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Norma Jean Mortenson was born in LA in 1926. An illegitimate child, her mother's family had a history of mental imbalance and suicide. With her mother resident in mental institutions for much of her childhood, Norma Jean lived in foster homes where she suffered neglect and even attempted rape. At 16 she married; at 17 she attempted suicide. Surviving to make a living as a model, she was signed by 20th Century Fox in 1946, establishing herself by the mid-50s. Worshipped as a (dyed) blonde sexpot, Monroe never got away from this image despite a keen desire to better herself. Always dogged by ill health and depression, she died of an overdose in 1962, a uniquely alluring but tragic icon, perhaps best remembered for Some Like It Hot (1959) and The Seven Year Itch (1955).
