Norma Jeane Mortenson, otherwise known
as Marilyn Monroe, was a talented
actress, singer, and model who dazzled
the screen becoming a glamorous American
sex symbol. Marilyn initially did
not have any acting experience; however,
Marilyn became an instant Hollywood star
and legend making 29 movies spanning
over her 16 year career.
Marilyn was born in Los Angeles County
General hospital on June 1, 1926. Her
young life was filled with disarray as
her her mother was deemed mentally
unstable to care for her. Marilyn was
placed in several foster homes in
addition to living with several
relatives. Finally, at the age of
sixteen, Marilyn's caregivers, Grace
McKee and Ervin Goddard, were planning
to relocate to Virginia and did not want
to take Marilyn with them. Marilyn at
the time was attending high school and
met and dated a young man, James
Dougherty. Grace had suggested to Jim's
mother that Marilyn and James get
married so that Marilyn would not have
to go back into an orphanage. Jim
initially relented on the idea given
that Marilyn was only sixteen years of
age at the time; however, he then agreed
and the two were married on June 19,
1942 after she
graduated from high school. The marriage
ultimately did not last as the couple
ended up being divorce on September 13,
1946. In 1951, Marilyn's future
husband, baseball legend, Joe DiMaggio,
had seen one of her movies and had asked
for a date to be arranged between the
two individuals. In March 1952, the
couple had gone out of their first date
and on January 14, 1954, they were
married at San Francisco City Hall.
The marriage between Marilyn and Joe did
not last whereas the divorce was
finalized on October 31, 1955. In 1956,
Marilyn married playwright Arthur
Miller. Her third marriage also ended in
divorce in 1961.
Marilyn's had an outstanding on screen
career from 1947 until her death in
1962. She starred in notable works
including Niagara,
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,
River of No Return, The
Seven Year Itch, Some Like
It Hot, and The Misfits.
Monroe also starred in other such films
as Monkey Business,
How To Marry A Millionaire,
There's No Business Like Show
Business, Bus Stop,
Something's Got to Give,
and The Prince and the Showgirl.
Some Like it Hot
became a resounding success, and was
nominated for six Academy Awards. Monroe
was acclaimed for her performance and
won the
Golden Globe Award
for Best Actress - Motion Picture
Musical or Comedy.
Marilyn also was portrayed in several
media publication throughout her career.
In April 1952, she was on the cover of
Life Magazine. In May
1952, she was portrayed in an issue of
True Experiences magazines
which covered stories of her childhood
and upbringing. In December 1953, she
was in the first issue of PlayBoy
magazine making her the first Playmate
of the Month.
In 1956, she was
pictured in
Life
magazine with Victor Mature greeting the
Queen of England. On May 19, 1962, she
attended President John F. Kennedy early
birthday celebration and performed
"Happy
Birthday, Mr. President," which
continued into a tweaking of a verse of
"Thanks for the Memory."
Towards the final years of her career,
Marilyn suffered from various health
problems including insomnia which
attributed to the use of several
medications which could potentially be
addicting. She had sought the help of
psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson.
Greenson had stated Marilyn had
discussed with him that she often seen
various doctors who prescribed her
medications for her insomnia. Greenson
stated although these medications could
lead to addiction; Marilyn was able to
refraining from using these medication
for extended period of time without
suffering from withdrawal. In
1960, Marilyn often was too ill to
perform. She away in Nevada shooting The
Misfits an being away from her
psychiatrist, Dr. Greenson, was unable
to stay away from the influence of
sleeping pills and alcohol.
On August
5, 1962, Marilyn was found early in the
morning dead in her bed. Her
psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson called
911 to report Monroe was found dead at
her home.
Her toxicology
report stated that eight milligram per
cent of Chloral hydrate and 4.5
milligram percent of Nembutal were found
in her system. Dr. Thomas Noguchi of the
Los Angeles County Coroners office
recorded cause of death as "acute
barbiturate poisoning," resulting from a
"probable suicide." There are several
conspiracy theories that Marilyn's death
was the result of the mafia or CIA; or
it was rumored that she had affairs with
John and Robert Kennedy. It was
supposedly reported that last person who
talked to Marilyn was the 35th President
of the United States, John F. Kennedy.
(Wikipedia)
The official cause of death on
the autopsy report is listed ask
"Acute Barbiturate
Poisoning due to ingestion of overdose."
Marilyn Monroe is interred in Westwood
Memorial Park, in the Corridor of
Memories, Plot 24, in Los Angeles,
California.
For those who are interested, I have
posted Marilyn Monroe related pictures
related to the death scene and other
related material.
View the photos.
View the
Autopsy Report
View Birth
Certificate
View Death
Certificate
View the
Declassified FBI Vault Files for
Marilyn Monroe
