A star was born Norma Jeane Mortensen Baker

A star was born • Norma Jeane Mortensen Baker (June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), other wise known as Marilyn Monroe. • Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1, 1926 at the Los Angeles County Hospital her birth certificate was under the name of Norma Jeane Mortenson (soon changed to Baker)the third child born of monroes mom Gladys Pearl Baker (May 27, 1902 – March 11, 1984). Monroe's birth certificate names the father as Martin Edward Mortensen with his residence stated as "unknown"

Marilyn’s childhood • Gladys was mentally unstable and financially unable to care for the young Norma Jeane, so she placed her with foster parents Albert and Ida Bolender of hawthorn , California, where she lived until she was seven. One day, Gladys visited and demanded that the Bolenders return Norma Jeane to her. Ida refused, she knew Gladys was unstable and the situation would not benefit her young daughter. A few months later, Gladys began a series of mental episodes that would plague her for the rest of her life. Monroe recalls her mother screaming and laughing as she was forcibly removed to the state hospital in Northwalk

• Norma Jeane was declared a ward of the state. Gladys's best friend, Grace Mc. Kee, became her guardian. It was Grace who told Monroe that someday she would become a movie star. When Norma Jeane was 9, Mc. Kee married Ervin Silliman "Doc" Goddard in 1935, and subsequently sent Monroe to the Los Angeles Orphans Home (later renamed Hollygrove), followed by a succession of foster homes. While at Hollygrove, several families were interested in adopting her; however, In 1937, Monroe moved back into Grace and Doc Goddard's house, joining Doc's daughter from a previous marriage. Due to Doc's frequent attempts to sexually abuse Norma Jeane, this arrangement did not last long.

• Grace sent Monroe to live with her great-aunt, Olive Brunings in Compton California this was also a brief stint ended by an assault (some reports say it was sexual)-one of Olive's sons had attacked the now middle-schoolaged girl. Biographers and psychologists have questioned whether at least some of Norma Jeane's later behavior (hypersexuality, sleep disturbances, substance abuse, disturbed interpersonal relationships), was a manifestation of the effects of childhood sexual abuse in the context of her already problematic relationships with her psychiatrically ill mother and subsequent caregivers. In early 1938, Grace sent her to live with yet another one of her aunts, Ana Lower, who lived in Van Nuys another city in Los Angeles County. Years later, she would reflect fondly about the time that she spent with Lower, whom she affectionately called "Aunt Ana". She would explain that it was one of the only times in her life when she felt truly stable. As she aged, however, Lower developed serious health problems.

• In 1942, Monroe moved back to Grace and Doc Goddard's house. While attending Van Nuys High. School she met a neighbor's son, James Dougherty (who prefered 2 be called "Jim"), and began a relationship with him. Several months later, Grace and Doc Goddard decided to relocate to Virginia, where Doc had received a lucrative job offer. Although it was never explained why, they decided not to take Monroe with them. An offer from a neighborhood family to adopt her was proposed, but Gladys rejected the offer. With few options left, Grace approached Dougherty's mother and suggested that Jim marry her so that she would not have to return to an orphanage or foster care, as she was two years below the California legal age. Jim was initially reluctant, but he finally relented and married her in a ceremony arranged by Ana Lower. During this period, Monroe briefly supported her family as a homemaker.

Monroe got discovered • While Dougherty served in the Merchant Marine, his wife began working in the Radioplane Munitions Factory, mainly spraying airplane parts with fire retardant and inspecting parachutes. During that time, David Conover of the US Army's 1 st Motion Picture Unit noticed her and snapped a series of photographs, none of which appeared in Yank magazine although some still claim this to be the case. He encouraged her to apply to The Blue Book Modeling Agency. She signed with the agency and began researching the work of Jean Harlow and Lana Turner. She was told that they were looking for models with lighter hair, so Norma Jeane bleached her brunette hair a golden blonde.

Before After

Transformation and the fame • Her transformation was not only hair but name as well. • Following her idol Jean Harlow, she decided to choose her mother's maiden name of Monroe. Several variations such as Norma Jeane Monroe and Norma Monroe were tried and initially "Jeane Monroe" was chosen. Eventually, Lyon decided Jeane and variants were too common, and he decided on a more alliterative sounding name. He suggested "Marilyn", commenting that she reminded him of Marilyn Miller. Monroe was initially hesitant because Marilyn was the contraction of the name Mary Lynn, a name she did not like. Lyon, however, felt that the name "Marilyn Monroe" was sexy, had a "nice flow", and would be "lucky" due to the double “M” and thus Norma Jeane Baker took the name Marilyn Monroe. • One of Monroe's most notable film roles was shot in September 1954, a skirt-blowing key scene for The Seven Year Itch on Lexington Avenue at 52 nd Street in New York City. In it, she stands with her co-star, Tom Ewell, while the air from a subway grating blows her skirt up. A large crowd watched as director Billy Wilder ordered the scene to be refilmed many times. Joe Di. Maggio was reported to have been present and infuriated by the spectacle.

