Little Norma Jeane grew up between foster homes, an orphanage, and a family friend’s house – where she was forbidden from watching movies. Through her difficult childhood and teen years, she dreamed of becoming an actress.
One day a photographer spotted her and gave her a modelling contract, and from this day she was ‘Marilyn Monroe’. She was much-admired but suffered from pre-performance anxiety, which was a challenge for her in her career.
Her films grossed over $200 million but she was known to have said: ‘I don’t want to make money. I just want to be wonderful.’