Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles with the birth name Norma Jeane Mortenson. Monroe was a prominent actress of the 1950s, with her legacy continuing today.
After growing up in foster homes and orphanages, Monroe started modeling and acting. Small roles in movies like “The Asphalt Jungle” and “All About Eve” in 1950 led her to leading lady status during the following years.
In 1951, she was in “Let’s Make It Legal” and “Love Nest,” followed by “Clash by Night” in 1952 and “Niagara” in 1953. Her roles continued with films like “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1953), “How to Marry a Millionaire” (1953) and “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (1954). This led to “The Seven Year Itch” (1955), where the iconic photo of Monroe comes from. In the photo, her dress flies up while she is standing over a subway grate.
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Her roles started to slow from here. In 1956, she was in “Bus Stop” and “The Prince and the Showgirl” in 1957.
She was in “Some Like It Hot” in 1959 before her last role in “The Misfits” in 1961.
In her life, Monroe was married three times. First to James Dougherty from 1942 until 1946. She later married New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio in 1954, but they were divorced in 1955. Her final marriage was to playwright Arthur Miller, whom she was married to from 1956 until 1961.
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Shortly after her split from Miller, she famously sang “Happy Birthday” to President Kennedy in New York City. She sang to the president on May 19, 1962.
On Aug. 5, 1962, Monroe died at 36 years old. Monroe’s death was ruled to be “probable suicide,” with the cause of death being acute barbiturate poisoning, although there have been many conspiracies around her mysterious death.