Here are some of the more notable facts and bits of trivia about Ms. Monroe:
Height: 5'5 1/2"
Nickname: MM, The Blonde Bombshell
Spouses:
Arthur Miller (29 June 1956 - 20 January 1961) (divorced)
Joe DiMaggio (14 January 1954 - 27 October 1954) (divorced)
James Dougherty (19 June 1942 - 13 September 1946) (divorced)
Was 1947's Miss California Artichoke Queen.
Was roommates with Shelley Winters when they were both starting out in Hollywood.
Appeared on the first cover of Playboy in 1953.
Childhood photos show she was born blonde, but her hair turned "mousy" as she grew older.
During the filming of Niagara (1953), she was still under contract as a stock actor, thus, she received less salary than her make-up man. This was also the only film in which her character died. The film was reworked to highlight her after Anne Bancroft withdrew.
Fearing blemishes, she washed her face fifteen times a day.
She was suggested as a possible wife for Prince Rainier of Monaco. He later married actress Grace Kelly.
Wore glasses.
When told she was not the star in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) Marilyn was quoted "Well whatever I am, I'm still the blonde."
Named 2nd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premier Magazine, behind #1 Cary Grant and after #3 Tom Cruise
Was named #6 Actress on The American Film Institute's 50 Greatest Screen Legends
Was good friends with Dorothy Dandridge and Ava Gardner when they were all young, struggling actresses in Hollywood.
Her personal library contained over 400 books on topics ranging from art to history, psychology, philosophy, literature, religion, poetry, and gardening. Many of the volumes, auctioned in 1999, bore her pencil notations in the margins.
Started using the name Marilyn Monroe in 1946, but did not legally change it until 1956.
The licensing of Marilyn's name and likeness, handled world-wide by Curtis Management Group, reportedly nets the Monroe estate about $2 million a year.
Often carried around the book, "The Biography of Abraham Lincoln."
Suffered from endometriosis, a condition in which tissues of the uterus lining (endometrium) leave the uterus, attach themselves to other areas of the body, and grow, causing pain, irregular bleeding, and, in severe cases, infertility.
Went to Van Nuys High School (Los Angeles) in the early 1940s but never graduated.
Batman writer/artist Bob Kane used Marilyn's likeness as a reference when he drew Vicki Vale.
The Emily Ann Faulkner/Rita Shawn character (played by Kim Stanley) in the John Cromwell film The Goddess (1958) was based on her.
On May 19, 1962 she performed for president John F. Kennedy at his 45th birthday tribute in his honor at Madison Square Garden. She sang "Happy Birthday".
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