Marilyn

Norma Jean Mortenson was born June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles.  Growing up poor, without knowing her father, and having a mentally ill mother, she was passed around foster homes until she ended up in an orphanage.  She married at age 16 to her first husband, James Dougherty.  He worked in an aircraft plant.  She began to model.

After 4 years, her marriage ended.  Some of her swimsuit photos caught the eye of Howard Hughes.  She was brought into Hollywood for a screen test.  Her first years as an actress were low paid and unsuccessful.  She went back to modeling time after time. 

She was also married to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller  in her short 36 year life.  She appeared in over 30 films and had many more in the works before her untimely death in 1962.

Norma Jean started using the stage name Marilyn Monroe in 1946, but did not legally change her name until 1956.  Her mother's maiden name was Monroe.  She later said that she wished she'd gone by Jean instead of Marilyn!

The famous nude photo of her by Tom Kelley, that later became her Playboy centerfold image, originally appeared in a calendar entitled "Miss Golden Dreams."Hugh Hefner then bought the rights to the photo for $500. Marilyn never saw a dime of the millions the calendar made for its publisher.

"I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I'm out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe