Marilyn Monroe Biography

Voted 'Sexiest Woman of the Century' by People Magazine. [1999]
Was 1947's Miss California Artichoke Queen.
Was a direct descendant of U.S. President James Monroe, on her mother's side.
Was roommates with Shelley Winters when they were both starting out in Hollywood.
Ranked #8 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
Voted Empire's (UK) "sexiest female movie star of all time" in 1995.
Playboy "Sweetheart" of the Month, December 1953.
When she died in 1962 at age 36, she left an estate valued at $1.6 million. In her will, Monroe bequeathed 75% of that estate to Lee Strasberg, her acting coach, and 25% to Dr. Marianne Kris, her psychoanalyst. A trust fund provided her mother, Gladys Baker Eley, with $5,000 a year. When Dr. Kris died in 1980, she passed her 25% on to the Anna Freud Centre, a children's psychiatric institute in London. Since Strasberg's death in 1982, his 75% has been administered by his widow, Anna, and her lawyer, Irving Seidman.
The licensing of Marilyn's name and likeness, handled world-wide by Curtis Management Group, reportedly nets the Monroe estate about $2 million a year.
Was named the Number One Sex Star of the 20th Century by Playboy magazine in 1999.
Started using the name Marilyn Monroe in 1946, but did not legally change it until 1956.
Appeared on the first cover of Playboy in 1953.
Had a dog named Tippy when she was a child. In her final, unfinished film, _Something's Got To Give (1962)_ , the dog was also named Tippy.
Interred at Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California, USA, in the Corridor of Memories, crypt #24.
Hundreds of items of memorabilia auctioned off in late October, 1999 by Christie's, with her infamous 'JFK' birthday-gown fetching over $1 million.
Was a natural-born brunette.
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#2). [1995]
Hugh M. Hefner owns the burial vault next to hers.
Died with the phone in her hand.
Ex-husband Joe DiMaggio put fresh roses at her memorial site for years after her death
When putting her imprints at Grauman's she joked that Jane Russell was best known for her large front-side and she was known for her wiggly walk, so Jane could lean over, and she could sit in it. It was only a joke, but she dotted the "I" in her name with a rhinestone, which was stolen within days.
The character of Ginger from TV's _"Gilligan's Island" (1968)_ was loosely based on her.
Her first modeling job paid only five dollars.
Frequently used Nivea moisturizer.
During the filming of Niagara (1953), Marilyn was still under contract as a stock actor, thus, she received less salary than her make-up man.
Often carried around the book, "The Biography of Abraham Lincoln."
Was an outstanding player on the Hollygrove Orphanage softball team.
Because the bathing suit she wore in the movie Love Nest (1951) was so risque (for the time period) and caused such a commotion on the set, director Joseph M. Newman had to make it a closed set when she was filming.
It was in her contract that she did not have to work when she was having her menstrual cycle.
Fearing blemishes, she washed her face fifteen times a day.
She was suggested as a possible wife for Prince Rainier of Monaco. He later married actress Grace Kelly.
Thought the right side of her face was her "best" side.
The first time she signed an autograph as Marilyn Monroe, she had to ask how to spell it. She didn't know where to put the "i" in "Marilyn".
Born at 9:30 am
Suffered from endometriosis, a condition in which tissues of the uterus lining (endometrium) leave the uterus, attach themselves to other areas of the body, and grow, causing pain, irregular bleeding, and, in severe cases, infertility.
Divorced first husband, James Dougherty, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Divorced last husband, Arthur Miller, in Juarez, Mexico.
Wore glasses.
Obtained order from the City Court of the State of New York to legally change her name from Norma Jeane Mortenson to Marilyn Monroe. [23 February 1956]
Married Arthur Miller twice: the 1st time in a civil ceremony, then in a Jewish (to which she had converted) ceremony 2 days later.
Won an interlocutory decree from Joe DiMaggio on 27 October 1954, but, under California law, the divorce was not finalized until exactly 1 year later.
Offered to convert to Catholism in order to marry Joe DiMaggio in a Church ceremony, but she was turned down because she was divorced. Subsequently, when the divorced DiMaggio married Marilyn in a civil ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, he was automatically excommunicated by the Church; this edict was struck down by Pope John XXIII's Ecumenical Council (Vatican II) in 1962.
Even the origin of her name has been subject to debate. Although it's believed that her movie-crazy mother, Gladys, named her after Norma Talmadge, Gladys reportedly told her daughter, Bernice (Marilyn's half-sister), that she named Marilyn after Norma Jeane Cohen, a woman Gladys knew while she lived in Kentucky with Bernice's father.
Pictured on a 32� US commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, issued 1 June 1995.
Went to Van Nuys High School (Los Angeles) in the early 1940s but never graduated.
Elton John (British Pop/Rock Star) recorded a tribute to her entitled "Candle in the Wind". In 1997 this was re-recorded with updated lyrics in memory of Princess Diana, an equally troubled person who also met an untimely death.
Her behavior on the unfinished Something's Got to Give (1962) dimmed her reputation in the industry, but she was still big box office at the time of her death, slated to appear in (among other projects) the splashy musical What a Way to Go! (1964) and the stark drama The Stripper (1963).
