Who was Marilyn Monroe?

Marilyn Monroe was born in Los Angeles, California as Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926. Her mother Gladys was mentally and financially unprepared for a baby, so Monroe spent most of her childhood in foster homes and orphanages.

In 1933, Gladys bought a home in Hollywood and brought 7 year old Monroe there to live with her. They shared the house with several actors and their children. A year later Gladys had a mental breakdown and was committed. This caused Monroe to face unstable housing for years.

At age 16 she hastily married her neighbor's 21 year old son James Dougherty in order to avoid being forced to return to an orphanage. While Dougherty was away with the Marines, Monroe began modeling for morale-boosting pictures of female workers aiding war efforts.

This initial modeling job led to additional shoots, and in 1945 Monroe moved out of her husband's family home and signed with Blue Book Model Agency. She was a featured pin up model in men's magazines and advertisements. By 1946 she had appeared on 33 magazine covers.

Soon after, she signed a 6 month contract with 20th Century Fox and officially began using her stage name "Marilyn Monroe" - which was picked by Fox Executive Ben Lyon. The name was a combination of Broadway star Marilyn Miller and the maiden name of Monroe's mother.

After 6 months of learning acting, singing, dancing and more, Monroe's first role was a small part in a movie called "Dangerous Years" in 1947. However after a few small parts, Fox believed she was too shy to be a successful actress and did not renew her contract.

Monroe utilized her networking and sex appeal to get signed with Columbia Pictures in 1948. There the studio modeled her after Rita Hayworth, bleaching her hair platinum blonde and performing in the musical "Ladies of the Chorus". After, her contract was not renewed.

Finally in 1950, Monroe landed a 7 year contract with 20th Century Fox. There she performed in successful comedies like "As Young as You Feel" and more. She rose to fame, receiving thousands of fan letters a week, and winning awards and recognitions.

By 1953 Monroe starred in major films and became a sex symbol due to her risqué modeling and public romances with celebrities like joe DiMaggio, Marlon Brando and Arthur Miller. Monroe became known for her most famous films like "The Seven Year Itch" and its iconic white dress.

On August 4, 1962 Monroe's life was cut short. She died at the age of 38 after severe struggles with depression, anxiety and exhaustion. She committed suicide by taking lethal quantities of pills. Barbiturate poisoning was her cause of death. However her legacy lives on.