The story of the life and death of Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe - biography of the great actress

June 1 is the birthday of the actress, singer, model, recognized Hollywood sex symbol and everyone's favorite Marilyn Monroe. An idol for millions of men around the world, she lived a very bright, short and far from the happiest life.

It's hard to believe, but this year this luxurious woman would have turned 90 years old. “Don’t worry, but excite!”, “Give a girl a pair of high-heeled shoes, and she will conquer the whole world!” - her words are still a guideline for many representatives of the fairer sex. But what was really hidden behind her image as the most famous attractive and desirable woman in the world?

Biography of Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926. Almost all of her childhood was spent in orphanages and foster families, because... Norma did not know her father, and her mother was never particularly concerned about either maternal instinct or maternal responsibilities. But, despite this, in 1933 Norma and her mother left for Hollywood, where the future celebrity came close to the world of cinema.

Star Trek actress

In 1942, at the age of 16, Norma got married, after which she dropped out of school and got her first job at the Radioplane aircraft factory. It is this unsightly place that becomes her path to life: one day reporters came to the enterprise to film the work of women who work for the success of the military of World War II.

One of the photographers took pictures of Norma and noted that she was no worse professional model, - so very soon the girl decided to contact a modeling agency, which happily accepted her.

Until 1946, she managed to appear on the pages of 30 magazines, and she managed to get closer to her main dream - a career in cinema. In August 1946, Norma signed a contract with the 20th Century Fox film studio and changed her name to a more euphonious one - Marilyn Monroe.

One of Marilyn’s first serious works was her role in the film “Chorus Girls,” then she appeared in the film “ Happy love" But success again does not rush to meet her, and Marilyn returns to work as a model, she is photographed nude for the first time, and the photographs taken in 1953 appear on one of the Playboy spreads.

Monroe did not give up trying to become a movie star: gradually she continued to receive new roles - the actress was invited to the films “The Asphalt Jungle”, “Right Cross”, “From the Life of My Hometown”. Participation in the film “All About Eve” was insignificant for Marilyn, although the film itself received 14 Oscar nominations. All this time, the girl was taken to the cinema more as an ornament than because of her talent.

According to Marilyn herself, she always wanted to be a dramatic actress:

“I’m tired of playing sex bombs, I want to play other roles. I'm an actress, not a machine."

But she was able to prove her acting abilities only in 1951 after the release of the films “Let’s Get Married” and “You Can Enter Without Knocking.” After starring in the films Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire, Monroe became Hollywood's highest-grossing actress. She received the Most Popular Actress award, and Hollywood Alley star Marilyn Monroe appears.

"Everyone is a star and deserves
right to shine"

She did not receive serious fees for all the popular films. Marilyn was extremely dissatisfied with their discrepancy with the profits received from the box office, so she left 20th Century Fox and founded her own film company - Marilyn Monroe Production, the first films of which were Bus Stop and The Prince and the Showgirl.

“The only thing you want most in life,
as a rule, cannot be bought with money"

In 1958, M. Monroe returned to Hollywood, where he starred in the famous “Some Like It Hot” and several other films until August 1962.

Famous sayings of Marilyn:

“I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, get out of control and can be difficult to handle at times. But if you can't communicate with me when I'm in bad mood, then you don’t deserve me for good.”

"We women only have two weapons... Mascara and tears, but we can't use both at the same time."

"We, beautiful women, are obliged to appear stupid so as not to bother men.”

“Honestly, I don’t need someone who only sees the good in me. I need someone who sees the bad in me, but still wants to be with me.”

“What the world really needs is a real sense of kinship. Everyone: stars, workers, blacks, Jews, Arabs - we are all brothers. Please don't make me look unserious. End the interview with what I believe in” (from the actress’s last interview).

“Don’t worry, but worry!”

“Give a girl a pair of stilettos and she can conquer the world!”

Marilyn Monroe is the legendary sex-appeal of America in the 50s of the last century, who equally drove ordinary workers and presidents crazy. Her film roles, unrecognized by the Film Academy (the Hollywood film star has never been nominated for an Oscar), are known to the whole world: “The Seven Year Itch” (directed by Billy Wilder), “Bus Stop” (Joshua Logan), “The Prince and the Showgirl/Extra.” (Laurence Olivier), “Some like it hot/Only girls in jazz” (Billy Wilder)… The life, work and mysterious death of the most unsurpassed blonde of the era still interests her many fans.

