Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), was an American actress of the 20th century. Her sizzling screen presence and mysterious death at the age of 36 would make her a perennial sex symbol, and later a pop icon.

Marriages

She married James Dougherty on June 19, 1942 at the age of 16 due to pressure from her mother Grace, who was then moving home with her husband and wanted her daughter to marry in order to avoid her getting put into an orphanage. In the books The Secret Happiness of Marilyn Monroe and To Norma Jeane With Love, Jimmie, James Dougherty claimed that he and Marilyn were in love and would have lived happily ever after had dreams of stardom not lured her away; however Marilyn always maintained that theirs was a marriage of convenience fostered upon them by her mother Grace Goddard, who paid Dougherty to take her charge out on dates. In the 2004 documentary, Marilyn's Man, Dougherty claimed to have invented the "Marilyn Monroe" persona, that she was forced to divorce him by Fox, and had always yearned to return to him. No biographer ever came across any evidence to support this, and there is no evidence the pair even stayed in contact. Monroe was reportedly furious when Dougherty gave an interview to the fan magazine Photoplay in 1953 in which he claimed she threatened to jump off the Santa Monica Pier if he ever left her. He later appeared as a contestant on the gameshow To Tell the Truth as "Marilyn Monroe's real first husband."

Related Topics:
James Dougherty - June 19 - 1942 - 2004 - Fox - Photoplay - 1953 - Santa Monica - To Tell the Truth

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Dougherty's own actions did not support his claims of being Monroe's Svengali or her only true love. He remarried months after Monroe divorced him on September 13, 1946. The August 6, 1962, New York Times reported that, when informed of her death, he stated "I'm sorry" and continued his LAPD patrol; he did not attend her funeral. In an interview for the Biography Channel, Dougherty admitted that Grace Goddard approached his mother who then asked him if he'd be willing to marry Norma Jeane so she wouldn't have to go to an orphanage. He was married to his third wife until her death in 2003, and lived in Maine until his own death on August 15, 2005, from complications of leukemia.

Related Topics:
Dougherty - Svengali - September 13 - 1946 - August 6 - 1962 - New York Times - LAPD - Biography Channel - 2003 - Maine - August 15 - 2005 - Leukemia

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In 1951, Joe DiMaggio saw a picture of Marilyn with two Chicago White Sox players, but waited until after he retired from baseball to ask the PR man who arranged the stunt to set them up on a date. But she did not want to meet him, fearing him the stereotypical jock. Their January 14, 1954 elopement at City Hall in San Francisco was the culmination of a two-year courtship that had captivated the nation. During this marriage, Marilyn had a child named Joe Dimaggio Jr., but it is unknown what happened to the child.

Related Topics:
1951 - Joe DiMaggio - Chicago White Sox - Baseball - PR - January 14 - 1954 - City Hall - San Francisco

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The union was complex, marred by his jealousy and her casual infidelity. DiMaggio wanted to settle down. Marilyn the same, but also craved fame and would do almost anything for it. DiMaggio was also said to have been disgusted by Marilyn's sloppiness and poor hygiene. DiMaggio's biographer Richard Ben Cramer asserts that violence was the result of this. One incident allegedly happened after the skirt blowing scene in The Seven Year Itch was filmed on New York's Lexington Avenue before hundreds of fans; director Billy Wilder recalled "the look of death" on DiMaggio's face as he watched. When she announced she would seek a divorce - just 274 days after the wedding - (on grounds of mental cruelty), she was quoted as telling 20th Century Fox "our careers just seemed to get in the way of each other." Oscar Levant quipped it proved no man could be a success in two pastimes. She eventually divorced him on October 27, 1954.

