Norma Jeane AKA Marilyn Monroe ( 1926 - 1962 ) Images, Videos & More

Norma Jeane Mortenson born on June 1, 1926 to parents Gladys Pearl (Monroe) Baker & Martin Edward Mortenson. For many years it was believed that Gladys's second husband Martin Edward Mortenson (1897–1981) was Monroe's father as listed on her birth certificate. However this has been disputed with Monroe herself believing a salesman named Charles Stanley Gifford was her father. Throughout her life Marilyn always believed that Gifford was her father.

Norma Jeane was was raised by her foster parents Albert and Ida Bolender of Hawthorne, California until she was seven due to her mother Glady's inability to care for her daughter. Norma Jeane after being moved to numerous foster homes was married to James Dougherty weeks after she turned 16, so that Norma Jeane would not have to return to an orphanage or foster care.

Norma Jean Dougherty moved in with her mother in Law and worked in the Radioplane Company owned by Hollywood actor Reginald Denny, where her potential for being a model was noticed by Army photographer David Conover who was taking photos for a YANK magazine article about women contributing to the war effort scouting the local factories.

Norma Jeane was signed by The Blue Book modeling agency who got her hair cut, straightened & lightened to Golden blonde becoming the most successful model of the agency appearing on dozens of magazine covers grabbing attention of talent scout Ben Lyon who screen tested her and got her a standard six month contract signed with 20th Century Fox adopting the screen name Marilyn ( after the famous actress Marilyn Miller)with Monroe ( her mothers maiden name ) for her last name. Thus, the 20-year-old Norma Jeane Baker became Marilyn Monroe.

Marilyn Monroe, after having no work for the first 6 months was offered a contract renewal with minor appearances in and Dangerous Years & Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!in which her part was edited out of the film except for a quick glimpse of her face when she speaks two words. Fox denying her contract renewal got Monroe returning to modelling & began to network making contacts in Hollywood. She posed for nude photographs which were later featured in the first issue of Playboy.

Monroe starred in Ladies of the Chorus, the unsuccessful low-budget musical which only got Monroe dropped yet who later contacted Hollywood's top agent Johnny Hyde, who had Fox re-sign her after MGM turned her down. Marilyn was again offered minor roles in Love Happy (1949), and in Fox's All About Eve and MGM's The Asphalt Jungle (both 1950)but this time got the attention she required from the movie critics.

Marilyn later had minor plastic surgery arranged by Hyde on her nose and chin, adding that to earlier dental surgery and around this time, the nude photos of Monroe began to surface and to the dismay of Fox, Monroe decided to publicly admit it was indeed her in the pictures. Fox after her numerous minor roles gave her a starring role in 1952 with Don't Bother to Knock, in which she portrayed a deranged babysitter who attacks the little girl in her care. It was a cheaply made B-movie that got mixed reviews claiming that it demonstrated Monroe's ability and confirmed that she was ready for more leading roles. Her performance in the film 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' and 'How to Marry a Millionaire' has since been noted as one of the finest of her career making her a A-list actress.

Death of Marilyn Monroe : On August 5, 1962 Marilyn Monroe was dead at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. Many questions remain unanswered about the circumstances of her death and the timeline from when Monroe's body was found. Her death was classified as "probable suicide" but because of a lack of evidence they could not classify her death as suicide or homicide. Also, some conspiracy theories involve John and Robert Kennedy with her death, while other theories suggest CIA or mafia complicity. As a side note, toxicology tests revealed that Monroe also had a slight iron deficiency in her blood.

On August 8, 1962, Monroe was interred in a crypt at Corridor of Memories, #24, at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Lee Strasberg delivered the eulogy and 40 years after her death in 2002 Forbes.com compiled a survey titled "Highest-Earning Dead Celebrities," which compared the money the celebrities' estates earn annually from sales. Monroe ranked 9th, as the only woman on the list.

CLICK IMAGE BELOW FOR MARILYN MONROE'S GALLERIA

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