Since its inception cinema has always been a popular source of entertainment, particularly after the beginning of the era of talkies. Due to the wide acceptance and popularity of this medium, the world of cinema has always produced its own breed of celebrities and stars that are always remembered, cherished and indexed in the chronicle of the cinema world. Besides their talent, the glamourous screen image they produce creates a mass euphoria among the audience. Marilyn Monroe, the legendary actress of yesteryears of occidental cinema, was one such star whose name still stirs the popular memory. Her magnetic personality, both on and off the screen, made her a great newsmaker of those days.
Marilyn Monroe was born in Los Angeles, California, on June 1, 1926. Her original name was Norma Jean Baker. She had a very unhappy childhood, engulfed by miseries and hardships. She spent her childhood days in foster homes and orphanages. Later she became a model and subsequently got bit roles in motion pictures.
To begin with her film career, she was first featured as a ‘dumb blonde’ and later as a symbol of glamour and passion, though with an appealing wholesomeness and vulnerability. In 1952 and 1953 she attained stardom when she played waiflike characters in films like ‘Don’t bother to knock’ etc. Her real achievement came in 1953 for her attractive role in a film titled ‘Gentlemen prefer blondes’. Thereafter a series of box office hits followed with the release of films like ‘How to marry a millionaire’, ‘The seven year itch’, ‘Bus stop’ and so on.
Ambitious to be a serious actress, Marilyn studied at the Actor’s studio in New York City. In spite of her professional successes she was a very disturbed person due to her deep-seated anxieties and the three broken marriages. Her last leg of life was full of tension and mental agony. Ultimately she committed suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills in Los Angeles on August 5, 1962. Thus the life and career of a great American film artist met an abrupt and tragic end. Her scarred and insecure life claimed as much attention as her glamourous acting career.