Marilyn Monroe

Norma Jeane Mortenson was born June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles County Hospital to Gladys Pearl Baker; her paternity records name Martin Edward Mortensen but her childhood was marked by instability, including periods in foster homes and an orphanage because her mother had mental-health problems and institutionalizations. She was baptized later as Norma Jeane Baker and spent much of her early life moving between caregivers, which biographers cite as formative to her later struggles with identity and mental health. While working in a wartime aircraft factory in the early 1940s, she was noticed by a photographer and began modeling, which led to a film contract in 1946 and the professional name Marilyn Monroe. Her early screen appearances were small, but supporting parts in films such as The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and All About Eve (1950) raised her profile, and by the early 1950s she was being cast in leading roles that emphasized her sex-symbol persona. Monroe became a major box-office draw with vehicles including Niagara (1953), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953); she sought greater creative control and in 1954 founded her own production company, reflecting her business ambitions and desire to shape her roles. Her highest critical acclaim came with Some Like It Hot (1959), for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy, and with later dramatic work such as The Misfits (1961), which was her final completed film. Her high-profile marriages (to James Dougherty, Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller), friendships with cultural and political figures, and struggles with addiction and mental health were widely covered in life and remain part of her legacy. Monroe was found dead in her Brentwood home in August 1962 from acute barbiturate poisoning; the death was officially recorded as a probable suicide, though it has continued to be the subject of speculation and conspiracy theories.