A century after her birth, Marilyn Monroe remains, without a doubt, one of the leading figures of pop culture. From film to fashion to her tragic fate, here are five key dates in her life.
Born Norma Jeane Baker on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, Marilyn Monroe would have turned 100 this year. More than just a Hollywood actress of the 1950s and 1960s, she became, over the course of her career, a figure in cinema and fashion, achieving the status of a universal pop culture icon. To celebrate her 100th birthday, here are five dates that marked her life.
June 19, 1942 : Norma Jean Baker’s first marriage
Before becoming Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jean Baker, then just 16 years old, married her neighbor James Dougherty on June 19, 1942, a Los Angeles police officer. A former captain of the football team and class president at Van Nuys High School, 20-year-old James Dougherty was working the night shift at Lockheed Aircraft when he began dating 15-year-old Norma Jean Baker in January 1942.
His family lived next door to a woman named Grace Goddard, a friend of Gladys Baker, Norma Jean’s mother. It was because of her mother’s frequent stays in various psychiatric institutions that Norma Jean was placed with the Goddards. One day, planning to return to Virginia, the couple found themselves unable to take the girl with them, James Dougherty recounted in a 1990 interview. “She would have gone back to an orphanage or to another foster family,” he continued. “That’s when it was suggested that I marry her.”
“I thought she was terribly young, but I took her to a dance. She was a fairly mature girl, both mentally and physically. We talked and got along pretty well,” he also noted. As the war raged on, he enlisted in the Navy two years after their wedding. Wanting to contribute to the war effort as well, Norma Jean landed a job inspecting parachutes attached to airplanes. She caught the eye of a photographer who was capturing images of women working behind the scenes of the conflict. As her ambitions grew and she felt neglected by her husband, their marriage ended in divorce in September 1946.
1945 : From brown to blonde, it was just a small step
While it’s impossible to separate Marilyn Monroe from her blonde hair, she began her life with dark brown hair. In 1945, Marilyn was 19 years old. Freshly discovered thanks to the cover of Yank Magazine, published by the U.S. Armed Forces during the war, Norma Jeane was recruited by The Blue Book Modeling Agency. It was at this point that she was offered a photo shoot for an advertisement for Rayve brand shampoo.
She then faced the demands of photographer Raphael Wolff, who asked her to bleach her hair golden blonde. Norma Jeane therefore went to the famous Frank and Joseph hair salon in Los Angeles. Her hair was entrusted to a certain Sylvia Barnhart, who would remain her hairdresser for several years.
When she landed her first contract with Fox in the summer of 1946, Ben Lyon, the studio head, suggested she use a stage name. That’s when she chose Monroe, her mother’s maiden name. As for Marilyn, it paid homage to her 1930s idol, Marilyn Miller.
Despite a meteoric rise thanks to her new hair color, it quickly became a hindrance for the actress, who was typecast in roles associated with the “dumb blonde seductress”. Furthermore, the chemical treatments used to bleach and straighten her hair damaged its health, leading Marilyn Monroe to wear wigs toward the end of her life.
March 8, 1960 : The Golden Globe for Best Actress
Nominated four times for Golden Globes, including twice for the Henrietta Award honoring the world’s favorite actors and actresses, it was at the 17th ceremony of the competition that she won the Best Actress trophy for her role in Billy Wilder’s “Some Like It Hot.” The director had, in fact, already cast the actress in “The Seven Year Itch.”
For this new role, Marilyn Monroe plays Sugar Kane, a singer and ukulele player who meets two jazz musicians (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon), disguised as women to escape a group of gangsters.
While the film earned her an award, the shoot was no walk in the park for the crew, as the actress struggled to memorize her lines. “It wasn’t easy. It was hell. But it was worth it once you screened the film,” the director recalled in 1976.
At the ceremony, Marilyn Monroe found herself up against Lili Palmer (“The Seven Year Itch”), Dorothy Dandridge (“Porgy and Bess”), Shirley MacLaine (“The First Wives Club”), and Doris Day (“Confessions on a Pillow”).
May 19, 1962 : “Happy Birthday, Mr. President”
A memorable moment. On May 19, 1962, Madison Square Garden was the setting for Marilyn Monroe’s performance of “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” as part of John F. Kennedy’s 45th birthday celebration.
At the time, a crowd gathered at this iconic New York venue. According to the book “The House of Kennedy” by James Patterson, Marilyn Monroe’s arrival on stage instantly created a silence despite the noisy atmosphere that had prevailed just minutes earlier. “There was no sound at all. It was like being in outer space. There was this long pause, then this incredible ‘Happy biiiiirthday to youuuu’ whispered. Everyone was spellbound,” recounted Bill Ray, a photographer for Life magazine.
In addition to her performance, the actress’s outfit also went down in history, as she was wearing a sparkling beige dress designed by French couturier Jean Louis. The dress’s impact has endured through the decades, so much so that at the 2022 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian walked the red carpet in Marilyn’s dress.
August 5, 1962 : The actress’s tragic death
Three months after celebrating John F. Kennedy’s birthday, Marilyn Monroe died on August 5 at her home in Brentwood, California. Only 36 years old, the actress was found naked with a phone in her hand. According to the autopsy, she is believed to have died of a barbiturate overdose.
She thus became a legend, but nearly 65 years later, her untimely death remains a mystery, especially since the police concluded it was “probably a suicide.” Some observers continue to link his disappearance to his relationships with several prominent figures in the U.S. government, such as John F. Kennedy. Some theories even suggest that he was the victim of a contract killing, although no evidence has ever emerged to support these claims. Her death will undoubtedly remain one of Hollywood’s best-kept secrets.
Read also > Demi Moore, the radiance of resilience
Featured photo : © Getty Images