Famous pose • Marilyn was actually coming out of a subway station in New York and was taken a picture with her dress lifted by the air vent underground when the paparazzis came and posted the pic in the magazine now the same pose is 26 feet tall and was made into a statue in the city of Chicago.

Marilyn falls to depression fame 2 much? • Marilyn Monroe achieved great fame for her movies, and seemed to have found happiness with her third husband, playwright Arthur Miller. But Marilyn's unpleasant behavior and her increasing dependency on Arthur Miller to see her through each day strained theirmarriage considerably. The strain was magnified by Marilyn's discovery of Miller's personal notebook, an event that has been recounted so many times that its true impact on Marilyn is difficult to fully grasp. • In the notebook, Miller had recorded some unflattering personal thoughts about Marilyn and his relationship with her. According to some accounts, his written comments revealed his disappointment in Marilyn's behavior during the production of. The Prince and the Showgirl in other accounts, he had compared Marilyn to his ex-wife. • The story was embellished over time and through many retellings, even by Marilyn herself; one version claims that Miller's personal notes referred to his new bride as a "whore. "

• The most devastating blow to Marilyn's emotional and mental state occurred during the summer of 1957. Marilyn had become pregnant in June, a stroke of good fortune that left her ecstatic. • She adored children and had always been active in children's charities. She was devoted to Miller's two children by his former marriage and remained close to Di. Maggio's son until her death. • Miller once observed, "To understand Marilyn best, you have to see her around children. They love her; her whole approach to life has their kind of simplicity and directness. " • Sadly, she could not carry her own baby to full term. A few weeks into her pregnancy, she was in such physical agony that Miller called an ambulance to rush her to Doctor's Hospital in New York. Doctors discovered that • her pregnancy was tubular, and were forced to surgically terminate it.

• After The Prince and the Showgirl wrapped in the fall of 1956, Marilyn did not appear on a movie set until the summer of 1958. Almost two years had passed between projects, during which time Marilyn had attempted not too successfully to put some of her personal demons behind her. • On August 4, 1958, Marilyn began work with director Billy Wilder on Some Like It Hot a production fraught with horrendous fighting, debilitating health problems, heartbreaking disappointments, and harsh accusations.

• Sometimes hours late, Marilyn kept costars Lemmon and Curtis waiting on the set in full costume and heavy makeup. When she was working, dozens of takes were sometimes required for her to conquer even the simplest of lines. • The need for repeated takes had always been a problem with Marilyn when she felt nervous or insecure. Her drug use and increasing dependence on alcohol during this period greatly magnified the problem. • Her inability to master such lines as "Where is that bourbon? " in less than 40 takes has become the stuff of movie legend. Her costars, particularly Curtis, were upset during these episodes, not only because her problems made for some very long days, but also because their performances became less effective as the number of takes increased. • Curtis's anger at Marilyn over such delays caused him to ridicule or criticize her after filming was completed. His notorious quote about Marilyn -- "Kissing her is like kissing Hitler" -- indicates the degree of tension and resentment that permeated the set. • Regrettably, these tales lead fans to assume that Marilyn was confused or flustered every day of the shoot, which is untrue. Certain sequences, including the exterior beach scenes shot at California's Hotel del Coronado, were mastered in only one or two takes.

• • By the end of The Misfits shoot, Marilyn's marriage to Arthur Miller was effectively over. After the film wrapped in early November, the two left for New York in separate planes. On November 11, she officially announced their separation to columnist Earl Wilson. The press swarmed her New York residence and a tearful Marilyn emerged to confirm the story. According to one Monroe biographer, newsmen were so eager to get to her that one reporter shoved his microphone into her mouth, chipping one of her teeth in the process. Marilyn attempted to go into seclusion, but her efforts were thwarted by the announcement of Clark Gable's death on November 16. Gable had a massive heart attack the day after The Misfits had wrapped, but many had believed he was improving. His sudden death was a severe blow. Marilyn took the news so badly that she was unable to make a coherent statement to the press, who kept calling for her comments. Finally, she managed a brief statement: "This is a great shock to me. I'm deeply sorry. Clark Gable was one of the finest

• In addition to her precarious emotional and mental health, Marilyn experienced a variety of physical disorders as well. In May 1961, she entered Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles for gynecological surgery. • The following month, she found herself in the Polyclinic Hospital of New York for a gallbladder operation. In addition, Marilyn suffered from an ulcerated colon and abnormal bleeding from the uterus. • Because of her delicate mental and physical conditions, Marilyn did not work as an actress at all in 1961.

