Marilyn Monroe: A Life in 100 Takes & Years by Teresa Inge

If Marilyn Monroe had lived to see 2026, she would have turned 100 on June 1—a milestone that invites us to look beyond the platinum hair, camera flashes, and famous white dress. Born Norma Jeane Mortenson in Los Angeles in 1926, she entered the world with little security. Her childhood was marred by living in 10 foster homes, an orphanage, and, at age 16, marriage to her next-door neighbor, James Dougherty, to avoid returning to foster care. Dougherty later recalled that although he knew Norma Jeane Dougherty, he never knew Marilyn Monroe—the star she would become, to escape her early life.

I first learned about Monroe as a child, watching her movies with my mother. Years later, after reading her biography, I understood why fans remain fascinated by her life. It’s not only her beauty, but vulnerability, screen presence, and the star she carefully crafted to interest people.  

Becoming Marilyn Monroe 
After divorcing Dougherty in 1946, Monroe’s transformation from factory worker and model to Hollywood legend was not simply luck. She studied acting, the camera, literature, and music, while critics underestimated her. By the 1950s, films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, and Some Like It Hot made her the most recognized performer on Earth.

Marriages & Production Company 
Monroe later founded a production company to seek serious roles in an industry eager to package her as fantasy. Her marriages to Joe DiMaggio in 1954 and Arthur Miller in 1956 did not survive, strained by jealousy, pressure, and the glare of fame.

Creative Control
During that period, Monroe clashed with Hollywood studios over typecasting, low pay, lack of creative control, suspensions, and contract disputes. Her reputation for arriving late to set, keeping crews waiting, and reliance on acting coach Paula Strasberg after each take, made it hard for studios to take her seriously. Yet those struggles show how she was fighting to be understood, respected, and shape her own career.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President 
In May 1962, Monroe sang "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden. Shortly after, 20^th Century-Fox fired her in June 1962, due to her absences from filming Something’s Got to Give, and the studio’s frustration over her going to New York for Kennedy’s event, despite production issues.

Death
Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962. Her death was officially ruled a probable suicide from an overdose of barbiturates.

Legacy 
At 100, Marilyn Monroe remains a cultural icon. She stands as a symbol of beauty, ambition, vulnerability, and reinvention. A self-made artist who understood the power of image and celebrity long before the modern world had language for it. Her performances, photographs, and public persona continue to invite fascination because they hold radiance and mystery.