Marilyn Monroe

About Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson) was a Golden Globe Award-winning American actress, singer, model, and sex symbol and a natural redhead.

She was known for her comedic skills and screen presence, becoming one of the most famous 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 her death in 1962. Her death has been subject to speculation and conspiracy theories.

She was a natural redhead, before dying her hair color blonde.
While her husband was in the Merchant Marine during World War II, Norma Jeane Dougherty moved in with her mother-in-law. She started to work in the Radioplane Company factory (owned by Hollywood actor Reginald Denny), spraying airplane parts with fire retardant and inspecting parachutes. Army photographer David Conover was scouting local factories, taking photos for a YANK magazine article about women contributing to the war effort. He saw her potential as a model, and The Blue Book modeling agency soon signed her. In his book Finding Marilyn, Conover claimed the two had an affair that lasted years. Shortly after signing with the agency, Monroe had her hair cut, straightened, and lightened to golden blonde.

She became one of Blue Book's most successful models, appearing on dozens of magazine covers. In 1946, she came to the attention of talent scout Ben Lyon. He arranged a screen test for her with 20th Century Fox. She was offered a standard six-month contract with a starting salary of $125 per week.

Lyon suggested she adopt Marilyn (after Marilyn Miller) as her stage name since Norma Jeane wasn't considered commercial enough. For her last name, she took her mother's maiden name. Thus, the twenty-year-old Norma Jeane Baker became Marilyn Monroe. During her first half year at Fox, Monroe was given no work, but Fox renewed her contract, and she was given minor appearances in Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! and Dangerous Years were both released in 1947. In Scudda Hoo!, her part was edited out of the film except for a quick glimpse of her face when she speaks two words. Fox decided not to renew her contract again. Monroe returned to modeling and began to network and make contacts in Hollywood.

In 1948, a six-month stint at Columbia Pictures saw her star in Ladies of the Chorus, but the low-budget musical was not a success, and Monroe was dropped yet again. She then met one of Hollywood's top agents, Johnny Hyde, who had Fox re-sign her after MGM turned her down. Fox Vice-President Darryl F. Zanuck was not convinced of Monroe's potential, but due to Hyde's persistence, she gained supporting parts in Fox's All About Eve and MGM's The Asphalt Jungle. Even though the roles were minor, movie-goers and critics noticed. Hyde also arranged for her to have minor plastic surgery on her nose and chin, adding to earlier dental surgery.

The following two years were filled with minor roles in standard fare, such as We're Not Married! and Love Nest. However, RKO executives used her to boost the box office potential of the Fritz Lang production Clash by Night. After the film performed well, Fox employed a similar tactic, and she was cast as the ditzy receptionist with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers in Howard Hawks' slapstick comedy Monkey Business. Critics no longer ignored her, and both films' success at the box office was partly attributed to Monroe's growing popularity.

Fox finally gave her a starring role in 1952 with Don't Bother to Knock, in which she portrayed a deranged babysitter who attacks the little girl in her care. It was a cheaply made B-movie, and although the reviews were mixed, they claimed that it demonstrated Monroe's ability and confirmed that she was ready for more leading roles. Her performance in the film has since been noted as one of the finest of her career.

Marilyn Monroe was portrayed by Ana De Armas in the 2022 biographical, psychological drama film named "Blonde."

Performances
Playboy Playmate: December 1953

Spouses

Arthur Miller (June 29, 1956 - January 20, 1961) (divorced)
Joe DiMaggio (January 14, 1954 - October 31, 1955) (divorced)
James Dougherty (June 19, 1942 - September 13, 1946) (divorced)