Norm: childhood and adolescence

If at least one Hollywood star and there was a childhood that I don’t want to remember, it was Marilyn Monroe. Born on June 1, 1926, in an orphanage at a Los Angeles hospital, throughout her life she never found out for certain who her natural father was. The new mother, Gladys Pearl Monroe, named her daughter Norma Jeane, and listed her father as her second husband, Martin Mortenson, who left her before the birth of the child.

In some sources, Gladys’s first husband, John Nathan Baker, is listed as the parent, but by this time the newborn’s mother had long been divorced. Subsequently, another version of paternity arose, repeatedly voiced by Norma’s mother. She claimed that she gave birth to her from Charles Stanley Gifford, with whom she had a short affair while working as an editor at the Consolidated Film company.

But no one took such statements seriously, since Gladys’s hereditary disease began to progress, due to which she was increasingly being treated in psychiatric hospital Norwalk. Poverty and loneliness, which accompanied the girl from birth, left an imprint on her entire future fate.

Not from great love, and from the melancholy that settled in her soul, sixteen-year-old Norma accepted the offer of James (Jim) Dougherty (by different sources- either an aircraft factory worker or an undertaker), hoping in family life to find the stability and care so desperately lacking. The newly-made husband gave her neither one nor the other and soon went to sea with the merchant fleet. America was at war, and young woman got a job at an aircraft factory, where war photojournalist David Conover arrived in 1944, radically changing the orphan’s drab life.

Struck by the sexual magnetism of the charming “simple girl,” the photographer paid her $5 for an hour of posing. He sent the photographs to modeling agencies, and soon Norma graced the covers of numerous magazines. 1946 brought her her first contract with the film studio 20th Century Fox, a divorce from Dougherty, and a complete change of appearance and name: Norma became Marilyn. From past life Only the mother's maiden name remained - Monroe.

Marilyn: film career

The luxurious platinum blonde with an inimitable smile and alluring gaze starred in her first episodic roles. The films were frankly weak and passing, but the aspiring actress rejoiced at every opportunity to learn acting. Monroe dreamed of playing real, dramatic roles and took private lessons from emigrant Mikhail Chekhov, a Russian actor who had previously served in the Moscow art theater. Along the way, she studied at Lee Strasberg's acting studio in New York, and read Russian classics on Chekhov's advice.

Alas, directors mercilessly exploited the image of a dim-witted but attractive sex bomb, and Marilyn starred in Love Nest (1951), Clash in the Night (1952), and Niagara (1953). Her role in the films “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “How to Marry a Millionaire” (both filmed in 1953) brought her universal admiration and overwhelming popularity. Against the backdrop of unprecedented success, crowds of fans and daily declarations of love, Marilyn remained internally lonely, fearing disappointment from young Norma.

In 1956, Monroe starred opposite John Murray in the melodramatic comedy Bus Stop and for the first time in acting career was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Then the actress worked in the joint British-American project “The Prince and the Showgirl” (1957). Her partner and at the same time the director of the film was Laurence Olivier.

Marilyn Monroe - I Wanna Be Loved By You (from the movie Some Like It Hot)

And again Monroe was among the nominees (now at the British Film Academy) as best foreign actress, but... the prize went to Simone Signora. And only after the film “Some Like It Hot/Some Like It Hot”, American film critics finally recognized her as the best comedic actress and in 1960 Marilyn received her first ever cinematic prize – the Golden Globe for her role as Darling.

Monroe still received the very dramatic role that she had dreamed of for so long. The actress played practically herself: a desperate divorced woman, disillusioned with men, traveling with two cowboy friends in the hope of finding work. She starred in the film “The Misfits” (1961) together with the spectacular Montgomery Clift and the still charismatic Clark Gable, for whom this work, like for Marilyn, turned out to be the last in the cinema.

