Born in Los Angeles in 1926 as Norma Jeane Mortenson, future actress spend most of her early life in various foster homes.
Married for the first time at the age of sixteen, she started to work at a factory in 1944.There she was spotted by a photographer from the First Motion Picture Unit, who – smitten by her beauty – offered young Monroe a job as pin-up model. She accepted his proposition and soon became an extremely successful model. It was not long before Monroe gained the interest of Twentieth Century-Fox and Columbia Pictures. At first she mainly played minor roles, but after signing a new contract with Fox Monroe she starred in a few comedies, such as Monkey Business, and dramas.
For a while it seemed that her career would end abruptly after it was revealed that she posed nude for photos, but in the end the scandal benefited her rather than threatened. Roles in films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire made her one of the most popular actresses of the decade and are enjoyed even today, over 60 years later. However, Monroe was not entirely satisfied with the roles she was usually given, as they helped to establish her artistic image of a “dumb blonde sex bomb” and did little to show her true personality. Dissatisfied by her low pay, actress founded her own company named Marilyn Monroe Productions (MMP) in 1954 and five years later won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her stunning role in Some Like It Hot.
Her artistic success was not the only thing that attracted attention of the public. Numerous affairs and two failed marriages took a toll on Monroe who turned to substance abuse that was the cause of her early demise in 1962. Ever since then, she became a symbol of Hollywood’s glitz and glamour. Muse for numerous artists such as Andy Warhol, she appeared not only on paintings but also carpets and rugs.
