Marilyn Monroe
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Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; baptised Norma Jeane Baker June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962) was an American actress, singer, model, and film producer.
After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, Norma Jeane Baker began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946. Her early roles were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950) were well received, and as her career progressed she became known as a sex symbol. She was praised for her comedic ability in such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire and The Seven Year Itch, and became one of Hollywood's most popular performers.
The typecasting of Monroe's " dumb blonde" persona limited her career prospects, and she broadened her range. Her marriage to baseball player Joe DiMaggio failed. While married to playwright Arthur Miller, she studied at the Actors Studio and formed Marilyn Monroe Productions. Her dramatic performance in Bus Stop was hailed by critics, and she won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Some Like it Hot.
The final years of Monroe's life were marked by illness, personal problems and a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to work with. The circumstances of her death, from an overdose of barbiturates, have been the subject of conjecture. Though officially classified as a "probable suicide," the possibility of an accidental overdose has not been ruled out, while conspiracy theorists argue that she was murdered.
In 1999 Monroe was ranked as the sixth greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute.
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[edit] Career
[edit] Modelling and early film work
While Dougherty was in the Merchant Marine during World War II, Monroe moved in with her mother-in-law, and found employment in the Radioplane Munitions Factory. She sprayed airplane parts with fire retardant and inspected parachutes. During this time, Army photographer David Conover snapped a photograph of her for a Yank magazine article. He encouraged her to apply to The Blue Book modeling agency. She signed with the agency and began researching the work of Jean Harlow and Lana Turner. She enrolled in drama and singing classes and had her hair cut, straightened and lightened to golden blonde.
Norma Jeane Dougherty became one of Blue Book's most successful models, appearing on dozens of magazine covers. In 1946, she came to the attention of Ben Lyon, a 20th Century Fox executive, who arranged a screen test for her. Lyon was impressed and commented, "It's Jean Harlow all over again." [1] She was offered a standard six-month contract with a starting salary of $125 per week.
It was agreed that she would change her name. Lyon told her that she reminded him of the actress Marilyn Miller and she took her grandmother's name of Monroe as her surname.[2] She appeared in Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! and Dangerous Years (both 1947), but when her contract was not renewed, she returned to modeling. She attempted to find opportunities for film work, and while unemployed she posed for nude photographs.
In 1948 Monroe signed a six-month contract with Columbia Pictures, and was introduced to the studio's head drama coach, Natasha Lytess, who became her acting coach for several years.[3] She starred in the low-budget musical, Ladies of the Chorus, but the film was not a success, and her contract was not renewed.[4] She appeared in a small role in the Marx Brothers film Love Happy (1949) and impressed the producers, who sent her to New York to feature in the film's promotional campaign.[5]
Love Happy brought Monroe to the attention of the agent, Johnny Hyde, who agreed to represent her. He arranged for her to audition for John Huston, who cast her in the drama The Asphalt Jungle, as the young mistress of an aging criminal. Her performance brought strong reviews,[5] and was seen by the writer and director, Herman Mankiewicz. He accepted Hyde's suggestion of Monroe for a small comedic role in All About Eve, as Miss Caswell, an aspiring actress, described by another character as a student of "The Copacabana School of Dramatic Art." Mankiewicz later commented that he had seen an innocence in her that he found appealing, and that this had confirmed his belief in her suitability for the role.[6] Following Monroe's success in these roles, Hyde negotiated a seven-year contract for her with 20th Century Fox, shortly before his death in December 1950.[7]
Monroe enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles studying literature and art appreciation, [8] and appeared in several minor films playing opposite such long-established performers as Mickey Rooney, Constance Bennett, June Allyson, Dick Powell and Claudette Colbert.[9] In March 1951 she appeared as a presenter at the 23rd Academy Awards ceremony.[10]
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Awards and nominations
- 1952 Photoplay Award: Special Award
- 1953 Golden Globe Henrietta Award: World Film Favorite Female.
