting her imprints at Grauman's she joked that Jane Russell was best known for her large front-side and she was known for her wiggly walk, so Jane could lean over, and she could sit in it. It was only a joke, but she dotted the "I" in her name with a rhinestone, which was stolen within days. Her first modeling job paid only five dollars. During the filming of Niagara (1953), she was still under contract as a stock actor, thus, she received less salary than her make-up man. This was also the only film in which her character died. The film was reworked to highlight her after Anne Bancroft withdrew. Was an outstanding player on the Hollygrove Orphanage softball team. Fearing blemishes, she washed her face fifteen times a day. Thought the right side of her face was her "best" side. Born at 9:30 am. Divorced first husband, James Dougherty, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Wore glasses. Married Arthur Miller twice: the 1st time in a civil ceremony, then in a Jewish (to which she had converted) ceremony 2 days later. Offered to convert to Catholism in order to marry Joe DiMaggio in a Church ceremony, but she was turned down because she was divorced. Subsequently, when the divorced DiMaggio married Marilyn in a civil ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, he was automatically excommunicated by the Church; this edict was struck down by Pope John XXIII's Ecumenical Council (Vatican II) in 1962. The first stamp released in the USPS's Legends of Hollywood series, issued on Friday, June 1st, 1995. Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote a tribute to her entitled "Candle in the Wind". In 1997 it was re-recorded with updated lyrics in memory of Princess Diana. When told she was not the star in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) Marilyn was quoted "Well whatever I am, I'm still the blonde." Formed her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, with Milton H. Greene, on Saturday, December 31st, 1955. Batman writer/artist Bob Kane used Marilyn's likeness as a reference when he drew Vicki Vale. Her USO Entertainer Identification Card listed her name as "Norma Jean DiMaggio". Was referenced in the dialogue of La dolce vita (1960), in the context of dieting. The Emily Ann Faulkner/Rita Shawn character (played by Kim Stanley) in the John Cromwell film The Goddess (1958) was based on her. When she wasn't working she preferred wearing nothing but a bathrobe. "Candle in the Wind", the Elton John song written about her, was lyrically changed to fit Princess Diana upon her death. Coincidentally, both legends died at age 36. The punk band 'The Misfits' got their name from her last movie, The Misfits (1961). Featured on a 1.11 euro postage stamp issued by French Post Office on Saturday, November 8th, 2003. On May 19, 1962 she performed for president John F. Kennedy at his 45th birthday tribute in his honor at Madison Square Garden. She sang "Happy Birthday". Was named #6 Actress on The American Film Institute's 50 Greatest Screen Legends. Portrayed by: Barbara Niven in The Rat Pack (1998) (TV); Holly Beavon in James Dean (2001) (TV); Constance Forslund in This Year's Blonde (1980) (TV); Susan Griffiths in Marilyn and Me (1991) (TV); Catherine Hicks in Marilyn: The Untold Story (1980) (TV); Sophie Monk in _Mystery of Natalie Wood, The (2004) (TV)_; Poppy Montgomery in Blonde (2001) (TV); Kerri Randles in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) (TV); Heather Thomas in Hoover vs. the Kennedys: The Second Civil War (1987) (TV); Melody Anderson in Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair (1993) (TV); Eve Gordon (I)' in "A Woman Named Jackie" (1991); Samantha Morton in _Mister Lonely (2006)_; Mary Gross on "Saturday Night Live" (1975). The dress Marilyn wore to serenade John F. Kennedy at his birthday celebration was so tight she had to be sewn into it. In 1999, a make-up kit that she had owned sold for $266,500. One of the first Los Angeles natives to become a major movie star. She took acting lessons from Michael Chekhov. A 1982 review into the original inquest of Marilyn's death, conducted on its 20-year anniversary, concluded that the actress committed suicide or accidentally overdosed, and was not murdered--rumors that were fueled by the sloppy handling of evidence, the delay in securing the scene and the disappearance of tissue samples. In 1972, actress Veronica Hamel and her husband became the new owners of Marilyn's Brentwood home. They hired a contractor to replace the roof and remodel the house, and the contractor discovered a sophisticated eavesdropping and telephone tapping system that covered every room in the house. The components were not commercially available in 1962, but were in the words of a retired Justice Department official, "standard FBI issue." This discovery lent further support to claims of conspiracy theorists that Marilyn had been under surveillance by the Kennedys and the Mafia. The new owners spent $100,000 to remove the bugging devices from the house. When budding actresses Shelley Winters and Marilyn were roommates in the late 1940s in Hollywood, Shelley said that one day she had to step out and asked Marilyn to "wash the lettuce" for a salad they were to share for dinner. When she got back to the apartment, Marilyn (aparently new to the art of cooking) had the leaves of lettuce in a small tub of soapy water and was scrubbing them clean. In How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), her character Pola is reading a book called "Murder By Strangulation" on the plane. Coincidentally, this is how her character was murdered in Niagara (1953). Don't Bother to Knock (1952) (her 18th film) was an attempt to prove to critics that she could act. Her lifelong bouts with depression and self-destruction took their toll during filming The Seven Year Itch (1955). She frequently muffed scenes and forgot her lines, leading to sometimes as many as 40 takes of a scene before a satisfactory result was produced. Her constant tardiness and behavioral problems made the budget of the film swell to $1.8 million, a high price for the time. The film still managed to make a nice profit. The classic shot of her dress blowing up around her legs as she stands over a subway grating in this film was originally shot on Manhattan's Lexington Avenue at 52nd St., On Wednesday, September 15th, 1954, at 1:00 a.m. Five thousand onlookers whistled and cheered through take after take as Marilyn repeatedly missed her lines. This occurred in presence of an increasingly embarrassed and angry Joe DiMaggio (her husband at the time; the nine-month-old marriage officially ended during the shooting of this film). The original footage shot on that night in New York never made it to the screen; the noise of the crowd had made it unusable. Director Billy Wilder reshot the scene on the 20th Century-Fox lot, on a set replicating Lexington Avenue, and got a more satisfactory result. However, it took another 40 takes for Marilyn to achieve the famous scene. Amazingly, her very narrow spike heels don't get stuck or break in the subway grating, although this was a universal problem at the time for the countless women wearing that very popular style heel in New York City in that era. An important promotional campaign was released for this mainstream motion picture, including a 52-foot-high cutout of Marilyn (from the blowing dress scene) erected in front of Loews State Theater, in New York City's Times Square. The movie premiere was on Wednesday, June 1st, 1955, which was also her 29th birthday. Was originally set to play Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), but Audrey Hepburn played the role instead. She resided at the Hollywood Rossevelt while she was breaking into the acting business. She left Hollywood to pursue serious acting by studying under Lee Strasberg at his Actors' Studio in New York City. In 1946, she signed her first studio contract with 20th Century Fox and dyed her hair. Producer Keya Morgan owns her bible. Tried 9 different shades of blond hair color before settling on platinum. There are over 600 books written about her. "Time Magazine" reported in 1973 that Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi, the doctor who performed Monroe's autopsy, said that contrary to rumors, Monroe's stomach was never pumped after her death. The level of Nembutal in her bloodstream was 4.5 milligrams per 100, which is the equivalent of 40 or 50 capsules indicating suicide. In 1961, after her divorce from Arthur Miller, she purchased a 2900 square foot hacienda style house in Brentwood, for $77,500. Champagne was her drink of choice and Dom Perignon was her particular favorite. When she was 15, she had her ears pierced by Grace McKee, a family friend who became her legal guardian after her mother's breakdown. Was in consideration for the part of Adelaide in Guys and Dolls (1955/I), but Vivian Blaine was cast instead.