Marilyn monroe brief biographical sketch
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Marilyn Monroe born
Norma Jeane Mortenson—who will become better known around the world as the glamorous actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe—is born on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. She was later given her mother’s name, and baptized Norma Jeane Baker.
After a tumultuous childhood—both maternal grandparents and her mother were committed to mental institutions, and she lived with a string of foster families—Norma Jeane married one of her neighbors, James Dougherty, when she was 16. He later joined the Merchant Marines and was sent to the South Pacific during World War II. A photographer “discovered” the naturally photogenic Norma Jeane while she was working in a California munitions factory, and she was soon launched into a successful modeling career. She divorced Dougherty in June 1946 and soon after signed a film contract with 20th Century Fox.
At the outset of her acting career, Norma Jeane dyed her brown hair blonde and changed her name again, calling herself M
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She was born as Norma Jeane Mortenson and had a hard childhood. She never met her father and never had a close relationship with her half-sister, while her mother, who suffered from psychological problems, was put in a mental institution in 1935. During her childhood years she went from one orphanage and foster home to another and was sexually abused. In order to avoid orphanages, at the age of sixteen she married the twenty-year old James Dougherty. While he sailed the Pacific as a marine, she worked in an ammunition factory in California. At the same time she was noticed bygd a photographer and thus began her successful career of a pin-up model, which is why she became a blond instead of a brunette. In 1946, she began her acting career and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe. After a few smaller roles, she had her first bigger one in Ladies of the Chorus (1948). Afterwards she played several smaller but well-received roles in critically acclaimed films - The Asphalt Jungle
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Marilyn Monroe
1926-1962
Who Was Marilyn Monroe?
Actress Marilyn Monroe overcame a difficult childhood to become one of the world's biggest and most enduring sex symbols. Her films grossed more than $200 million. She is known for her relationships with Arthur Miller, Joe DiMaggio and, possibly, President John F. Kennedy. Monroe died of a drug overdose on August 5, 1962, at only 36 years old.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Norma Jeane Baker
BORN: June 1, 1926
DIED: August 5, 1962
BIRTHPLACE: Los Angeles, California
SPOUSES: James Dougherty (1942-1946), Joe DiMaggio (1954), and Arthur Miller (1956-1961)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Gemini
Early Life and Education
Monroe was born on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles. Monroe was named Norma Jeane Mortenson at birth (later baptized as Norma Jeane Baker). Growing up, Monroe spent much of her time in foster care and in an orphanage.
In 1937, a family friend and her husband, Grace and Doc Goddard, took care of Monroe for a few years.