Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe ([ˈmɛəɹɪlɪn mənˈɹoʊ]), born Norma Baker (or Mortenson) on 1 June 1926 in Los Angeles and died on 4 August 1962 in the same city, was an American actress, model, and singer.

Initially aspiring to modelling, Norma Jeane Baker was spotted by actor Ben Lyon, who gave her an audition, and she signed her first acting contract in August 1946 with 20th Century Fox. In the early 1950s, she achieved Hollywood star and sex symbol status. Her major film successes include her roles in the films Les hommes préfèrent les blondes (1953), Sept Ans de réflexion (1955), and Certains l'aiment chaud (1959), for which she received the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy in 1960.

Despite her great notoriety, Marilyn Monroe's career left her unfulfilled, and her unstable private life was fraught with uncertainties. Married three times, she notably experienced two failed marriages with baseball star Joe DiMaggio and writer Arthur Miller.

On 4 August 1962, Marilyn Monroe died at the age of thirty-six at her home, following a barbiturate overdose. Her death is considered a probable suicide.

A star among the most popular in Hollywood in the 1950s and early 1960s, Marilyn Monroe was a leading actress during the preceding decade. After her death, she remained an icon of global and contemporary popular culture, inspiring numerous films, literary works, and paintings. The most famous novel about her is Blonde by writer Joyce Carol Oates, published in the early 2000s.

Her character has since been played by important actresses of subsequent generations: Isabelle Adjani, Emmanuelle Seigner, Maggie Civantos, Kelli Garner, and even Michelle Williams and Ana de Armas, both of whom received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for their portrayals of the actress in their respective films.