Marilyn Monroe on the set of Something's Gotta Give (which was never completed)

Personal life of Marilyn Monroe

Having avoided serious dates for a long time, in 1954 the actress finally decided to get married a second time. Her chosen one was a Sicilian emigrant, major league baseball player Joe DiMaggio. Narcissistic and himself accustomed to the worship of fans, DiMaggio could not come to terms with the incredible popularity of his wife. The marriage did not last even a year. Joe's destructive jealousy, especially after Monroe's filming in The Seven Year Itch (1955), which everyone remembers from the flowing dress episode, led to an assault scandal and subsequent divorce.

Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch

In 1956, the actress married the playwright and intellectual recognized in America, Arthur Miller, for the third time. Their mutual interest arose much earlier, however, serious relationship began only when Marilyn divorced DiMaggio, and Miller’s marriage was on its way out. The wedding ceremony was modest, with only relatives and close friends among those invited.

Despite professional success, some kind of evil fate hung over the very luxurious blonde America, as regards family life, which failed for the third time. All the men with whom Marilyn Monroe officially decided to connect her fate practically idolized their chosen one before the wedding. As soon as they became husbands, they seemed to forget what kind of woman they were living with and tried with all their might to remake her “for themselves,” to make Marilyn an ordinary earthly woman.

A third divorce in 1961 plunged Marilyn into desperate depression. She failed to create a strong and happy family, which she dreamed of since childhood. What remains is the cinema, the love of the public, fleeting novels and... alcohol, which she used to wash down her sleeping pills.

Death of Marilyn Monroe

On May 29, 1962, America celebrated the 45th anniversary of young president John Kennedy. The gala reception at Madison Square Garden was filled with excitement Happy Birthday Mr. President, Happy Birthday to you.” Beautiful woman congratulated her beloved from the stage and, as she thinks, loving man. Soon her most cherished dream will come true, she will have the most wonderful family, she will become the most unique First Lady of the United States!

Marilyn Monroe - Happy Birthday Mr. President

...Such thoughts and even statements were attributed to Marilyn Monroe, whose charm, sexuality and sincerity even the president of the country could not resist. What actually happened, the direct participants in the drama unfolding in those days will no longer tell. One can only guess what storms raged in the soul of Jacqueline Kennedy, the official wife of the president, what role the president’s brother Robert played in the quick outcome, and what John Kennedy himself was silent about. The cherished dream was not destined to come true anyway.

Two months have passed since my birthday. On August 5, Marilyn's maid called the police because she was unusual in seeing light in her mistress's windows after hours. The police found the actress in the bedroom with a telephone receiver in her hands and recorded her death. In the doctor’s report, which later gave rise to many versions of Marilyn Monroe’s death, it was written: “Probably suicide.” But the identity of the alleged suicide is such that neither journalists nor her fans could believe the official version.

Rumors arose about the involvement of the Kennedy clan in the death of everyone's favorite, as well as the mafia and intelligence services, driving her to suicide by Monroe's personal psychologist. Mysterious death The actress haunted researchers of all stripes; books were written about her and films were made. At the age of only 36, the talented and beautiful Marilyn Monroe passed away with last words from an interview with Richard Maryman: “I beg you, don’t make me funny.”

P.S. An Unforgettable Legacy

The image of Marilyn Monroe began to be exploited almost immediately after her death. Thousands of women around the world to this day try to be like her, at least in appearance, since few people manage to understand inner world actresses, even Hollywood wannabes, from Jayne Mansfield to Scarlett Johansson.

"Marilyn Monroe. Last session"

In 2008, documentarian Patrick Jedi created the film “Marilyn Monroe. Last session." The investigation is also carried out in the journalistic documentary film “Evidence from the Past. Marilyn Monroe" (2017). Quite a lot has been created artistic paintings, in one of which, “7 Days and Nights with Marilyn” (2011), the fatal blonde is played by Michelle Williams. For this role, the actress received a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.

Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in 7 Days and Nights with Marilyn (trailer)

Marilyn Monroe was a walking encyclopedia of the secrets of female attractiveness. Her phrases were scattered into quotes, passed from mouth to mouth like secret knowledge. After all, who else knew so much about male nature? It is she who owns the famous aphorisms: “Give a girl a pair of high-heeled shoes, and she will conquer the whole world!”, “I am most definitely a woman, and this makes me happy.” Well, she had the right to teach others. After all, perhaps no other woman initially had less chance of success than a girl from a dysfunctional family with a looming generational curse madness and nicknames “mouse” and “bean” behind his back. However, this inconspicuous coal made itself a shining diamond.

