Jun 1, 2023
Norma Jeane Mortenson who became known as Norma Jeane Baker and later as Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1, 1926.
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She starred in a number of successful films in the ‘50s and became known as a love goddess, a sex symbol and a major pop culture icon.
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Her mother was in an asylum and she lived in 12 foster homes before she became a photographer’s model, and was noticed by 20th Century Fox for a possible film career.
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She began with an uncredited role in The Asphalt Jungle before she landed a role in All About Eve and a contract with Fox.
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This 1953 film catapulted her to fame and she became both an icon and an object of popular adulation always in the public eye.
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By 1954, she married Joe DiMaggio, but the marriage fell apart within a year and she became increasingly dissatisfied with her career.
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The film once again established her both as a pretty blonde and a comedian. Another film in the same genre was Bus Stop in 1956.
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By 1956, she was married to famous playwright Arthur Miller. Their marriage lasted for 5 years.
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In this 1957 film, the Prince is Laurence Olivier and the showgirl was Marilyn Monroe.
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The 1959 film for the first time established her as a serious actress and she began to get noticed more for her talent than her looks and figure.
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Arthur Miller, her husband, especially wrote the script of the play for her but it was during the production of this 1961 film that the marriage began to fall apart.
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In 1962, she began filming for this comedy, but took frequent breaks because of illnesses. She was later fired from the film.
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In May 1962, she attended a gala event where she sang Happy Birthday for President John F Kennedy with whom she was allegedly having an affair.
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She was rehired for her last film, but work never took off and she ended up as a recluse in her LA home. She was discovered dead by an overdose of pills on August 5, 1962.
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Some believe she was killed because she threatened to reveal her affairs with the famous Kennedy brothers. She was in a rumoured affair both with the President and his Attorney General brother, Robert F Kennedy.
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She remains a mysterious figure to this day and has been the subject of various films; Ana de Armas essayed the role of Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, a 2022 award-winning film.
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