**Marilyn**

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| View | Add Favorite I was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 at Los Angeles General Hospital, to Gladys Baker. The identity of my biological father was unidentified. In November, 1926 I was baptized at The Four Square Church as Norma Jean Baker.I spent most of my childhood in foster homes and orphanages until 1937, when I moved in with family friend Grace McKee Goddard. Unfortunately, when Grace's husband was transferred to the East Coast in 1942, the couple couldn't afford to take of me at the age of 16. My options were either return to the orphanage or get married. I chose to get married. On June 19, 1942 I wed my 21-year-old neighbor Jimmy Dougherty, whom I had been dating for six months. "She was a sweet, generous and religious girl," Jimmy said. "She liked to be cuddled." By all accounts I loved Jimmy, and we were happy together until he joined the Merchant Marines and was sent to the South Pacific in 1944. After Jimmy left, I took a job on the assembly line at the Radio Plane Munitions factory in Burbank, California. Several months later, photographer David Conover saw me while taking pictures of women contributing to the war effort for Yank magazine. He couldn't believe his luck. In his view I was a "photographer's dream." Conover used me for the shoot and then began sending modeling jobs my way. The camera loved me, and within two years I was a reputable model with many popular magazine covers to my credit.Get Your Own! | View SlideshowI began studying the work of legendary actresses Jean Harlow and Lana Turner, and enrolled in drama classes with dreams of stardom. However, Jimmy's return in 1946 meant I had to make another choice- this time between my marriage and my career. I divorced Jimmy in June of 1946, and signed my first studio contract with Twentieth Century Fox on August 26, 1946. I earned $125 a week. Soon after, I dyed my hair blonde and changed my name to Marilyn Monroe (borrowing my grandmother's last name). The rest, as the saying goes, is history.Marriages: Jimmy Doughtey (1942-1946) Joe DiMaggio (1954) Arthur Miller (1956-1961)Get Your Own! | View SlideshowGet Your Own! | View Slideshow