That's why: The same thing can be said about Marilyn Monroe as about Scarlett O'Hara, to slightly paraphrase the writer Margaret Mitchell: she was not a beauty, but men were hardly aware of this if they fell under the fire of her charms. Actors and athletes, writers and presidents - no one could resist her if she used her charm. She herself explained her secret of success very simply: “Always believe in yourself, because if you don’t believe, then who else will?”

Lesson two: Your own Pygmalion

Hair, lips and, to be honest, a luxurious bust - this is the formula for success! This is the first thing that comes to mind when the name Marilyn Monroe is mentioned, but how much of it was real? Definitely not hair! In all the childhood photographs, Norma Jean Baker (née Morteson), as she was then called, had straight, reddish-brown hair. Norma becomes platinum blonde during her first marriage. But if wonderful hair is not a gift from nature, then maybe breasts?

There is evidence that Marilyn Monroe turned to surgeons several times, but the secret of the treatment remained sealed. So, when on November 11, 1954, Marilyn was discharged from a Los Angeles clinic, where she was undergoing some kind of operation, the doctors gave only a meager comment on this matter: “correction of feminine qualities.” Spiteful critics claim that in the photographs of Monroe different periods The “golden bust,” as contemporaries called it, either increases or decreases, although the concept of “Photoshop” did not exist then. It is possible that Marilyn injected paraffin into her breasts to increase their size.

Some biographers have attributed the secret of Marilyn's ample bust to special bras with shaper pads. By the way, this guess was confirmed after Monroe's death. One of the employees of the funeral home, which took over the organization of the actress’s funeral, stole the pillows directly from the body of the legendary blonde to later sell at auction. Thus, the bust was another feature of the appearance that Marilyn made herself.

What about the lips? Cosmetics played an important role in transforming the modest Norma Jean into a woman of the century. She loved perfume and was literally obsessed with skin care. Let's add to this an exciting gait, which has become another recognizable feature of Monroe. They said that Marilyn specially filed her heels so that her hips would sway appetizingly when walking.

That's why: “Two things should be beautiful in a girl: her eyes and her lips, because with her eyes she can make you fall in love, and with her lips she can prove that she loves,” Marilyn said and never tired of confirming this in practice. She, like Pygmalion, created a magnificent Galatea from herself with a thoughtfulness that it is impossible not to admire, sculpting her image carefully, brick by brick, as they build a house for centuries. And Monroe’s ability to make secrets out of the most seemingly ordinary facts can only be envied!

Lesson three: Don't be afraid of change

She knew for sure that men always praised women first of all for their “beautiful wrapper” and only then for everything else. Marilyn was fanatical about her appearance. Later, James Doherty, her first husband, recalled what he thought was his ex-wife’s unusual habit of constantly wiping her face. olive oil. Apparently, it was James's affairs with other women that forced Norma to radically change her image in order to become the best of the best.

In 1942, Norma Jeane got a job at the Radioplane Company plant, where a team of directors and photographers soon arrived for another photo report. Photographer David Conover took a series of photographs of the girl. For the first time, she felt that she was capable of something more than spending her life sorting out parts in a factory.

With Jim Doherty

“Looking at the night sky, I thought that there were probably thousands of girls also sitting alone and dreaming of becoming a star. But I wasn't going to worry about them. After all, my dream cannot be compared with anyone else,” Norma said to herself and, having divorced James, set off to conquer America. The sexy model was offered a contract at the 20th Century Fox film studio on one condition - that she change her name. There was no norm left more space in her current life.

That's why: In her marriage to her first husband, Norma developed the main rule for herself: “Wise girls kiss but do not love, listen but do not believe, and leave before they are abandoned.” Not afraid of divorce and the unknown, she set off to conquer the heights of fame. And when she was asked to change her name, she reasoned like this: Men may neglect Norma Jeane, but Marilyn Monroe will be remembered forever. And they remembered!

