Marylin Monroe

Marylin Monroe From the beginning of the 1950s to the early 1960s, Marilyn Monroe was one of the hottest stars in Hollywood. Her “blonde bombshell” characters, often appearing in comedic roles, lit up the screen, and her colorful and turbulent private life — which often became very public — made her even more famous. Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, the future star had a tough childhood, moving between 12 successive sets of foster parents and spending time in an orphanage. The movies provided an escape. In her last-ever interview, just days before her death, Monroe said, “Some of my foster families used to send me to the movies to get me out of the house and there I'd sit all day and way into the night. Up in front, there with the screen so big, a little kid all alone, and I loved it.” Many of her most successful roles saw her playing women who were naïve, artificial, sexually available, or a combination of all three — the stereotypical “dumb blonde.” Her onscreen persona, however, was far removed from the real woman, the real Norma Jeane. As Sarah Churchwell, author of The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, put it, “The biggest myth is that she was dumb. The second is that she was fragile. The third is that she couldn't act.” Marilyn Monroe died of an overdose on August 4, 1962. But, as Elton John sang in his 1973 song “Candle in the Wind,” her candle burned out long before her legend ever did. She remains one of the greatest pop culture icons in American history and a screen legend from the Golden Age of Hollywood. And she left us with a wealth of witty, clever, and honest quotes that reveal her true character: a smart, fierce, and funny woman in possession of so much more than sex appeal. From the beginning of the 1950s to the early 1960s, Marilyn Monroe was one of the hottest stars in Hollywood. Her “blonde bombshell” characters, often appearing in comedic roles, lit up the screen, and her colorful and turbulent private life — which often became very public — made her even more famous. Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, the future star had a tough childhood, moving between 12 successive sets of foster parents and spending time in an orphanage. The movies provided an escape. In her last-ever interview, just days before her death, Monroe said, “Some of my foster families used to send me to the movies to get me out of the house and there I'd sit all day and way into the night. Up in front, there with the screen so big, a little kid all alone, and I loved it.” Many of her most successful roles saw her playing women who were naïve, artificial, sexually available, or a combination of all three — the stereotypical “dumb blonde.” Her onscreen persona, however, was far removed from the real woman, the real Norma Jeane. As Sarah Churchwell, author of The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, put it, “The biggest myth is that she was dumb. The second is that she was fragile. The third is that she couldn't act.” Marilyn Monroe died of an overdose on August 4, 1962. But, as Elton John sang in his 1973 song “Candle in the Wind,” her candle burned out long before her legend ever did. She remains one of the greatest pop culture icons in American history and a screen legend from the Golden Age of Hollywood. And she left us with a wealth of witty, clever, and honest quotes that reveal her true character: a smart, fierce, and funny woman in possession of so much more than sex appeal.