Marilyn Monroe born Norma Jeane Mortenson 1 June 1926 4 August 1962 was an American actress Famous for playing comedic blonde bombshell characters she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s as well as an emblem of the eras sexual revolution She was a topbilled actress for a decade and her films grossed 200 million equivalent to 2 billion in 2021 by the time of her death in 1962 Long after her death Monroe remains a major icon of pop culture In 1999 the American Film Institute ranked her sixth on their list of the greatest female screen legends from the Golden Age of Hollywood Multiple film critics and media outlets have cited Monroe as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination Born and raised in Los Angeles Monroe spent most of her childhood in a total of 12 foster homes and an orphanage she married at age sixteen She was working in a factory during World War II when she met a photographer from the First Motion Picture Unit and began a successful pinup modeling career which led to shortlived film contracts with 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures After a series of minor film roles she signed a new contract with Fox in late 1950 Over the next two years she became a popular actress with roles in several comedies including As Young as You Feel and Monkey Business and in the dramas Clash by Night and Dont Bother to Knock She faced a scandal when it was revealed that she had posed for nude photographs prior to becoming a star but the story did not damage her career and instead resulted in increased interest in her films By 1953 Monroe was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars she had leading roles in the film noir Niagara which overtly relied on her sex appeal and the comedies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire which established her star image as a dumb blonde The same year her nude images were used as the centerfold and on the cover of the first issue of Playboy She played a significant role in the creation and management of her public image throughout her career but she was disappointed when she was typecast and underpaid by the studio She was briefly suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project but returned to star in The Seven Year Itch 1955 one of the biggest box office successes of her career When the studio was still reluctant to change Monroes contract she founded her own film production company in 1954 She dedicated 1955 to building the company and began studying method acting under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio Later that year Fox awarded her a new contract which gave her more control and a larger salary Her subsequent roles included a critically acclaimed performance in Bus Stop 1956 and her first independent production in The Prince and the Showgirl 1957 She won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her role in Some Like It Hot 1959 a critical and commercial success Her last completed film was the drama The Misfits 1961
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