When told she was not the star in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) Marilyn was quoted "Well whatever I am, I'm still the blonde."
The famous nude photo of her by Tom Kelley originally appeared as Anonymous on a calendar entitled "Miss Golden Dreams." In 1952, a blackmailer threatened to identify the model as Marilyn, but she shrewdly thwarted the scheme by announcing the fact herself. Hugh M. Hefner then bought the rights to use the photo for $500. She became "The Sweetheart of the Month" in the first issue of Hefner's magazine, Playboy. Neither Kelley or Monroe ever saw a dime of the millions the calendar made for its publisher.
Formed her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions {31 December 1955).
Appears on sleeve of The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album.
Batman writer/artist Bob Kane used Marilyn's likeness as a reference when he drew Vicki Vale.
She is mentioned in the song "Lady Nina" by rock band Marillion.
Her USO Entertainer Identification Card listed her name as "Norma Jean DiMaggio".
She was "discovered" by press photographers during a WWII photo shoot at the Radioplane plant in California (a manufacturer of military drone targets), owned by actor Reginald Denny. She was one of the plant's employees, and her attractive looks and natural charm made her a "magnet" for the photographers.
Was referenced in the dialogue of Dolce vita, La (1960), in the context of dieting.
Measurements: 37C-24-35 (definitive measurements for the majority of her career) / (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
The Emily Ann Faulkner/Rita Shawn character (played by Kim Stanley) in the John Cromwell film The Goddess (1958) was based on her.
The first Playboy magazine cover, featuring her, is pictured on one of six stamps issued in a souvenir sheet, issued by Grenada & the Grenadines on 1 December 2003 to celebrate Playboy's 50th anniversary.
She had an American mother of Scottish heritage and a Norwegian father.
Her father, Martin Edward Mortensen, emigrated from Haugesund, Norway. Today the town has a statue of Marilyn sitting on the docks with her back to the ocean, created by legendary Norwegian artist Nils Aas (1933-2004).
When she wasn't working she preferred wearing nothing but a bathrobe.
Def Leppard's 1983 #1 hit single "Photograph" from their Pyromania album was written about her.
"Candle In The Wind", the Elton John song written about her, was lyrically changed to fit Princess Diana upon her death. Coincidentally, both legends died at age 36.
She was voted the 4th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
The punk band The Misfits got their name from her last movie, The Misfits (1961).
The punk band The Misfits recorded a song called "Who Killed Marilyn?" inspired by lead singer Glenn Danzig's belief that she was murdered.
Featured on a 1.11 euro postage stamp issued by French Post Office on 8 November 2003
The very popular version of "Santa Baby" (also found in the film, Party Monster (2003)) thought to be sung by her was instead recorded by Cynthia Basinet for Jack Nicholson as a Christmas gift.
On May 29, 1962 she performed for president John F. Kennedy at his 45th birthday tribute in his honor at Madison Square Garden. She sang "Happy Birthday".
Discovering her dress was torn at the 1950 Academy Awards, she burst into tears
She was voted the 2nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.
Was named #6 Actress on The American Film Institute's 50 Greatest Screen Legends
Is portrayed by Mira Sorvino and Ashley Judd in Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996) (TV)
Is portrayed by Barbara Niven in The Rat Pack (1998) (TV), by Holly Beavon in James Dean (2001) (TV), by Constance Forslund in This Year's Blonde (1980) (TV), by Susan Griffiths in Marilyn and Me (1991) (TV), Catherine Hicks in Marilyn: The Untold Story (1980) (TV), by Sophie Monk in The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004) (TV), by Poppy Montgomery in _"Blonde" (2001) (mini)_ , by Kerri Randles in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) (TV), by Heather Thomas in Hoover vs. the Kennedys: The Second Civil War (1987) (TV) and by Melody Anderson in Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair (1993) (TV).
Is one of the many movie stars mentioned in Madonna's song "Vogue"
The dress Marilyn wore to serenade JFK at his birthday celebration was so tight she had to be sewn into it.
James Dougherty, her fist husband, died of complications of leukemia in San Rafael, California, at age 84, on 15th August 2005.
In 1999, a make-up kit that she had owned sold for $266,500.
Died at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood, California.
One of the first Los Angeles natives to become a major movie star.
Aside from her birth name of Norma Jeane Baker she was also known, in her modeling days as Norma Jeane Dougherty (her first marriage name), and Jean Norman. When she signed with 20th Century Fox they her studio liaison Ben Lyon had first chose the name Carol Lind as her stage name, although she disliked that. Eventually she chose her mothers maiden name of Monroe. Eventually three names were drawn up as possibly stage names. The first was Norma Jeane Monroe, although that sounded awkward, the second was Jean Monroe, and the third was Marilyn Monroe, the latter first name being chosen by Lyons who thought Norma Jeane resembled famed stage actress Marilyn Miller. Norma Jeane liked Jean Monroe for it preserved some of her name but Lyons convinced her that Marilyn Monroe sounded more alliterative and so it was chosen.
She took acting lessons from Michael Chekhov
Genius Sergei Parajanov made collages of Marilyn Monroe, Chaplin, Mona Lisa etc and many were featured in Mikhail Vartanov's Parajanov: The Last Spring (1992)