Lesson four: Sports passion

By 1948, when the film Chorus Girls was released, the actress had perfected her appearance by straightening and whitening her teeth. Photos of the brilliant blonde sold out like hot cakes. Her beauty seemed simple, like milk and honey. It is not surprising that the directors chose for her exactly those roles that could make every soldier want this “girl next door.” Marilyn herself never abandoned the image she once found, but was constantly looking for new angles.

She knew very well what men wanted. Thus, the world famous baseball player Joseph Paul DiMaggio became interested in Marilyn when he saw a photograph of her playing baseball. Not only was the blond beast incredibly pretty, but they also had common interests(and besides sports, Joe was not interested in anything)! Marilyn did not dissuade the charming athlete.

With Joe DiMaggio

That's why: She realized very quickly that men fall in love with the dreams they create for themselves. The actress admitted: “I have never fooled anyone. I just let people fool themselves. They didn't try to understand who or what I really was. Instead, they created my character themselves. I didn't argue with them." This wise policy helped Monroe string men's hearts on a string like beads.

Lesson five: Romance with a writer

Jealousy also destroyed Marilyn's second marriage. Only this time it was not she who was jealous, but Joe. Years later, Joe admits that if he were Marilyn, he would “divorce himself too.” The athlete could not forget his ex-wife. Shortly before Marilyn's death, they reunited and were even planning to remarry.

In the meantime, the actress was charming another famous man. In 1956, the actress's acquaintance with the writer Arthur Miller develops into love, and then into marriage. And again, it is not a real woman who appears on the stage of family life, but a carefully created image. Arthur Miller no longer gets an athletic blonde, like his predecessor, but an educated beauty. Marilyn appears in public only with a book in her hands. Love from photography again? Oh yes! Marilyn even writes poetry and dedicates it to her husband: “Your heart is the only thing that gives me happiness and pride.”

This marriage could not withstand Marilyn's popularity, but many years later the very old Arthur Miller would secretly leave his wife and children for a small studio where he kept films starring ex-wife. You can part with her, forget her - never!

That's why: I remember Chekhov’s “Darling”, which adapted to its men. Monroe, who attended Mikhail Chekhov's theater courses, was very familiar with this heroine and learned a lot from her. She knew how to use her strengths, because, no matter what they say, Monroe was a great actress.

Lesson six: Mister President

It seemed that all of Marilyn's previous marriages were preparing her for the most important meeting of her life. That’s right, Marilyn is aiming for an affair with President John Kennedy - after all, she always chooses the best! Now that she is at the peak of her form, who could resist this most charming goddess? Certainly not Senator Kennedy (he was still a senator at the time). At the party where they met, John flirted recklessly with Marilyn. Later, when Kennedy becomes a presidential candidate, he asks Monroe to take part in election campaign. And she is not afraid to disrupt filming schedules in order to travel around the states for her loved one.

Interestingly, Monroe still considers beauty to be her main assistant in love affairs. When her lover begins to forget her, she decides to remind herself in an extravagant way: she orders a dress from a fashion designer who created the famous concert outfit for Marlene Dietrich, with whom John Kennedy also once had an affair. Marilyn wants to prove to John that she is no worse than him former women and at the same time evoke the necessary romantic associations. Marilyn wears a translucent dress without underwear and appears in this form at a gala concert in honor of President Kennedy's birthday. There she sings the song Happy Birthday so openly that the air thickens with passion. Of course, this impromptu, like all other actions, is carefully prepared.

That's why: Monroe benefited from relationships with any of her men. With her first husband, she learned to take care of her appearance, the second told her how to take care of her own body, communication with the third replenished her intellectual luggage. In their notebooks Marilyn sets development vectors: “always work on acting exercises”, “take care of your instrument - morally and physically (exercises).”

She was an excellent strategist who knew exactly what she wanted. Is this why millions of men’s hearts still beat faster at the sound of her name?..

Marilyn Monroe's diaries and sketches reveal her sensitive nature and poetic soul.

Glamor icon

One of the reasons why Marilyn Monroe remains such a powerful and visible icon of beauty and glamor is that she never aged in front of the cameras. Unlike her contemporaries Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds and Jane Russell, she was a model of perfection: fluffy blonde hair, eyes under sleepy eyelids and a smile that at the same time seems dazzling and carefree... Her carefreeness was main reason why interest in her films and performances continues today.

