“I want to love and be loved more than anything else in the world.” - Marilyn Monroe.
Monroe was born, Norma Jeane Mortenson, in June 1926. Her father was unknown and she was baptized as Norma Jeane Baker; she spent many years in foster homes because of her family situation.
“Everybody knows about her insecurities, but not everybody knows what fun she was, that she never complained about the ordinary things of life, that she never had a bad word to say about anyone, and that she had a wonderful spontaneous sense of humor.” - Sam Shaw.
During World War II Norma Jean worked at the Radio Plane Company in Van Nuys, California, but she was soon discovered by photographers. She enrolled in a three-month modeling course, and in 1946, aware of her considerable charm and the potential it had for a career in films, Norma obtained a divorce from Dougherty. She then headed for Hollywood, where Ben Lyon, head of casting at “I got a cold chill [when he saw Marilyn on screen the first time].
“This girl had something I hadn’t seen since silent pictures. This is the first girl who looked like one of those lush stars of the silent era.” - Billy Wilder
Monroe wanted to create art, but she was pigeonholed when it came to roles because of her sex appeal. After 1955 she refused to play the “dumb blond” character anymore. At this time Monroe was married to playwright Arthur Miller, and she wanted to explore her intellectual side. In order to do this, Monroe started her own production. Such a move was pretty unheard of at the time, but she wanted to have more control over her image and the work she did, according to Joe Williams of The St. Louis Dispatch.
"I want good stories and good directors. I am a serious actress. I want to prove it.” - Marilyn Monroe
It was Monroe’s tragic childhood and emotional vulnerability that made her so beloved in many ways. She wore her heart on her sleeve and was honest about the challenges in her life
"Everything Marilyn does is different from any other woman, strange and exciting…from the way she talks to the way she uses that magnificent torso." - Clark Gable
We admire her beauty, puzzle over her mysteries and see her as a reflection of the quixotic, multifaceted, always striving and often contradictory American character
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil.” - Marilyn Monroe
Happy Birthday, Norma Jean!
