Marilyn Monroe (1950)

Marilyn Monroe is recognized for her sex appeal during the 50’s. She personified glamour with her energy and glow. She was born on June 1, 1926 to Gladys Baker. Her father remains unknown but Marilyn was baptized as Norma Jeane Baker. Norma was transferred from orphanage to orphanage when she was younger until she lived with her friend Grace. However Grace’s husband was transferred to the East coast and they could not afford to take Norma with them. This left her with two options: move back to the orphanage or get married. In 1942 she married her 21-year old neighbor at the age of 16. The two were happy together and loved each other until her husband, Jimmy, joined the Marines. After he left, Norma took a job at the Radio Plane Munitions factory. Months later a photographer saw her and was astonished with his luck. David Conover said she a “photographers dream.” Conover used her for a photo shoot and sent her on to other modeling jobs. She loved the camera and soon became well known for being on magazine covers. This inspired Norma to enroll in drama classes to work her way towards stardom. Jimmy returned from the Marines and Norma divorced him in 1946 to continue her dream. She signed a contract with Twentieth Century Fox, dyed her hair blonde, and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe. Her first movie role was The Shocking Miss Pilgrim in 1947. From then on out she stared in many feature films and television shows. In 1954, Marilyn married famous baseball star, Joe DiMaggio. Unfortunately, her sex appeal became cause for their divorce nine months later. By this time, Marilyn wanted to break out of the blonde bombshell character that she had created and pursue serious acting. She moved to New York and created her own motion picture company called Marilyn Monroe Productions in 1956. She married again in 1956 to playwright Arthur Miller. Years later she was said to have supposed relations with JFK and other influential men of that time. By 1962 Marilyn was being honored at the Golden Globes. Shockingly, Marilyn died in her sleep on August 5, 1962. The world was stunned by her death but still use her name synonymously with beauty and energy.