Actors - Marilyn Monroe

Home > Listing Index > Actors > Marilyn Monroe

	Actors - Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortensen, June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962) is possibly the twentieth-century's most famous movie star, sex symbol and pop icon. Monroe's rise to stardom began when she was recruited to do magazine modeling while her first husband was in the Merchant Marine. She did most of her films for 20th Century Fox, where she adopted the name with which she gained superstardom. After acting in bit roles for several years, she gradually became known for her comedic skills and remarkable screen presence. Later in her career, she worked toward serious roles with a measure of success. However, constant publicity and romantic disappointments excaberated longstanding personal problems. The circumstances surrounding her death have been the subject of much speculation, but have not tarnished her reputation as one of the most legendary public figures of all time.

Early life

Although she would eventually become one of the most celebrated actors in film history, Monroe's beginnings were humble. She was born in the charity ward of the Los Angeles County Hospital. Her registered name was Norma Jeane Mortensen (her grandmother, Della Monroe Grainger, later had her baptized Norma Jeane Baker). Most biographers believe her biological father was Charles Stanley Gifford, a salesman for the studio where Monroe's mother, Gladys Pearl Monroe Baker Eley, worked as a film-cutter. However, her birth certificate lists Norwegian Martin Edward Mortensen as her father, and in later years some biographers have leaned towards believing that is the case.

Gladys was unable to persuade Della to look after Norma Jeane, so she was placed with foster parents Albert and Ida Bolender of Hawthorne, California, southwest of Los Angeles, where she lived until she was seven years old. In her autobiography My Story, Monroe states she thought Albert and Ida were her parents until one day, rather rudely, Ida corrected her.

Again according to My Story, Gladys visited Norma Jeane every Saturday, but never smiled, hugged or kissed her. At some point, Gladys announced that she had bought a house for herself and her daughter, but a few months after they moved in, she suffered a mental breakdown. Monroe recalled Gladys "screaming and laughing" as she was forcibly removed to the State Mental Hospital in Norwalk, California, the same hospital where Gladys' mother Della had died in August 1927. Gladys' father, Otis, had also died in a mental hospital (near San Bernardino, California) as a result of syphilis.

However, it should be noted that My Story is not to be considered a trustworthy source, as it was ghost-written by the journalist Ben Hecht and designed to colour Monroe's image as a long-suffering orphan. Its factual claims have been considered suspicious.

Norma Jeane was declared a ward of state and Gladys' best friend, Grace McKee (later Goddard) became her guardian. After McKee married in 1935, Norma Jeane was sent to the Los Angeles orphanage and then to a long succession of foster homes where it is alleged she was subjected to abuse and neglect. There is little evidence, however, that she lived in as many foster homes as claimed. Moreover, Monroe herself is known to have given exaggerated information about her childhood during interviews.

In September 1941, Norma Jeane was reunited with her mother. The Goddard family, however, were moving to the East Coast and felt it would be best if 15-year old Norma Jeane were to marry, as otherwise she would have had to return to the orphanage. She had been introduced to a neighbor's son, James Dougherty, who would become her first husband, in 1942, after she turned 16.

Career

Early years

While her husband was away fighting in World War II, the young Mrs. Norma Jeane Dougherty began work in a factory spraying airplane parts with fire retardant. A young army photographer, David Conover, scouted local factories taking photos for a YANK magazine article about women contributing to the war effort. He immediately saw her potential as a model and she was soon signed by The Blue Book modelling agency. She became one of their most successful models, appearing on hundreds of magazine covers. In 1946 she came to the attention of talent scout Ben Lyon. He arranged a screen test for her with 20th Century Fox. She passed and was offered a standard six-month contract with a starting salary of $75 per week, the high end of industry standard. She was given the name Marilyn after the actress Marilyn Miller and suggested her mother's maiden name Monroe as her surname. Thus the twenty-year old Norma Jeane Baker became "Marilyn Monroe".

During her first six months at 20th Century Fox, Monroe was given no acting work. Instead, she learned about hair, make-up, costumes, acting and lighting. After six months Fox decided to renew her contract and in the following six months she was given very minor roles in two movies, Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! and Dangerous Years, both released in 1947. Both films failed at the box office and Fox decided not to renew her contract again. Monroe returned to modelling and began to network and make contacts in Hollywood.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Marilyn Monroe ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Marilyn Monroe; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Actors - Marilyn Monroe

Early life

Career

Early years

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay