Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962) was an American actress, model, and singer, who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s and early 1960s.
After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, Monroe began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946 with Twentieth Century-Fox. Her early film appearances were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950), drew attention. By 1952 she had her first leading role in Don't Bother to Knock and 1953 brought a lead in Niagara, a melodramatic film noir that dwelt on her seductiveness. Her "dumb blonde" persona was used to comic effect in subsequent films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and The Seven Year Itch (1955). Limited by typecasting, Monroe studied at the Actors Studio to broaden her range. Her dramatic performance in Bus Stop (1956) was hailed by critics and garnered a Golden Globe nomination. Her production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, released The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), for which she received a BAFTA Award nomination and won a David di Donatello award. She received a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Some Like It Hot (1959). Monroe's last completed film was The Misfits, co-starring Clark Gable with screenplay by her then-husband, Arthur Miller.
Marilyn was a passionate reader, owning four hundred books at the time of her death, and was often photographed with a book.
The final years of Monroe's life were marked by illness, personal problems, and a reputation for unreliability and being difficult to work with. The circumstances of her death, from an overdose of barbiturates, have been the subject of conjecture. Though officially classified as a "probable suicide", the possibility of an accidental overdose, as well as of homicide, have not been ruled out. In 1999, Monroe was ranked as the sixth greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute. In the decades following her death, she has often been cited as both a pop and a cultural icon as well as the quintessential American sex symbol.
“It's not true that I had nothing on. I had the radio on.”
“The body is meant to be seen, not all covered up.”
“When it comes down to it, I let them think what they want. If they care enough to bother with what I do, then I'm already better than them.”
“Dogs never bite me. Just humans.”
“I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot!”
“The nicest thing for me is sleep, then at least I can dream.”
“I restore myself when I'm alone.”
“Who said nights were for sleep?”
“A sex symbol becomes a thing. I hate being a thing.”
“Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the world.”
“If you can make a woman laugh, you can make her do anything.”
“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”
“I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.”
“I want to grow old without facelifts. I want to have the courage to be loyal to the face I have made.”
“I learned to walk as a baby and I haven't had a lesson since.”
“I've been on a calendar, but never on time.”
“I don't mind living in a man's world, as long as I can be a woman in it.”
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”
“Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul. I know, because I turned down the first offer often enough and held out for the fifty cents.”
“I just want to be wonderful.”
“I used to think as I looked out on the Hollywood night — there must be thousands of girls sitting alone like me, dreaming of becoming a movie star. But I'm not going to worry about them. I'm dreaming the hardest.”