The circumstances of Monroe's death have always been viewed as dark side this luminous vision. It became a cautionary tale about the effects of excess and drugs on life, fueled by rumors about Kennedy, Sinatra and Joe DiMaggio. Marilyn's biographers and journalists know many stories about drug addiction and mental illness, with which the star fought. They all contributed to the legend of Monroe as a tragic victim - a girl who lived in foster care as a child and was exploited by men in her adult life when she craved their affection. This ultimately led her to a lonely and mysterious death.

Publishing diaries

However, in 2010, the publication of her personal papers revealed a more contemplative and poetic Monroe, as evidenced by her handwritten poems, letters, and diary entries. These documents were published in a collection entitled "Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters to Marilyn Monroe." These notes from Marilyn can be called the works of a poet - a person who wants to write and express himself in carefully chosen words. She tried to find the exact phrase to convey a mood or feeling, and also showed an understanding of her star status.

As the editors of the collection say, the documents published in it are a real treasure. There is nothing dirty or low about them. This is not Marilyn's way. Her diaries do not reveal secrets, but rather create even more of them.

"Feeling Yourself"

In her notes she wrote about early period her marriage to James Dougherty in the early 1940s. Her notes show that the writing process itself was an integral part of Monroe's life and well-being. She could be honest in her diaries, perhaps even more than anywhere else. In one of her diaries she wrote an undated entry: “Sometimes I can’t understand other people. I know they all have problems just like me, but I'm really too tired of it all. I'm trying to understand, but I see a lot of things that just bother me."

In one of her diaries, dated 1955, she writes that her first desire was to become an actress, and that she strives to work to the fullest, without being ashamed of it. Her desire to work on herself was merciless: “I can and try to work on things analytically, no matter how painful it is.” In one line, she reminds herself to have a “sense of self,” as if these words ground her in some way and remind her of what she needs to mean.

Fears and family life

In a notebook, while in one of the hotels, she writes that she “should not accept obligations or bind herself.” There is another entry that says: Marilyn must remember that there is nothing that she lacks - nothing to concentrate on herself, except for the discipline and techniques that she studies and seeks for herself. She worked to overcome her fear, but it was present in every aspect of her life, including her marriage to Arthur Miller. While in England, where The Prince and Snow White was filmed, Marilyn discovered pages from Miller's diary, where, as he claimed, there were sketches of a new character. In this diary, he expressed disappointment in his marriage and admitted that he was sometimes ashamed of his wife in front of his friends. This was a devastating blow to Monroe, and her notes at the time show just how powerful it was. She writes: “I think I have always been too scared to be someone's wife, because I know from my life that one person cannot love another too much. Starting tomorrow, I will take care of myself and everything I truly have and have ever had.”

The passages she wrote in her notes show that this woman constantly sought to “ground” herself and help herself cope with her inner demons. They also show Monroe's determination and strong will. Whether it was planning parties or preparing for a performance, Monroe always strived to make everything the best she could.

Personal documents

For those who are truly passionate about personal and family life Monroe, there is also a book about the contents of her personal papers, called "MM - Personal". In it, historian Lewis Banner uses invoices, receipts, letters, contracts and business documents to challenge many of the myths about Monroe. One of them was the idea that Marilyn didn't understand financial reporting. The contents of her documents show that this is not true. The banner also demonstrates that Monroe was a capable woman who enjoyed cooking and had many good friends. Personal items from Monroe's archives, such as greeting cards, checks and telegrams, create the feeling that you can actually understand Monroe's inner world, getting closer to her secrets.

Modern popularity

This behind-the-scenes access to Monroe's life fuels her contemporary popularity on social media, with countless posts and pages dedicated to her. However, it must be remembered that her diaries and sketches were not originally intended for publication. These are the creative and poetic reflections and observations of a woman, which express her character and creativity. In them she could honestly say what she felt and what she wanted. They are more consistent with photographs of Monroe, which show her as a contemplative thinker and avid reader.

The most important thing that these diaries and letters did was that they gave Marilyn Monroe her own voice, created by her hand. And he completely contradicts the image created by the media. In other words, they add a creative and personal dimension to the cultural icon that is Monroe, allowing us to relate to her as a real woman, with all her desires and personal opinions.