- 1953 Photoplay Award: Most Popular Female Star
- 1956 BAFTA Film Award nomination: Best Foreign Actress for The Seven Year Itch
- 1956 Golden Globe nomination: Best Motion Picture Actress in Comedy or Musical for Bus Stop
- 1958 BAFTA Film Award nomination: Best Foreign Actress for The Prince and the Showgirl
- 1958 David di Donatello Award (Italian): Best Foreign Actress for The Prince and the Showgirl
- 1959 Crystal Star Award (French): Best Foreign Actress for The Prince and the Showgirl
- 1960 Golden Globe, Best Motion Picture Actress in Comedy or Musical for Some Like It Hot
- 1962 Golden Globe, World Film Favorite: Female
- Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame 6104 Hollywood Blvd.
- 1999 she was ranked as the sixth greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute in their list AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars.
[edit] See also
- Berniece Baker Miracle, Monroe's half-sister
- Mark Bellinghaus Monroe memorabilia collector and activist
- Death of Marilyn Monroe
- Lookalike contests Monroe's popularity of impersonators
- Marilyn Monroe in popular culture
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Churchwell, Sarah (2004). The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe. Metropolitan Books. ISBN 0-8050-7818-5.
- Clayton, Marie (2004). Marilyn Monroe: Unseen Archives. Barnes & Noble Inc.. ISBN 0-7607-4673-7.
- Evans, Mike (2004). Marilyn: The Ultimate Book. MQ Publications. ASIN B000FL52LG.
- Gilmore, John (2007). Inside Marilyn Monroe, A Memoir'. Ferine Books, Los Angeles. ISBN 0-97889680-7.
- Goode, James (1986). The Making of "The Misfits. Limelight Editions, New York. ISBN 0-87910-065-6.
- Guiles, Fred Lawrence (1993). Norma Jean: The Life of Marilyn Monroe. Paragon House Publishers. ISBN 1-55778-583-X.
- Harris, Warren G. (2002). Clark Gable, A Biography. Aurum Press, London. ISBN 1-85410-904-9.
- Jewell, Richard B.; Harbin, Vernon (1982). The RKO Story. Octopus Books, London. ISBN 0-706-41285-0.
- Monroe, Marilyn; Hecht, Ben (2000). My Story. Cooper Square Press. ISBN 0-8154-1102-2. [1]
- Olivier, Laurence (1982). Confessions Of an Actor. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-14-006888-0.
- Riese, Randall; Hitchen, Neal (1988). The Unabridged Marilyn. Corgi Books, London. ISBN 0-552-99308-5.
- Russell, Jane (1986). An Autobiography. Arrow Books, London. ISBN 0-09-949590-2.
- Server, Lee (2001). Robert Mitchum, Baby I Don't Care. St. Martin's Press, New York. ISBN 0-571-20994-7.
- Spoto, Donald (2001). Marilyn Monroe: The Biography. Cooper Square Press. ISBN 0-8154-1183-9.
- Staggs, Sam (2000). All About "All About Eve. St. Martin's Griffin, New York. ISBN 0-312-27315-0.
- Summers, Anthony (1985). Goddess, The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe. Guild Publishing, London. ISBN 0-575-03641-9.
[edit] External links
- The Official Website of Marilyn Monroe
- tribute site to Monroe & Greene
- Bratcher, Drew. "Marilyn Monroe's First Nude Photos", Washingtonian, December 1, 2006.
- The Marilyn Monroe Collection
- Marilyn Monroe's 1952 interview with Parade
- Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio and the 1954 "Wrong Door Raid."
- New York Times, August 6, 1962
- The Marilyn Pages
- The Marilyn Story Documentary by John Huston
- Marilyn Sings Happy Birthday to JFK with introduction by Peter Lawford.
- The Secret Marilyn Files at VanityFair.com
Categories: Actors portrayed posthumously | American film actors | American actor-singers | American female singers | Torch singers | American female adult models | Playboy Playmates from 1953-1959 | Actors Studio alumni | Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners | Hollywood Walk of Fame | John F. Kennedy | Playboy | People from Los Angeles, California | Alumni of University High School (Los Angeles, California) | Converts to Judaism | American Jews | Jewish actors | English Americans | Scottish-Americans | Norwegian-Americans | Actresses who committed suicide | Models who committed suicide | Drug-related suicides | Drug-related deaths in California | Suicides in California
