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Marilyn
Archives of Milton H. Greene, L.L.C. "A
butterfly lights beside us, like a sunbeam, and for a brief
moment,
Also known as Norma Jeane Baker Birth Name: Norma Jeane
Mortensen
I always enjoyed Marilyn's movies, she was a great favorite of mine. I've watched "The Prince and The Showgirl lots of times. Laurence Olivier was a mega-star at the time, and Marilyn out-shone him and ran away with that film. It was more than her sexy looks that appealed to everyone, though that was a big part of it. Her beauty was different. She looked "real", not pumped up with silicone or collagen, she wasn't thin - she always had a little bit of a problem with a few pounds creeping up on her, but she wore it well and looked healthy. She looked and behaved like a real woman. It was a non-threatening beauty, one that women also enjoyed and weren't jealous of. I believe it was her personality - the look of wide-eyed innocence, vulnerability, naivete and a kind of girl-next-door image. She had real problems. She wasn't no dumb blonde, either. She seemed reachable, you could relate to her, even when she was being "bad" you could root for her. She was no angel, and she got herself into quite a few personal disasters on and off-screen. And it could be one of these that ultimately killed her (lots of controversy about her death being a conspiracy, not an accident or suicide) But you couldn't help loving her.
A Little Background In 1944, Marilyn was photographed at work by a journalist as part of an Army promotion demonstrating women’s contributions to the war effort. The photographer asked to take more pictures of her, and soon she had launched a modeling career. By 1945, Norma Jeane Dougherty’s glowing beauty had made her immensely popular, and she graced the covers of 33 major magazines. By 1946, she had quit her job at the aircraft plant and was working as a full-time model while pursuing a career in film. On July 23, 1946, Marilyn signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox, which entitled her to $125 a week. Soon after signing with Fox, Norma Jeane began using the name ‘Marilyn Monroe.’ The last name was her grandmother’s and the first name was copied from the actress Marilyn Miller. Marilyn’s first role was a bit part in the 1947 film The Shocking Miss Pilgrim. She continued to play inconsequential characters until 1950 when John Huston’s thriller Asphalt Jungle provided her with a small but influential role. Her performance in the film All About Eve, starring screen legend Bette Davis, later the same year earned her greater notoriety. On Jan. 14, 1954, Marilyn embarked on her second marriage, this time with baseball superstar Joe DiMaggio. Only nine months later, on Oct. 27, 1954, Monroe and DiMaggio divorced. During a press conference on Oct. 6, Monroe's attorney attributed the split to a "conflict of careers." After making several movies that cast her as just another Hollywood pretty face, Monroe was ready to shed her "shallow blonde" image to pursue serious acting. In 1956, she began studying under Lee Strasberg at New York’s Actors Studio. That year, Monroe also launched Marilyn Monroe Productions with photographer Milton Greene. The company produced Bus Stop (1956) and The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), two films that allowed Monroe to demonstrate her abilities as a serious actress. On June 29, 1956, Monroe married playwright Arthur Miller. 1961’s The Misfits was written by Miller for Monroe, and was her last completed film. The Miller-Monroe marriage ended in divorce on Jan. 20, 1961. In 1962, Monroe was named “World Film Favorite - Female” by Golden Globe, demonstrating her widespread appeal. On the night of August 4 or the early morning of August 5 of the same year, Monroe died in her sleep in her Brentwood, California home, at the early age of 36. The world was stunned, and her loss is still grieved today. Marilyn was laid to rest in Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles. bio info compiled from an article in marilynmonroe.com
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