Marilyn Monroe Biography
Norma Jeane Mortenson (1926 - 1962), who would become better known throughout the world as the glamorous actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe, was born on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California. After a tumultuous childhood – both her maternal grandparents and her mother were in mental institutions and she lived with a series of foster families – Norma Jeane married one of her neighbors, James Dougherty, when she was 16. It was a photographer who discovered Norma Jeane's photogenia while working in a California munitions factory, and she was soon launched into a successful modeling career. In 1946 he signed a film contract with 20th Century Fox. After a small part in 1947's The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, she had a series of smaller roles before landing a place in John Huston's thriller The Asphalt Jungle (1950). That same year, he also gained attention for his work in All About Eve, starring Bette Davis. His truly breakout performance, however, came in Niagara (1953), a thriller. After starring in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), Monroe was at the top of the list of Hollywood actresses. After her failed marriage to Joe DiMaggio, Monroe attempted to move into more serious acting roles, studying at the prestigious Actors' Studio in New York. He earned positive reviews for his more nuanced work in Bus Stop (1956), The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) and especially Some Like It Hot (1959). By 1961, however, problems in Monroe's personal life – her third marriage, to the acclaimed playwright Arthur Miller, dissolved after four years – had led to her increasing emotional fragility, and she was admitted to hospitals on two occasions that year for psychiatric observation and rest. His last film was The Misfits (1961), written by Miller and starring Montgomery Clift and Clark Gable. On August 5, 1962, Monroe was found dead of a barbiturate overdose in her home in Brentwood, California. He was 36 years old.
