One of the world’s biggest stars, Marilyn Monroe, was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California. Her birth mother, Gladys Baker, suffered from many psychological problems and was eventually committed to a mental institution. She never met her father, and most believe she never even knew who he was.
As a baby, Norma Jeane was placed in the foster home of Albert and Ida Bolender. She lived with them the first seven years of her life.
“They were terribly strict…they didn’t mean any harm…it was their religion. They brought me up harshly.”
She spent most of her childhood in foster homes and orphanages until 1937, when she moved in with family friend Grace McKee Goddard, a close friend of Norma Jeane’s mother. Grace is said to have loved the girl very much, but when she and her husband could no longer support Norma Jeane, she arranged a marriage.
On June 19, 1942, Norma Jeane Baker and Jim Dougherty were married. (Click on his name to view his website – it has adorable childhood pics of MM, as well as a link to buy his bio.)
“Grace McKee arranged the marriage for me, I never had a choice. There’s not much to say about it. They couldn’t support me, and they had to work out something. And so I got married.”
Dougherty joined the Merchant Marines in 1943 and in 1944 was sent overseas. Norma Jeane, while working in a factory inspecting parachutes in 1944, was photographed by the Army as a promotion to show women on the assembly line contributing to the war effort. One of the photographers, David Conover, asked to take further pictures of her. By spring of 1945, she was quickly becoming known as a “photographers dream” and had appeared on 33 covers of national magazines.
In 1946 she was granted a divorce.
“My marriage didn’t make me sad, but it didn’t make me happy either. My husband and I hardly spoke to each other. This wasn’t because we were angry. We had nothing to say. I was dying of boredom.”
We’ve added several Marilyn Wallpapers. We’ve also added a Marilyn Photo Page. Before going to the latter, however, keep in mind that the human body is a beautiful thing and Marilyn didn’t exactly mind putting her work on exhibit! Beautiful pictures, though, I think you’ll like them.
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