I was born on June 1, 1926, in the Los Angeles County Hospital as Norma Jeane Mortenson (soon after changed to Baker), the third child born to Gladys Pearl Baker (May 27, 1902 – March 11, 1984). My birth certificate names the father as Martin Edward Mortensen with his residence stated as "unknown". The name Mortenson is listed as her surname on the birth certificate, although Gladys immediately had it changed to Baker, the surname of her first husband and which she still used. Martin's surname was misspelled on the birth certificate leading to more confusion on who my actual father was. Gladys Baker had married a Martin E. Mortensen in 1924, but they had separated before Gladys' pregnancy. Several of My biographers suggest that Gladys Baker used his name to avoid the stigma of illegitimacy. Mortensen died at the age of 85, and My birth certificate, together with her parents' marriage and divorce documents, were discovered. The documents showed that Mortensen filed for divorce from Gladys on March 5, 1927, and it was finalized on October 15, 1928. Throughout her life, I denied that Mortensen was her father. I said that, when she was a child, I had been shown a photograph of a man that Gladys identified as her father, Charles Stanley Gifford. I remembered that he had a thin mustache and somewhat resembled Clark Gable, , and that she had amused myself by pretending that Gable was my father.
I was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s.
After spending much of my childhood in foster homes, I am began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946 with 20th Century Fox. My early film appearances were minor, but my performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950) drew attention to her—by now my hair was dyed blonde. By 1953, I had progressed to a leading role in Niagara(1953), a melodramatic film noir that dwelled on my seductiveness. My "dumb blonde" persona was used to comic effect in subsequent films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and The Seven Year Itch (1955). Limited by typecasting, I studied at the Actors Studio to broaden my range. My dramatic performance in Bus Stop (1956) was hailed by critics, and I received a Golden Globe nomination. My production company, I am Productions, released The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), for which she received a BAFTA Award nomination and won a David di Donatello award. I received a Golden Globe Award for my performance in Some Like It Hot (1959). My final completed film wasThe Misfits, co-starring Clark Gable with the screenplay written by her then-husband, Arthur Miller.
The final years of my life were marked by illness, personal problems, and a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to work with. The circumstances of my death, from an overdose ofbarbiturates, have been the subject of conjecture. Though officially classified as a "probable suicide", the possibility of an accidental overdose, as well as the possibility of homicide, have not been ruled out. In 1999, I was ranked as the sixth greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute. In the years and decades following her death, I have often been cited as both a pop and a cultural icon as well as the quintessential American female sex symbol.
CAREER
While Dougherty served in the Merchant I, I began working in the Radioplane Munitions Factory, mainly spraying airplane parts with fire retardant and inspecting parachutes. During that time,David Conover of the US Army's 1st Motion Picture Unit noticed her and snapped a series of photographs, none of which appeared in Yank magazine, although some still claim this to be the case. He encouraged her to apply to The Blue Book Modeling Agency. I signed with the agency and began researching the work of Jean Harlow and Lana Turner I was told that they were looking for models with lighter hair, so Norma Jeane bleached her brunette hair to a golden blonde.
Breakthrough
In 1948, I signed a six-month contract with Columbia Pictures and was introduced to the studio's head drama coach Natasha Lytess, who became my acting coach for several years. I starred in the low-budget musical Ladies of the Chorus (1948). I was capitalized as one of the film's bright spots, but the movie didn't bring any success for I am nor Columbia. During her short stint at Columbia, studio head Harry Cohn softened her appearance somewhat by correcting a slight overbite I had.
I had a small role in the Marx Brothers film Love Happy (1949). I impressed the producers, who sent my to New York to feature in the film's promotional campaign. Love Happybrought I to the attention of the talent agent, Johnny Hyde, who agreed to represent my. 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. My performance brought strong reviews, and was seen by the writer and director, Joseph Mankiewicz. He accepted Hyde's suggestion to cast I am in 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 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. It was at some time during this 1949–1950 period that Hyde arranged for my to have a slight bump of cartilage removed from her somewhat bulbous nose which further softened her appearance and accounts for the slight variation in look I had in films after 1950.
In 1951, I am enrolled at University of California, Los Angeles, where I studied literature and art appreciation, and appeared in several minor films playing opposite such long-established performers as Mickey Rooney, Constance Bennett, June Allyson, Dick Powell andClaudette Colbert. In March 1951, I appeared as a presenter at the 23rd Academy Awards ceremony. In 1952, I appeared on the cover of Look magazine wearing a Georgia Tech sweater as part of an article celebrating female enrollment to the school's main campus. In the early 1950s, I am unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Daisy Mae in a proposed Li'l Abner television series based on the Al Capp comic strip, but the effort never materialized.
Death And Aftermath
On August 5, 1962, LAPD police sergeant Jack Clemmons received a call at 4:25 am from Dr. Ralph Greenson, my psychiatrist, proclaiming that I was found dead at my home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. I was 36 years old. At the subsequent autopsy, eight milligram per cent of Chloral hydrate and 4.5 milligram percent of Nembutal were found in my system, and Dr. Thomas Noguchi of the Los Angeles County Coroners office recorded cause of death as "acute barbiturate poisoning," resulting from a "probable suicide." Many theories, including murder, circulated about the circumstances of my death and the timeline after the body was found. Some conspiracy theories involved John and Robert Kennedy, while other theories suggested CIA or Mafia complicity. It was reported that the last person I called was the President.
