Marilyn Monroe was one of the most iconic actresses in the world. She won a Golden Globe and has come to represent Hollywood’s raunchy side. She was identified by her voluptuous figure and blonde hair. She was even popular with those who weren’t as interested in the film industry. While she lived a life full of excitement and had a booming career, her past was also quite interesting. Did you know that Marilyn Monroe got married at the age of 16?
An archive of Marilyn Monroe’s poems, letters, notes, recipes, and diary entries was discovered years after her death. Through these documents, she talked about her first marriage, at the age of 16. It was to keep her out of the orphanage while her caretaker was in a psychiatric hospital.
Marilyn Monroe’s Early Marriage
Marilyn reflected on her early marriage to James Dougherty, an intelligent, attractive man five years her senior, in a five-and-a-half-page typed document.
They got married on June 19, 1942. At the time, she was only 16. She describes her feelings of loneliness and insecurity in that hastily agreed-upon union, which was less of a love match than a way to keep Marilyn, who was then Norma Jeane Baker, out of the orphanage when her caretakers at the time, Grace and Erwin “Doc” Goddard, moved away from California.
Marilyn was not technically orphaned because her mother, Gladys Monroe Baker, was still alive and even outlived her famous daughter. However, because Gladys was a schizophrenic, she spent years in and out of psychiatric hospitals. Marilyn was virtually abandoned and raised by various foster families. Grace Goddard, was a close friend of her mother’s and took her in for a while.
Marilyn had been parked in an orphanage for nearly two years. Dougherty liked the idea of rescuing the shy, beautiful girl who had dropped out of high school to marry him. The union, predictably, failed, and they divorced on September 13, 1946.
My relationship with him was basically insecure from the first night I spent alone with him,
Marilyn Monroe
Her recollection of that marriage is dominated by her fear that Dougherty preferred a former girlfriend, Doris Ingram, a Santa Barbara beauty queen. This triggered Marilyn’s feelings of unworthiness and vulnerability to men.
Finding myself offhandedly stood up snubbed my first feeling was not of anger but the numb pain of rejection and hurt at the destruction of some sort of idealistic image of true love
Marilyn Monroe
(Source: Vanity Fair)
What is Marilyn Monroe’s Real Name?
Norma Jean Baker was Marilyn Monroe’s birth name. Her stage name was created while she was attempting to break into the entertainment industry. Ben Lyon, Fox Studios’ Head Talent executive, assisted her in coming up with a new alias.
He thought she looked like stage actress Marilyn Miller. The name Monroe was derived from her grandmother’s maiden name. Despite having lived for years under her stage name, she eventually legally changed her name to Marilyn Monroe in 1956. (Source: Vanity Fair)
Did Marilyn Monroe have Children?
Marilyn had several pregnancies, but she was never able to carry them to term. With multiple marriages and even photos of Marilyn during pregnancy were made public. Many people still believe she had children, even famous ones, out there in the world today.
According to reports, she was pregnant three times, but two were miscarriages and one was a heartbreaking ectopic pregnancy. (Source: Vanity Fair)
wow I’ve had this Book Called Fragments and it talks about the hardships that Marilyn Monroe went through, and throughout her acting career. I had no clue that Marilyn’s Birth name was Norma Jeane Baker, I thought that Marilyn Monroe was her real birth name turns out that “Marilyn Monroe” was her staged name and Norma Jeane Baker was real birthed name which I found out that was cool. But in the Book Fragments it’s hard to read the letters or poetic scriptures because it’s either faded or it crossed out which makes it even more confusing is the arrows. But overall I’d loved the book and this more clear scripture of her abandonment of her Husband which I found dumb and Stupidity all in a mixture of one!!!!!!