Norma Jeane Mortenson, posteriormente Norma Jeane Baker y más conocida por su nombre artístico Marilyn Monroe —seudónimo que luego registraría legalmente— (Los Ángeles, California, Estados Unidos, 1 de junio de 1926-ibídem, 5 de agosto de 1962), fue una de las actrices estadounidenses de cine más populares del siglo XX, considerada como un icono pop y un símbolo sexual. En 1945, Norma Jeane Baker empezó a trabajar como modelo y más tarde comenzó su carrera en Hollywood con el nombre artístico de Marilyn Monroe. Desde finales de la década de 1940, apareció en muchos pequeños papeles, gracias a un contrato con Twentieth Century-Fox; durante esa etapa se destacan sus participaciones en La jungla de asfalto, The Asphalt Jungle (1950), y Eva al desnudo, All About Eve (1950). Su primer papel protagónico lo obtuvo en la cinta de 1952 Don't Bother to Knock. Su período de mayor popularidad sucedió a partir del año siguiente, cuando encabezó filmes como Los caballeros las prefieren rubias, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953); Cómo casarse con un millonario, How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), y La comezón del séptimo año, The Seven Year Itch (1955). Tras matricularse en el Actor's Studio, fue alabada por la crítica por su labor en Bus Stop (1956). Simultáneamente, en colaboración con el fotógrafo Milton Greene, fundó la Marilyn Monroe Productions. Su protagónico más elogiado fue el Sugar Kane para la película de Billy Wilder Some Like it Hot (1959), por la que incluso ganó un Globo de Oro a la mejor actriz de comedia o musical. En sus últimos años actúo en películas como Let's Make Love (1960) y The Misfits (1960), escrita por su cónyuge Arthur Miller. Estuvo casada en tres ocasiones –con James Dougherty, Joe DiMaggio y Arthur Miller– y se le atribuyeron relaciones amorosas con los hermanos Bobby y John F. Kennedy. Falleció el 5 de agosto de 1962 a causa de una sobredosis de barbitúricos, en circunstancias nunca esclarecidas. La primera hipótesis que barajó la justicia estadounidense fue la de suicidio, pero esta nunca pudo ser corroborada. Sus dos médicos personales le suministraban peligrosos barbitúricos cuya paulatina acumulación en su organismo pudo provocar su muerte.

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Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962) was an American actress and model. Famous for playing "dumb blonde" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s, emblematic of the era's attitudes towards sexuality. Although she was a top-billed actress for only a decade, her films grossed $200 million by the time of her unexpected death in 1962. She continues to be considered a major popular culture icon. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Monroe spent most of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanage and married for the first time at the age of sixteen. While working in a factory as part of the war effort in 1944, she met a photographer and began a successful pin-up modeling career. The work led to short-lived film contracts with Twentieth Century-Fox (1946–47) and Columbia Pictures (1948). After a series of minor film roles, she signed a new contract with Fox in 1951. 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 photos before becoming a star, but rather than damaging her career, the story increased interest in her films. By 1953, Monroe was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars, with leading roles in three films: the noir Niagara, which focused on her sex appeal, and the comedies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire, which established her star image as a "dumb blonde". Although she played a significant role in the creation and management of her public image throughout her career, she was disappointed at being typecast and underpaid by the studio. She was briefly suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project, but returned to star in one of the biggest box office successes of her career, The Seven Year Itch (1955). When the studio was still reluctant to change her contract, Monroe founded a film production company in late 1954, Marilyn Monroe Productions (MMP). She dedicated 1955 to building her company and began studying method acting at the Actors Studio. In late 1955, Fox awarded her a new contract, which gave her more control and a larger salary. After a critically acclaimed performance in Bus Stop (1956) and acting in the first independent production of MMP, The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for Some Like It Hot (1959). Her last completed film was the drama The Misfits (1961). Monroe's troubled private life received much attention. She struggled with addiction, depression, and anxiety. She had two highly publicized marriages, to baseball player Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller, which both ended in divorce. She died at the age of 36 on August 5, 1962 from an overdose of barbiturates at her home in Los Angeles. Although the death was ruled a probable suicide, several conspiracy theories have been proposed in the decades following her death.

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