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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.
In Bus Stop (1956), 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 (1957) 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 (1959) with Tony
Curtis.
In 1960 Marilyn appeared in George Cukor's Let's
Make Love (1960), 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 (1961), 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 (1962).
Marilyn made only 30 films in her lifetime, but her
legendary status and mysticism will remain with film
history forever. |
