IndexThe Early Life of Marilyn MonroeFamous CareerThe Legacy Left BehindOvercoming a difficult childhood and striving to reach the top was the only way for Norma Jeane Mortenson, better known as Marilyn Monroe, to be successful. Becoming the world's biggest and most enduring sex symbol seems like an easy and fun life, but for Marilyn it's much more than that. Acting in numerous films and modeling leads to a life of luxury; or a life of hidden pain. Marilyn Monroe's life ended at the young age of thirty-six due to an overdose of sleeping pills. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Early Life of Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California. Marilyn's birth name was Norma Jeane Mortenson, later baptized as Norma Jeane Baker. During Monroe's childhood, her mother, Glady, had developed psychiatric problems and was eventually committed to a mental institution. One of Marilyn's earliest memories was of her mother trying to smother her in the crib with a pillow. Marilyn also had a half-sister with whom she was not intimate and only met her a few times. Monroe had no idea who her biological father was, although rumors circulated that Clark Gable may have been her father. There was no evidence that Glady had ever met or known Gable. (Marilyn Monroe 1) As a child, Marilyn was in and out of various foster care and orphanages. This is where he spent most of his time growing up. He also bounced from school to school. The Goddards were Marilyn's parents for only a few years. Marilyn's mother paid them twenty-five dollars a week to raise her. After Mr. Goddard was offered a job on the East Coast, which he couldn't pass up, Marilyn was forced to stay due to financial problems. Monroe then married, at the young age of just sixteen, to Jim Dougherty, her boyfriend. and close. It was better than being thrown into another family or foster home, and she even saw it as a way out. Dougherty was sent to the South Pacific shortly after their marriage. Monroe went to work in California for some extra money. This is where she was discovered by photographer David Conover and received a little modeling work. When Dougherty returned in 1944, Marilyn had successfully embarked on a modeling career. Her newfound fame as a model led to a divorce from her husband and the start of a new life. (Marilyn Monroe 1) Famous careerAfter her final divorce in 1946, Norma changed her name to Marilyn Monroe. With hopes of becoming a famous actress, she thought Marilyn Monroe was a more appropriate name. Along with the new name came a new image, she would no longer have the brown hair she was born with, but a beautiful blonde color. Shortly after starting her modeling career, Marilyn signed her first contract with 20th Century Fox around 1946. (Fox par 5) This was her first big success and he promised her twenty-five dollars a week for a year. It was starting to get noticed. His first film, Scudda Doo, Scudda Hay, never made it to theaters. (Kashner 1) Marilyn returned to modeling after her acting career left her jobless. However, Marilyn did not give up on her dreams. Finally, in 1950, Marilyn was offered a small part in The Asphalt Jungle (1950). This ensured her more attention and her acting was revived. He had the fan mail to prove it. (McHenry 1) His success began to grow. The next thing he knew he had another contract with Fox. All About Eve was the film that got her this contract. Soon Marilyn Monroe was knownall over the world. Acting wasn't the only thing Monroe did in movies now, she also sang. In 1951, he starred in Let's Make It Legal and Love Nest. Marilyn's career was skyrocketing, she was your rising star. Just two years later, in 1953, Monroe made a star turn at Niagara. This is when Marilyn began to be seen as a sex goddess, a symbol of sex. (Matthews 1) Initially, when Marilyn began her acting career, she was not considered a star, but now she was proving her ability by winning various awards and attracting large audiences with her films. (Marilyn Monroe par 5) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) started a new type of film for Monroe, it was a successful musical comedy. He was on a comedy movie train, later starring in How to Marry a Millionaire (1954), There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) and The Seven Year Itch (1955). (Marilyn Monroe 1).Marilyn suffered from pre-performance anxiety, which sometimes made her physically ill, and would also be a major cause of Monroe's legendary lateness on film sets. His lateness reportedly angered his co-stars and producers. Monroe had become an international star. Her hourglass figure and whispery voice made her widely admired. Monroe's tardiness began to become a problem when trying to produce films; resulting in her being signed and released from several movie studio contracts. (Marilyn Monroe 2) When Marilyn got tired of the same old "dumb blonde" roles, she moved to New York City to study acting at the Actor's Studio. This was something that more experienced actors and actresses would not do. They wouldn't have wanted to listen to someone with less knowledge, but Marilyn wanted to expand her acting horizons. When Monroe starred in his next film, Bus Stop (1956); a comedy-drama in which she played a saloon singer kidnapped by a rancher who had fallen in love with her. Monroe had received mixed reviews for the film, but mostly praise. Soon afterwards Monroe had returned to a more familiar state of acting. In Some Like It Hot (1959), a funny film, she played a singer hoping to marry a millionaire. Monroe received the award for "Best Actress in a Comedy" at the 1959 Golden Globe Awards for her part in Some Like It Hot. (Marilyn Monroe 2). Marilyn's last completed film would be The Misfits (1961). In 1962, Monroe was excused from the film due to consecutive absences. Monroe had said the absences were due to illness, according to a New York Times article. Monroe's professional and personal life seemed to be in trouble at this time. The last two films Monroe starred in, Let's Make Love (1960) and The Misfits (1961) proved to be box office disappointments. Marilyn's personal life was also crumbling, she had a sequence of unsuccessful relationships and marriages. She married Yankees baseball phenom Joe DiMaggio in January 1954 and divorced in October 1954; a short marriage of nine months. Two years later she married playwright Arthur Miller from 1956 to 1961. Also in 1962 Monroe gave her now famous "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" performance on May 19. (Marilyn Monroe 3) The Legacy Left Behind At the age of just thirty-six, Monroe was found dead in her Los Angeles home on August 5, 1962. An empty bottle of sleeping pills was found next to her bed. Over the years, speculation has led to speculation that she may have been murdered, but the cause of Marilyn's death was ruled to be drug overdose. (Marilyn Monroe 3) Some rumors claim that Monroe was involved with President John F. Kennedy and/or his brother Robert around the time of her death, but in reality there is no.