Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) was a model, actress, and singer, and can be considered one of the most famous women of the 20th century. Marilyn Monroe has become a symbol of fame and feminine beauty. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in American culture.
“I’m fine, but I’m not an angel. I do commit crimes, but I am not a devil. I am just a little girl struggling to find someone to love in the big world.”
-Marilyn Monroe
Early life
Monroe was born in June 1926, originally named Norma Jean Mortensen. Her mother is Gladys Pearl Baker (maiden name Monroe, 1902-1984). Her father’s identity is unknown, and she was baptized under the name Norma Jane Baker. Her mother Gladys is mentally unstable and struggling to cope with the process of raising her child. In the first six years, Marilyn was raised by foster parents Albert and Ada Bolland in Hawthorne, California. Her mother later attempted to retrieve Marilyn, but she suffered a mental breakdown and Marilyn was transferred between different orphanages and foster homes. The traumatic childhood made her shy and introverted.
In 1942, shortly after Monroe’s 16th birthday, he married his neighbor Jimmy Doherty. Marilyn became a housewife, but their relationship was not close, and Monroe reported that she felt bored. In 1943, her husband left and joined the merchant fleet, participating in America’s war efforts. They quickly broke up.
Marilyn Monroe appears in US Military Weekly
In order to make a living, Marilyn worked at a local arms factory in Burbank, California. It was here that Marilyn achieved her first major breakthrough. Photographer David Connover is filming an arms factory, showcasing women working hard for the war. He was moved by Norma’s beauty and on-screen charm, and used her in many of his photos. This enabled her to start her modeling career and quickly appeared on many magazine covers.
Career Breakthrough
1946 was a crucial year for Marilyn Monroe as she divorced her young husband and changed her name from the unremarkable Norma Baker to the more glamorous Marilyn Monroe (named after her grandmother). She took a drama course and was awarded her first film contract with 20th Century Fox. Her initial films were low-key, but from these starting points, she gained more important roles in films such as “Everything About Eve”, “Niagara”, and later “Gentlemen Like Blossoms” and “How to Marry a Millionaire”.
These successful movie roles made her a global focal point in one fell swoop. She became a symbol of Hollywood charm and fashion. She is the embodiment of sexiness, beauty, and vitality, born to be on camera. But she often struggles to cope with the constraints of celebrities.
“When you become famous, you will touch humanity in a primitive way. It arouses jealousy, and reputation is indeed so. Will the person you meet think, um, who does she think she is, Marilyn Monroe? They feel that fame gives them a certain privilege to come up to you and say anything, in any form – without hurting your feelings – as if it’s just happening on your clothes, not on yourself.”
——Marilyn Monroe (1993)
In 1954, she married baseball star Joe DiMaggio, who had been friends for over two years. Marilyn Monroe had become one of the highest grossing stars in Hollywood at this time, but the contract she negotiated in 1950 resulted in her salary being lower than other stars. In addition, Marilyn Monroe did not want to be stereotyped as a “blonde sexy girl” – she only wanted to play simple roles in comedies and musicals. In the dispute over salary and actor selection, she was temporarily suspended by 20th Century Fox, but ultimately they agreed to some of Monroe’s demands and gave her a higher compensation. In September 1954, she starred in “The Seven Year Itch,” which gained widespread media attention after a successful media stunt on Lexington Avenue in New York.
In 1955, she sought greater independence from Fox and began her own film production and learning method acting. Although the media often underestimated Monroe’s potential, her efforts to enhance her performance paid off, and later films received high praise from critics for their wider range of performances. She was nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globe Awards for her performance in “Bus Stop” (1956). In 1959, she won the Golden Globe Award for her role in “As Hot as Fire”.
Due to Joe DiMaggio’s jealousy and strong desire for control, her relationship with him quickly became tense. Monroe quickly filed for divorce, although the two still maintained their friendship after the divorce. Monroe began dating playwright Arthur Miller and got married in 1956. In order to get married, Monroe converted to Judaism. This marriage attracted widespread media attention due to the union of Miller, a left-wing intellectual, and Monroe (considered a ‘stupid blonde’). This marriage is sometimes referred to unfriendlyly as the ‘egg headed hourglass marriage’.
To make matters more complicated, Miller was investigated for suspected “communist sympathy,” and media executives encouraged Monroe to end the relationship, but Monroe did not change. The FBI has opened a file on her, concerned about her husband’s political stance.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, her health condition began to deteriorate. She had a long-term dependence on barbiturates and experienced periods of depression. Her marriage with Miller broke down and she had affairs with Eve Mondang, Frank Sinatra, and others. In the 1960s, her poor health made filming challenging and production was often postponed. She is still very popular and often appears on the cover of glamorous magazines. In 1962, she was invited to the White House to sing for J.F. Kennedy’s birthday.
Death and Inheritance
Unfortunately, she passed away prematurely in 1962 at the age of 36 due to an overdose of barbiturates.
Although Marilyn Monroe portrayed the image of a “dumb blonde” through the media and her powerful acting skills – in fact, her image and personality were deliberately cultivated and developed by her.
Despite many people’s disapproval at the time, she still challenged the powerful Hollywood studio system and unexpectedly developed her acting career according to her own wishes. However, behind her confident public image, she struggled in interpersonal relationships and became addicted to a large amount of drugs, which had a serious impact on her physical and mental health. In a sense, Marilyn Monroe achieved the American Dream of rising from obscurity to become a famous actress, but this dream was accompanied by a hint of sadness because fame did not bring inner peace or happiness.