Related Topics:
DiMaggio - Richard Ben Cramer - The Seven Year Itch - New York - Lexington Avenue - Billy Wilder - Divorce - Mental cruelty - 20th Century Fox - Oscar Levant - October 27 - 1954

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She then married the playwright Arthur Miller, whom she met in 1951, in a civil ceremony on June 29, 1956, then in a Jewish ceremony two days later (she had converted to Judaism for Miller). When they returned from England after she finished The Prince and the Showgirl, they learned that she was pregnant. Sadly, she suffered from endometriosis; the pregnancy was ectopic and had to be aborted to save her life. A second pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. The children's names were, Jane and Robert Miller.

Related Topics:
Playwright - Arthur Miller - 1951 - June 29 - 1956 - Jewish - Judaism - England - The Prince and the Showgirl - Endometriosis - Ectopic - Aborted - Miscarriage

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By 1958, Monroe was the main breadwinner. Not only did she pay alimony to Miller's first wife, he reportedly bought a Jaguar while they were in England, shipped it to the States, and charged it to her production company. His script The Misfits was meant to be a Valentine to her. Instead, by the time filming started, the marriage was broken beyond repair. Marilyn's behaviour, fuelled by drugs and alcohol was erratic. A Mexican divorce was granted on January 24, 1961.

Related Topics:
1958 - Miller - Jaguar - Production company - The Misfits - Valentine - Mexican - January 24 - 1961

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DiMaggio re-entered her life as her marriage to Miller was ending. On February 4, 1961, she was admitted by her then-psychiatrist into Manhattan's Payne-Whitney Clinic, reportedly placed in the ward for the most seriously disturbed. He got her out six days later, and took her to the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic at New York Presbyterian Hospital. After her release on March 5, she joined him in Florida where he was a batting coach for his old team, the New York Yankees. Their "just friends" claims did not stop remarriage rumours from flying. Bob Hope even "dedicated" Best Song nominee "The Second Time Around" to them at the 1960 Academy Awards telecast. According to DiMaggio biographer Maury Allen, Joe quit his job with a military post-exchange supplier on August 1, 1962 to return to California and ask Marilyn to remarry him.

Related Topics:
DiMaggio - Miller - February 4 - 1961 - Psychiatrist - Manhattan - Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic - New York Presbyterian Hospital - March 5 - Florida - New York Yankees - Bob Hope - 1960 - Academy Award - Maury Allen - August 1 - 1962 - California

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On February 17, 1962, Miller married the German-born Inge Morath, one of the Magnum photographers recording the making of The Misfits. In January 1964, his After the Fall opened, featuring a beautiful, child-like, yet devouring shrew named Maggie. It upset all of Monroe's friends, including legendary stage actress Helen Hayes, who, if not a personal friend of Marilyn, was nonetheless furious and appalled at Miller's brazen use of Marilyn's almost mythic fame. Miller's last Broadway-bound work (before his death), Finishing the Picture, is based on the making of The Misfits, Marilyn's last movie.

Related Topics:
February 17 - 1962 - Miller - German - Inge Morath - Magnum - The Misfits - 1964 - Helen Hayes - Broadway

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In May of 1962 she sang Happy Birthday, Mr. President at a televised birthday party for President John F. Kennedy. The French chiffon dress she wore that night was sold at auction by Christie's for a world-record $1.3 million dollars. 20th Century Fox fired her soon after the infamous event while she was working on her soon-to-be unfinished film Something's Got to Give, co-starring Dean Martin and Cyd Charisse, and directed by George Cukor. Due to a clause in Martin's contract giving him approval over the leading lady, Marilyn was re-hired to finish the film as Martin refused to work with any other actress.

Related Topics:
1962 - John F. Kennedy - Chiffon - Christie's - 20th Century Fox - Something's Got to Give - Dean Martin - Cyd Charisse - George Cukor

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It is believed that Monroe had several affairs during her life, including but are in no way limited to: President John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Yves Montand and she also allegedly had a one-night stand with Joan Crawford.

Related Topics:
Affairs - President - John F. Kennedy - Robert Kennedy - Yves Montand - One-night stand - Joan Crawford

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