`One of South Bay’s most notable residents, Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson (June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962) hit the Hollywood scene like a bombshell, garnering her the nickname the “blonde bombshell”.

She became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era’s sexual revolution. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $2 billion in 2023) by the time of her death in 1962.

Born and raised in Los Angeles County, Monroe spent most of her childhood in a total of twelve foster homes and an orphanage before marrying James Dougherty at age sixteen. She was working in a factory during World War II when she met a photographer from the First Motion Picture Unit and began a successful pin-up modeling career, which led to short-lived film contracts with 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures. After a series of minor film roles, she signed a new contract with Fox in late 1950. Over the next two years, she became a popular actress with 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 photographs prior to becoming a star, but the story did not damage her career and instead resulted in increased interest in her films.

Marilyn spent some of her childhood living in Hawthorne, California. Her childhood home, located on our Left Coast Legends Map, still resembles its look when Marilyn lived there.

Filmography

• Dangerous Years (1947)
• Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948)
• Ladies of the Chorus (1948)
• Love Happy (1949)
• A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950)
• The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
• All About Eve (1950)
• The Fireball (1950)
• Right Cross (1951)
• Home Town Story (1951)
• As Young as You Feel (1951)
• Love Nest (1951)
• Let’s Make It Legal (1951)
• Clash by Night (1952)
• We’re Not Married! (1952)
• Don’t Bother to Knock (1952)
• Monkey Business (1952)
• O. Henry’s Full House (1952)
• Niagara (1953)
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
• How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
• River of No Return (1954)
• There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954)
• The Seven Year Itch (1955)
• Bus Stop (1956)
• The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)
• Some Like It Hot (1959)
• Let’s Make Love (1960)
• The Misfits (1961)
• Something’s Got to Give (1962–unfinished)