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Name: Norma Jeane Mortenson
Birth: 1 June 1926 in Los Angeles, California, United States
Marriage: 19 June 1942 to James Edward Dougherty in Los Angeles, California, United States
Marriage: 14 January 1953 to Joe Dimaggio in San Francisco, California, United States
Marriage: June 1958 to Arthur Asher Miller in Westchester, New York, United States
Death: 4 August 1962 in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, United States

Cultural Icon, Actress, and Complex Figure of 20th-Century America

Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on 1 June 1926 at the Los Angeles General Hospital in Los Angeles, California.[¹] Her early life was shaped by instability; her mother, Gladys Pearl Baker, suffered from mental health issues, and Norma Jeane spent much of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanage. Though her birth certificate listed her surname as Mortenson, she was baptized Norma Jeane Baker—a name she would use throughout her youth.[²]

At age 16, in an effort to avoid returning to an orphanage when her foster family relocated, Norma Jeane married James Edward Dougherty on 19 June 1942 in Los Angeles.[³] While Dougherty soon joined the Merchant Marine during World War II, Norma Jeane took factory work and was later discovered by a photographer, beginning a modeling career that led to the silver screen.

After divorcing Dougherty in 1946, she adopted the stage name Marilyn Monroe, launching a film career that catapulted her to international fame. With her signature blend of vulnerability and sensuality, Monroe starred in a series of acclaimed films during the 1950s, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), The Seven Year Itch (1955), and Some Like It Hot (1959), for which she won a Golden Globe.[⁴]

On 14 January 1954, she married baseball legend Joe DiMaggio in San Francisco, California. The high-profile marriage was troubled by conflicting lifestyles and ended in divorce later that same year. Despite their brief union, DiMaggio remained deeply devoted to Monroe and maintained a connection with her until her death.[⁵]

Her third and final marriage was to playwright Arthur Asher Miller in June 1956 in Westchester County, New York. The marriage represented Monroe’s pursuit of intellectual and emotional stability; however, the relationship, too, suffered under the strain of her growing personal difficulties and the pressures of fame. They divorced in 1961.[⁶]

Monroe’s later years were marked by health struggles, both physical and emotional, and increasing tensions with the Hollywood studio system. Despite these challenges, she remained an enduring symbol of glamour and human complexity.

Tragically, Norma Jeane Mortenson—known to the world as Marilyn Monroe—died on 4 August 1962 at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, at the age of 36. Her death was ruled a probable suicide, though it remains the subject of widespread speculation and enduring public interest.[⁷]

Her legacy lives on as a symbol of both Hollywood’s golden era and the vulnerabilities of stardom. Beneath the surface of her public image was a woman of ambition, intelligence, and artistic drive—qualities that continue to be explored and admired across generations.

Sources & Notes:

1. Los Angeles County Coroner’s Report, 1962; FBI Records on Marilyn Monroe, FOIA Archive.
2. Birth certificate of Norma Jeane Mortenson, Los Angeles County Registrar.
3. Donald Spoto, Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, HarperCollins, 1993.
4. Marriage record, Los Angeles County Clerk, 19 June 1942.
5. American Film Institute Archives; Golden Globe Awards Records, 1959.
6. San Francisco County Marriage Records; The DiMaggio Albums, Richard Ben Cramer, 2000.
7. New York State Marriage Index, Westchester County, June 1956; Arthur Miller: A Life, Martin Gottfried, 2003.

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