Marilyn Monroe (1926–62) was a Hollywood legend who, decades after her death, is still the world’s most famous icon of sex appeal and beauty, and remembered for her classic show-business tragedy of life.
Born Norma Jean Mortenson in Los Angeles, Monroe spent several years growing up in foster homes and an orphanage. She married at age sixteen to an airplane factory worker and started a job assembling airplanes at a plant in Van Nuys, where she was spotted by an army photographer. A modeling agency saw the photograph, and she signed with 20th Century Fox and started using the name Marilyn Monroe. It wasn’t long until fame found Marilyn.
Monroe starred in a handful of comedies: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953,) How to Marry a Millionaire (1953,) The Seven Year Itch (1955,) The Prince and the Showgirl (1957,) and Some Like It Hot (1959.) She also performed competently in two dramatic roles, Bus Stop (1956) and The Misfits (1961.) Monroe struggled with life in the spotlight: she longed to be taken seriously as an artist. She became so difficult to work with that she was virtually unemployable.
Monroe died at only 36 years old from an overdose of sleeping pills, possibly a suicide. Monroe is also remembered for her three unsuccessful marriages—the latter two to baseball icon Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller—and relationships with President John F. Kennedy, actor Marlon Brando, musical artist Frank Sinatra, actor Yves Montand, and director Elia Kazan.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Marilyn Monroe
I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, and at times hard to handle, but if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Acceptance
I restore myself when I’m alone.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Solitude
Hollywood’s a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss, and fifty cents for your soul. I know, because I turned down the first offer often enough and held out for the fifty cents.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Fame, Hollywood
Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Boredom
Fame is fickle and I know it. It has its compensations, but it also has its drawbacks and I’ve experienced them both.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Fame
Fame will go by and, so long, I’ve had you, fame. If it goes by, I’ve always known it was fickle. So at least it’s something I experienced, but that’s not where I live.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Fame
Arthur Miller wouldn’t have married me if I had been nothing but a dumb blonde.
—Marilyn Monroe
I’ve been on a calendar, but never on time.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Punctuality
I don’t mind living in a man’s world as long as I can be a woman in it.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Women
It’s better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone – so far.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Unhappiness
When they said Canada, I thought it was up in the mountains somewhere.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Canada
I have feelings too. I am still human. All I want is to be loved, for myself and for my talent.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Talent
Sex is a part of nature. I go along with nature.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Sex
A career is born in public – talent in privacy.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Career
I don’t want to make money. I just want to be wonderful.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Money
This life is what you make it. Not matter what, you’re going to mess up sometimes, it’s a universal truth.
—Marilyn Monroe
I don’t mind making jokes, but I don’t want to look like one.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Jokes
Husbands are chiefly good lovers when they are betraying their wives.
—Marilyn Monroe
Unfortunately, I am involved in a freedom ride protesting the loss of the minority rights belonging to the few remaining earthbound stars. All we demanded was our right to twinkle.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Protest
No one ever called me pretty when I was a little girl.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Beauty
The trouble with censors is that they worry if a girl has cleavage. They ought to worry if she hasn’t any.
—Marilyn Monroe
Topics: Censorship, Worry
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