In the biography “Marilyn Monroe,” Donald Spoto characterized the early phase of their relationship: “Sixteen-year-old Norma Jeane tried to rise to the unrealistic demands of being a suitable housewife for a twenty-one-year-old independent man. She offered Norma Jeane a choice: either she married a young man Grace had selected, or she would have to return to the orphanage.”

When Monroe was seven, Grace McKee, Gladys’ friend, was appointed her legal guardian, assuming responsibility (though Monroe continued to live in foster homes and orphanages).īiographer Barbara Learning wrote, in the New York Times of Monroe’s predicament: 'McKeen announced she and (her husband) were moving to West Virginia and could not take Norma Jeane with them. Monroe’s mother, Gladys Baker, was institutionalized for mental health, as were both of her maternal grandparents, per the New York Times.

“He was a bon vivant, great sense of humor, and he brought that out in her,” Krug said.īut the reason she married him at such a young age goes back to her upbringing. Krug said they met at Van Nuys High School in California. Schani Krug, producer of the documentary “Marilyn’s Man” about Dougherty, spoke to NPR about their relationship in 2005, after Dougherty death at the age of 81. Now, her story will be told on the big screen in the upcoming film, “Blonde“ and “Blade Runner 2049” star Ana de Armas will be portraying the actor.

Monroe’s legacy was left behind in the films she made for her fans and the people she touched. One year after she and Miller divorced, Monroe died of a barbiturate overdose at the age of 36. She remained close to her stepchildren and others in her former husbands’ families, phoning them often and remembering special occasions with cards and generous gifts,” he said in an interview with the Baltimore Sun. She didn’t even say nasty things about her ex-husbands. Monroe never had children, but biographer Donald Spoto said she remained close to her husbands’ families.

Monroe was married to her next-door neighbor, Jim Dougherty from 1942 to 1946, baseball pro Joe DiMaggio from 1954 to 1955 and playwright Arthur Miller from 1956 to 1961. But who did she love? The actor’s public romances, and three marriages, made headlines. Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson in 1926, was a Hollywood icon beloved by many.

My story monroe