MORTENSON, Norma Jeane^[1]

1926 - 1962  (36 years)   Has 20 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.

• Name	MORTENSON, Norma Jeane
  Nickname	Marilyn Monroe
  Birth	1 Jun 1926	Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Burial	Aug 1962	Westwood Memorial Park, Westwood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA   [1, 2]
  Death	5 Aug 1962	Brentwood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA   [1]
  	Actress, Film Legend and Icon. Best remembered for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and was emblematic of the era's attitudes towards sexuality. Although she was a top-billed actress for only a decade, her films grossed $200 million by the time of her unexpected death in 1962. Edward Mortenson, was listed as the father on Norma Jeane's birth certificate but Charles Stanley Gifford, a co-worker of Gladys' with whom she had an affair around the time of Norma Jeane's conception, was determined to be her biological father via a DNA test in 2022. Marilyn herself believed Gifford to be her father, having been shown a picture of the man as a child by her mother and told "this is your father." Her attempts to contact Gifford over the years were rebuffed. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she spent most of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanage; she married at the age of sixteen. While working in a radioplane factory in 1944 as part of the war effort, she was introduced to a photographer from the First Motion Picture Unit and began a successful pin-up modeling career. The work led to short-lived film contracts with Twentieth Century-Fox (1946–1947) and Columbia Pictures (1948). After a series of minor film roles, she signed a new contract with 20th Century-Fox in 1951. Over the next two years, she became a popular actress and had roles in several comedies, including "As Young as You Feel" and "Monkey Business," and in the dramas "Clash by Night" and "Don't Bother to Knock." Monroe faced a scandal when it was revealed that she had posed for nude photos before becoming a star, but rather than damaging her career, the story resulted in increased interest in her films. By 1953, she was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars; she had leading roles in the noir film "Niagara," which focused on her sex appeal, and the comedies "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "How to Marry a Millionaire," which established her star image as a "dumb blonde." Although she played a significant role in the creation and management of her public image throughout her career, she was disappointed at being typecast and underpaid by the studio. She was briefly suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project, but returned to star in one of the biggest box office successes of her career, "The Seven Year Itch" (1955). When the studio was still reluctant to change her contract, she founded a film production company in late 1954 named Marilyn Monroe Productions (MMP). She dedicated 1955 to building her company and began studying method acting at the Actors Studio. In late 1955, Fox awarded her a new contract, which gave her more control and a larger salary. Her subsequent roles included a critically acclaimed performance in "Bus Stop" (1956) and the first independent production of MMP, "The Prince and the Showgirl" (1957). Monroe won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her work in "Some Like It Hot" (1959), which was a critical and commercial success. Her last completed film was the drama "The Misfits" (1961). Her troubled private life received much attention. She struggled with substance abuse, depression, and anxiety. She had two highly publicized marriages, to retired baseball star Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller, both of which ended in divorce. On August 4, 1962, she died at age 36 from an overdose of barbiturates at her home in Los Angeles. Although her death was ruled a probable suicide, several conspiracy theories have been proposed in the decades following her death. Bio courtesy of: Wikipedia [1]
  Age	36 years
  Person ID	P2543	Dutton Ancestry
  Last Modified	20 Apr 2023

  
  

  Father	GIFFORD, Charles Stanley           b. 18 Sep 1898, Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, USA           d. 27 Jun 1965, Hemet, Riverside County, California, USA (Age 66 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	MONROE, Glady Pearl           b. 27 May 1902, Porfirio Díaz, Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, Mexico           d. 11 Mar 1984, Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida, USA (Age 81 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Marriage	Y  [1]
  Children	1. MORTENSON, Norma Jeane           b. 1 Jun 1926, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA           d. 5 Aug 1962, Brentwood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA  (Age 36 years)
  Family ID	F5693	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	DOUGHERTY, James Edward           b. 12 Apr 1921, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA           d. 15 Aug 2005, San Rafael, Marin County, California, USA (Age 84 years)  [1]
  Marriage	19 Jun 1942	Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA   [1]
  Age at Marriage	She : 16 years old - He : 21 years and 2 months old.
  Family ID	F5738	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	20 Apr 2023

  
  

  Family 2	DIMAGGIO, Joseph Paul           b. 25 Nov 1914, Contra Costa County, California, USA           d. 8 Mar 1999, Broward County, Florida, USA (Age 84 years)  [1]
  Marriage	14 Jan 1954	San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, USA   [1]
  Age at Marriage	She : 27 years and 7 months old - He : 39 years and 2 months old.
  Family ID	F5739	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	20 Apr 2023

  
  

  Family 3	MILLER, Arthur Asher           b. 17 Oct 1915, Harlem, Erie County, New York, USA           d. 10 Feb 2005, Roxbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, USA (Age 89 years)  [1]
  Marriage	29 Jun 1956	White Plains, Westchester County, New York, USA   [1]
  Age at Marriage	She : 30 years old - He : 40 years and 8 months old.
  Family ID	F5740	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	20 Apr 2023

  
  

• Event Map	Click to display
  		Birth - 1 Jun 1926 - Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA Marriage - 19 Jun 1942 - Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA Marriage - 14 Jan 1954 - San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, USA Marriage - 29 Jun 1956 - White Plains, Westchester County, New York, USA Burial - Aug 1962 - Westwood Memorial Park, Westwood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA Death - 5 Aug 1962 - Brentwood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend

  
  

• Notes

  Actress and Model - My 9th Cousin Once Removed. [1]

  
  

• Sources

  [S141] Familysearch.org. [S50] Findagrave.com. Maintained by: Find a Grave Added: 25 Apr 1998 Find a Grave Memorial #725