Norma Jeane Mortenson, later known as Marilyn Monroe, was born in 1926 to an unstable mother who was mentally ill and placed in foster care as a child. She married young to avoid foster care and worked in a factory spraying airplane parts. She began modeling after being encouraged by a photographer and changed her name and appearance which led to fame in Hollywood. Her career took off after several movies, but she struggled with mental health and addiction issues. She had high-profile marriages to baseball star Joe DiMaggio and acted in her final film The Misfits before dying under mysterious circumstances in 1962 at age 36.

1. Norma Jeane Mortenson

2. Marilyn Monroe

3. Marilyn Monroe
• Born Norma Jeane Mortenson-changed to
Baker.
• June 1st, 1926
• Never knew her father
• Mother- Gladys Baker: mentally & financially
unstable.
• Foster Care

4. Childhood
• Secret Life of Marilyn
Monroe: Gladys tried to
get Marilyn
• My Story: Marilyn says
mother laughed and
screamed on the way to
mental hospital.
• Grace McKee takes
Marilyn in

5. Childhood
• Marilyn sexually
assaulted several times.
• Reason for problems
later on?
• Marriage at 16 to
neighbor boy to stay
out of foster care

6. Married Life
• Husband in Merchant
Marine
• Job- sprayed airplane
parts w/ fire retardant
• David Conover
encouraged her to
model
• Blue Book Modeling
Agency
• Blonde Hair

7. Modeling
• Husband wants
modeling career to stop
• Divorce in 1946
• Ben Lyon- 20th Century
Fox exec
• Needed: name change,
nose job, overbite
corrected.
• Changes = FAME!

8. Movie Rolls
• First movie rolls weren’t
special.
• Posed nude.
• Scandal: Did it to pay
rent.
• Struggling actress

9. Marilyn
• Dates Joe DiMaggio in
1952
• Starred in 5 movies as
dumb blonde
• Variety: bathing suit-
degree of exploitation
• Niagara-great reviews
• Promotional events-
slutty attire

10. Playboy
• Picture from Promo
used for cover of 1st
issue
• December 1953
• Nude Pictures inside
from 1949
• Marries DiMaggio in
San Fran January 14,
1954

11. Marilyn DiMaggio
• Couple travelled to
Japan
• Went to Korea to
perform for 13,000
Marines
• Divorced 274 days after
wedding
• Mental Cruelty?

12. The Misfits
• Last movie
• Sick a lot, sleeping pills,
alcohol
• Marries, 2 miscarriages,
divorces.
• Tried getting help
• Turn to DiMaggio

13. Marilyn Kennedy?
• May 19, 1962: Sang to
President.
• Last public appearance
• DiMaggio wanted to ask
to remarry 4 days
before death
• Dies August 5th, 1962
• “Overdose”

14. Interesting Facts
• August 8, 1962: placed
in crypt.
• Space to the left: Hugh
Hefner bought 1992
• Crypt above sold for 4.6
million on eBay
• DiMaggio had 6 roses 3
times a week for 20
years