At the beginning of her career, Marilyn Monroe looked a little different from what we were used to. The actress gradually came to the image of a platinum blonde with scarlet lips. Even the girl's name was different.

Norma Jeane Mortenson - that was the name of the future screen star - was born in Los Angeles in 1926. The mother named the girl in honor of Jean Tolmadge, a Hollywood star of that time. Perhaps this is what determined fate future actress. Marilyn's childhood can hardly be called happy. The actress’s mother suffered from a mental disorder, which is why it was decided to place the child in a foster family. Over the course of several years, Norma Jeane changed several guardians and shelters. At one time, the girl was raised by a friend of her mother, who often took her to cinemas and, one might say, opened the world of the big screen for her.

As soon as Norma Jeane turned sixteen, she rushed to marry her boyfriend. The marriage did not work out: already in 1945, the prospect of a new life opened up for the future star - she was invited to work as a model for an army photographer. At that time, photographs of pretty girls were very popular in the army: soldiers hung them above their beds. Within a few months, photographs of Norma Jeane graced the covers of magazines.

The offer from the film studio also did not take long to arrive: in 1948, the girl entered into a contract with the powerful 20th Century Fox. Norma Jeane was accepted into the studio as an extra. The agents demand that the girl change her name and correct something in her appearance. This is how Marilyn Monroe was born. Of the three proposed options: Carol Lind, Claire Norman, Marilyn Miller, the girl chooses the latter, but with some amendments. Instead of the surname “Miller,” it was decided to use Norma’s mother’s maiden name, Monroe.

The image of the future star also needed adjustments. The girl's agent insisted on several plastic surgery: Norma corrected the shape of her nose and lips. But the main transformation affected hair color. On the advice of her mentor, Marilyn dyed her hair from brown hair to platinum blonde. Small changes - that's all famous image was ready! All that remained was to get an interesting role that would make the public pay attention to the new star.

At first, Marilyn was offered only episodes. The turning point came after his role in the film “Chorus Girls,” which was filmed by Columbia Pictures. Here Marilyn was entrusted with a big role for the first time. The picture quickly became popular and the 20th Century Fox studio decided to sign a 7-year contract with the girl so as not to lose a promising actress. Having bet on Marilyn, the studio made the right decision. Her popularity grew with each film.

The first major project with Monroe - the film "The Asphalt Jungle", where the actress had a not the main but noticeable role, brought decent dividends to 20th Century Fox, and Marilyn - much-desired recognition. The actress immediately received the title of “sex symbol”. Girls of that time tried to be like Monroe, and all the men were secretly or openly in love with the charming blonde.

Gradually, Marilyn develops her own unique style: her gaze, manner of speaking and dressing, gait, smile, gestures - everything serves to create the desired flair. They say that the star even specially filed down one heel so that her hips would sway a little when walking.

Marilyn's career developed rapidly. The public wanted to see their favorite more often. The studio provided her with such an opportunity: Marilyn appeared in many films. True, she almost always got the same type of roles as stupid blondes. Directors were afraid to change the role of the actress, preferring to film her in her usual image. One after another, famous films appear on the screens: “Niagara”, “How to Marry a Millionaire”, “Some Like It Hot”, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”. These films are forever included in the golden film stock of Hollywood.

However, Marilyn always dreamed of a serious dramatic role; she wanted to realize herself in a different role. She studied with teachers, tried to expand her horizons, but the directors still saw in her only a beauty, capable of attracting the viewer only with her appetizing forms and funny songs.

In addition to her acting profession, Marilyn continued to act as a model. Her photographs graced the covers of the most influential magazines of the time. Every famous photographer of that time dreamed of capturing the bright beauty of the actress.

Marilyn Monroe's personal life was quite turbulent. She married several times, but was never able to create strong family. In 1962 famous actress was found dead in her own home. According to experts, the cause of death was an overdose of antidepressants.
Years go by, but the image of Marilyn continues to excite minds: songs are dedicated to her, books are written about her and films are made. Today we can say with confidence that the years have no power over the fame of the actress: she, like many years ago, remains