Marilyn Monroe

By: Emma Cutler

     "I'm a performer, don't you know?" Marilyn Monroe said to adoring fans all around her. Monroe was a famous actress, singer, and model. Many believe that she was among the most inspirational people to ever live. Unfortunately, she didn't last very long. Monroe died at age thirty-six from a Barbiturate overdose, believed to be suicide. But, she was one of the most influential people of the 20th Century.

     Monroe was born Norma Jean Mortenson on June 1, 1926 at the Los Angeles General Hospital. She was born to Gladys Pearl Monroe and her father is unknown but believed to be Edward Mortenson because he was listed on her birth certificate as him. She also had two half siblings-whom she did not meet until she was an adult-Robert and Bernice Baker.

Marilyn's childhood is a depressing tale. She lived with her mother in a foster home with foster parents Ida and Albert Bolender, until her mother had to go back to Hollywood for work and Marilyn had to stay with the Bolenders. Throughout her young life, Marilyn went in and out of foster homes (some abusive) and an orphanage. She ended up total having lived in eleven foster homes and spent one year in the Children's Aid Society Orphanage in Los Angeles. When she was 16 she was married to James Dougherty because her foster parents had to move out of state and she could not come due to legal reasons. Monroe had to marry Dougherty to avoid going back to the orphanage.

     Marilyn's career started in 1944 when she met photographer David Conover. She had been working at the Radio Plane Munitions factory to help with the war effort and he had been sent to take pictures of beautiful woman at the factories. At this time Marilyn began dying her dark brown, curly hair blonde and straightening it.

     By the time Marilyn was twenty years old she had appeared on thirty-three magazine covers and had recently signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. Also, she had been granted a divorce to James Dougherty. About her marriage she said, "Marriage didn't make me sad, but it didn't make me happy, either. My husband and I hardly spoke to each other. This wasn't because we were angry. We had nothing to say. I was dying of boredom."

     Marilyn also had many setbacks during the early times of her career. She had many conflicts involving contracts, such as demanding more control over the films she auditioned for. She also had conflicts involving fighting for women's rights in the way that she was underpaid compared to the men, who might have an equal role as her but get paid twice as much!

     To become truly famous Marilyn decided to make many changes. First off, she began publicizing her rights. Second, she began working even harder to get into major films and get major roles. Finally, but probably with the least impact on making her famous, she was married again. She was married to famous baseball player Joe DiMaggio in 1954. That marriage only lasted nine months. They divorced because DiMaggio became jealous of Monroe's modeling. The modeling shoot that really affected him was the extremely famous one of Marilyn's white dress being flown up over a subway grate.

     By the late 1940s, Marilyn's career really kicked off. She had starred in several films. Some of them included Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like it Hot, Clash by Night, Niagara, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Seven Year Itch, and many others. During this time Marilyn had been married to playwright Arthur Miller (married in 1956), but they divorced in 1961 because of Marilyn's many affairs.

     Marilyn was a huge woman's rights supporter. She believed that she deserved more control over the films she auditioned for. She was suspended from the studio and was threatened to be 'destroyed' by the manager. Finally, after much research and devotion, she had managed to prove her contract to be no longer valid. This was a huge success in her lifetime.

     Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962 in her hometown of Los Angeles, California. She died of a supposed suicide, having taken many times the amount of sleeping pills she was supposed to. Though, her friends believed that her doctor had told her to take the multiple dosages because he had been hired by President John F. Kennedy-whom she had an affair with-to kill her. But that is just a theory. (www.telegraph.co.uk)

     Marilyn has greatly impacted present America. She has inspired people to take stands for what they believe in and inspires many present day actors, singers, and models to strive for their goals and is the hero of many.

     Marilyn had many personality traits that made her such a great person. She was strong, passionate, and refused to let men/boys think of her only good quality to being beautiful. She wanted them to see her as the strong, passionate, independent woman she was. This is why Marilyn Monroe is one of my heroes and I believe her to be one of the most influential people of the 20th Century.

Bibiliography:

Contributors, Wikipedia. "Marilyn Monroe." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Oct. 2001. Web.

Harrod, Horatia. "50 Things You Didn't Know about Marilyn." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 1 June 2015. Web.

Leaming, Barbara. Marilyn Monroe. New York: Crown, 1998. Print.

McDonough, Yona Zeldis. All the Available Light: A Marilyn Monroe Reader. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002. Print.