Marilyn Monroe is one of Hollywood’s biggest film icons. August 4, 2022, marks sixty years since her devastating passing. However, her legacy continues and she is still considered to be one of Hollywood's most iconic stars. Take a look at some of Marilyn’s career highlights, as well as some little-known facts about her personal life.

Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. The film star spent part of her childhood living with foster parents, as her mother, Gladys Pearl Baker, did not have the financial and mental resources to take care of her. While she initially still visited her daughter, she was eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and spent the rest of her life in and out of hospital. Marilyn then lived in other foster homes.

It was during Marilyn’s childhood that she became interested in becoming an actress as some of her foster families used to send her to the movies. Before pursuing an acting career, she started modeling and signed a contract with Blue Book Model Agency in 1945, before she even turned 20. She appeared on multiple magazine covers including Pageant and Peek.

The rest, as they say, is history. Marilyn then landed her first big-screen role in the 1947 movie ‘Dangerous Minds’, playing Evie. The film star completed featured in a total of 29 movies , including ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ and ‘Some Like It Hot’, released in 1953 and 1959 respectively.

Marilyn Monroe was married three times. The first to James Dougherty lasted from 1942 to 1946, he was her family’s neighbour who she had to married in order to not be sent to an orphanage. From 1954 to 1955, she was married to New York Yankees baseball star Joe DiMaggio. Her third and final husband was Arthur Miller and the pair were married between 1956 and 1961. The marriage surprised many as she was considered a sex symbol, while he was an intellectual essayist and playwright.

Over the course of her career Marilyn Monroe was awarded several big prizes. In 1959 she took home the Crystal Star Award for Best Foreign Actress for her film ‘The Prince and the Showgirl’, which also earned her a David di Donatello Award for Best Actress. In 1960 Monroe won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress in Comedy or Musical for ‘Some Like It Hot’.

Despite her acting success, Marilyn faced multiple health issues during her life. In 1957 she had an ectopic pregnancy and suffered a miscarriage the following year, both of which were linked to her endometriosis. Monroe also had substance abuse issues, which resulted in several on-set problems in the latter stages of her career and she was often under the influence during acting jobs.

Some quick facts about the film star: she appeared in the first cover of Playboy magazine in 1953. Her first modeling job earned her only five dollars. She used to say that the right side of her face was her ‘best’ side. Marilyn memorably sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to former United States President, John F. Kennedy in a performance in 1962 - just three months before her passing.

Apart from her evident acting skills, Marilyn Monroe was incredibly beautiful, which earned her multiple titles and distinctions - although most of them were awarded after her death. In 1999, she was voted the Sexiest Woman of the Century by People magazine. In 1995 Empire magazine named her the Sexiest Female Movie Star of All Time and she was also named the Number One Sex Star of the 20th Century by Playboy magazine in 1999.

Marilyn had friendships with a number of other Hollywood stars of the era. When her career was about to take off, she lived with ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ star, Shelley Winters. She was also good friends with Dorothy Dandridge, Ava Gardner, Ella Fitzgerald and Judy Garland.

August 4, 1962, marked a devastating day for Hollywood, as Marilyn Monroe passed away at the age of 36, following an apparent overdose. Her body was interred at Los Angeles-based Westwood Village Memorial Cemetery. Ever since, multiple conspiracy theories have been suggested, including some that claim she was murdered. In 1982 the Los Angeles Country District Attorney opened the case again, but did not find any evidence to support those theories.