Marilyn Monroe

The Blonde Bombshell Who Redefined Stardom

Marilyn Monroe was an American actress and model born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926.^[1] On August 4, 1962, at her Los Angeles home, Monroe died from a barbiturate overdose when she was 36 years old, and the death was classified as a probable suicide.^[2]

Last updated 2026-10-01 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Norma Jeane Mortenson
Born: 1 June 1926
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died: 4 August 1962
Cause of death: Barbiturate overdose
Resting place: Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Other names: Norma Jeane Baker
Occupation: Actress, model

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Monroe's mother Gladys worked as a film negative cutter and placed her with foster parents Albert and Ida Bolender in Hawthorne.^[3][4] Gladys bought a house in Hollywood in 1933 and moved Monroe in with her, but had a mental breakdown diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia in January 1934.^[4] Monroe lived with several families and in the Los Angeles Orphans Home before settling with Grace's aunt Ana Lower in Sawtelle in September 1938.^[5][6] She married neighbor James Dougherty on June 19, 1942, just after her sixteenth birthday, to avoid returning to the orphanage.^[6][7]

Monroe became a major sex symbol and one of Hollywood's most bankable performers, with her films grossing $200 million by her death in 1962.^[8][9] After Dougherty was deployed overseas in April 1944, Monroe took a job at a Van Nuys munitions factory and later began modeling, officially joining the Blue Book Model Agency in August 1945.^[10] The unions between Monroe and baseball player Joe DiMaggio, as well as between Monroe and writer Arthur Miller, attracted extensive media coverage, and both marriages concluded with divorces.^[2] Monroe's tendency to arrive late, forget her dialogue, and insist on numerous retakes has been linked to her perfectionism, lack of self-confidence, and anxiety about performing.^[11][12]

What the cited sources add

A 2022 SlashFilm article notes that Monroe's role in "All About Eve" became memorable due to her star quality and comedic timing.^[13] Davis also said "I thought she had talent" and noted how the camera loved Monroe.^[13] During a 1977 television appearance, Bette Davis described Monroe as "a very ambitious girl" who "knew what she wanted" and was "very serious about it".^[13]

References

Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Birth of Marilyn Monroe Shown to Be Legitimate", The New York Times, February 13, 1981 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars: The 50 Greatest American Screen Legends", American Film Institute, June 16, 1999 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Keslassy, "Marilyn Monroe's Biological Father Revealed in Documentary 'Marilyn, Her Final Secret'", April 4, 2022 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Churchwell 2004, p. 155–156 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Banner 2012, p. 48–49; Banner 2012, p. 48–49 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Banner 2012, p. 48–49 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Spoto 2001, p. 67–69; Spoto 2001, p. 67–69 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hertel, "Marilyn Monroe Dies; Pills Blamed", Los Angeles Times, August 6, 1962 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The 2006 Motion Picture Almanac, Top Ten Money Making Stars", Quigley Publishing Company; Churchwell 2004, p. 155–156; Churchwell 2004, p. 155–156; Churchwell 2004, p. 155–156 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Yank USA 1945", Wartime Press; Banner 2012, p. 48–49 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Churchwell 2004, p. 155–156; Spoto 2001, p. 67–69 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Marilyn Monroe" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Filmmaker interview – Gail Levin", Public Broadcasting Service, July 19, 2006 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Musnicky, "Bette Davis Had Kind Words About Working With Marilyn Monroe On All About Eve", SlashFilm, October 1, 2022. facts only, no text reused. slashfilm.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Marilyn Monroe (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.