Last film • In April, Marilyn returned to Twentieth Century-Fox to begin production on Something's Got to Give, an updated version of a 1940 comedy hit entitled My Favorite Wife. George Cukor was set to direct. • From the start, Marilyn disliked the Nunally Johnson -Walter Bernstein script, which was not yet finalized when shooting began. By 1962, the chief production executive at Fox was Peter Levathes, a onetime advertising executive known for his hostility toward actors.

Tragic death • Marilyn's performance and Kennedy's subsequent quip ("I can now retire from politics after having 'Happy Birthday' sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way. ") are chilling in light of the later revelations about their affair, and what fate had in store for JFK. • The event is made more ironic by Lawford's opening remarks, in which he referred to the tardy actress as "the late Marilyn Monroe. “ • Marilyn's dismissal from Something's Got to Give coincided with a wildly chaotic lifestyle: She dated several men, took dangerous quantities of sleeping pills, and relied on daily visits to Dr. Greenson to see her through each 24 -hour period. • It is widely alleged that, sometime during 1962, Marilyn began a relationship with John Kennedy's very married brother, Robert. • The younger Kennedy not only served as Attorney General for the President, but it also seems that he eased Marilyn Monroe out of his older brother's life. Reportedly, JFK's advisers felt that his affair with Marilyn was politically dangerous and encouraged him to break it off.

• Whatever the true facts, RFK apparently called off the relationship a short time after Marilyn's dismissal from Fox. • The last few days of Marilyn's life have been detailed many times in often-contradictory accounts. • On August 4, 1962, Marilyn spent the morning talking with her publicist, Pat Newcomb, and the rest of the day making phone calls to her friends. Dr. Greenson visited her for a short time in the early evening. • The number of people who claim to have talked with Marilyn on her last day is phenomenal -- everyone from Joe Di. Maggio, Jr. , to Marlon Brando, from Sidney Skolsky to Isidore Miller. • From her bedroom, Marilyn continued to make phone calls into the night. With each call, her speech became more slurred, a reaction that was not unusual for her during this period of heavy sedative use. • Apparently, none of her friends were sufficiently alarmed to have someone check on her. Supposedly, Marilyn called Peter Lawford that evening to say goodbye. • Then, sometime during the night of August 4 -5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe died alone, her white phone still clutched in her hand.

Marilyn Murdered? • Undoubtedly, part of our unending interest in Marilyn is due to her premature death and the mysterious circumstances surrounding it. • Occasional efforts are made to persuade the Los Angeles police to reopen her case. At such times, speculation and rumor run rampant as a few more bits and pieces of information come to light. • In 1974, Robert Slatzer, a onetime friend to Marilyn who claims to have married her in 1953, authored a book alleging that the famous star had been murdered. Entitled The Life and Curious Death of Marilyn Monroe, the book cites her relationship with both Kennedys, probes into the questions surrounding her death, and comes up with a provocative -- but ultimately unconvincing -- conspiracy theory. • Slatzer hired a private detective named Milo Speriglio to obtain hard evidence to support his theory. Speriglio has devoted more than 15 years to the case and claims to know who murdered Marilyn and why, though he can't prove it.

• Interestingly, Speriglio's announcement about the diary coincided with the publication of his first book, Marilyn Monroe: Murder Cover. Up, which recaps Slatzer's book and brings the investigation up to date • In 1986, Speriglio wrote a second book on the Monroe case, The Marilyn Conspiracy, which is an updated version of his earlier work. That same year, Speriglio called a press conference to demand that the case be reopened. His request was denied. • the rumors of a murder or a cover-up serve to keep Marilyn's name in the news, as do the tributes and retrospectives that surface on the anniversary of her death. • The murder rumors add a tone of notoriety to her story, while the tributes and accolades remind us that there was much more to her than love affairs and an unexplained death.

• Over the years, various self-styled "investigators" have claimed that members of organized crime killed Marilyn to frame the Kennedys, that the CIA killed her to discredit the Kennedy administration, or that the Kennedys themselves killed her to avoid public scandal. • None of the proponents of these theories have uncovered enough evidence to make a credible newspaper story, let alone a legal case. • For all of the hints of mystery surrounding Marilyn's death, the official investigators never felt a need to pursue the case beyond a superficial level. More than likely, there was no crime, only the covering up of unwise relationships. • Some doubt that there was even a suicide, speculating that, on the last night of her life, Marilyn had wanted merely to sleep through her despair, as she had done so many times before. Her mind fuzzied, she simply lost track of the number of sleeping pills she had swallowed. • Perhaps in trying to come to grips with the tragic struggle of Marilyn's life, we have become obsessed with explaining her death. No matter, for any attempt to unmask the truth about her last hours remains futile. Marilyn Monroe took her secrets with her.

Chicago statue