Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962) was an American actress who appeared in 29 films between 1946 and 1961.[1][2] After a brief career in modeling she signed short-term film contracts, first with 20th Century Fox, then Columbia Pictures, and appeared in minor roles for the first few years of her career. In 1950, she made minor appearances in two critically acclaimed films, The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve.[3] The parts in the two films were against many of the roles into which she was typecast, that of the dumb blonde. Margot A. Henriksen, her biographer with the American National Biography, considers the typecast "an unfair stereotype that bothered her throughout her career".[2]
Her major breakthrough came in 1953, when she starred in three pictures: the film noir Niagara, and the comedies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire. Sarah Churchwell, Monroe's biographer, notes that "unconscious, rather than conscious, sexuality would become the Marilyn hallmark after 1953",[4] and the actress became one of the most popular and recognizable people in America.[2] In 1955 Monroe appeared in the Billy Wilder–directed comedy The Seven Year Itch, in which she becomes the object of her married neighbor's sexual fantasies. In it, Monroe stands on a subway grate with the air blowing up the skirt of her white dress; it became the most famous scene of her career.[5]
After appearing in Bus Stop (1956),[6] Monroe founded her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions, in 1955; the company produced one film independently, The Prince and the Showgirl (1957).[7] Monroe then appeared in Some Like It Hot (1959) and The Misfits (1961). She was suspended from the filming of Something's Got to Give in June 1962, and the film remained uncompleted when she died in August.[2] 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.[8]
Monroe won, or was nominated for, several awards during her career. Those she won included the Henrietta Award for Best Young Box Office Personality (1951) and World Film Favorite (1953),[9][10] and a Crystal Star Award and David di Donatello Award for The Prince and the Showgirl (1958).[11] She was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960,[12] and a Golden Palm Star was dedicated at the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in 1995.[13] In the 1999 American Film Institute's list of AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, she was ranked as the sixth greatest film actress;[14] three of the films in which she appeared—Some Like It Hot, All About Eve, and The Asphalt Jungle—have been added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry,[15] and the former earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress.[10] She continues to be considered a major icon in American popular culture in the decades following her death.[16]
Filmography
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Monroe completed 29 films in her career. In 1962, she was filming her 30th film, Something's Got to Give, when she was fired by the studio; she died before it was completed with others in the role.[17][18]
Box Office Ranking
editSee also: Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll
| Year | Place |
|---|---|
| 1953 | 6th (No. 1 Female Star) |
| 1954 | 5th (No. 1 Female Star) |
| 1955 | 11th (Third Female Star) |
| 1956 | 8th (No. 1 Female Star) |
| 1959 | 20th (Eight Female Star) |
| 1950-59 | No.1 Female Star from 50"s |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | The Jack Benny Program | Herself | [48] | |
| 1954 | The Bob Hope Show | Herself | [49] | |
| 1955 | Person to Person | Herself | Interview with Edward R. Murrow | [50] |
| 1962 | President Kennedy's Birthday Salute | Herself | Singing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" | [51] |
Awards and nominations
edit
| Year | Award | Film | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Henrietta Award | – | Best Young Box Office Personality | Won | [9] |
| 1952 | Photoplay Award | – | Fastest Rising Star of 1952 | Won | [52] |
| 1952 | Look Award | – | Most Promising Female Newcomer of 1952 | Won | [53] |
| 1953 | Henrietta Award | – | World Film Favorite: Female | Won | [10] |
| Photoplay Award | – | Most Popular Female Star | Won | [54] | |
| 1954 | Photoplay Award | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire |
Best Actress | Won | [55] |
| 1956 | BAFTA Award | The Seven Year Itch | Best Foreign Actress | Nominated | [56] |
| Golden Globe Award | Bus Stop | Best Motion Picture Actress in Comedy or Musical | Nominated | [10] | |
| 1958 | BAFTA Award | The Prince and the Showgirl | Best Foreign Actress | Nominated | [57] |
| David di Donatello Award | The Prince and the Showgirl | Best Foreign Actress | Won | [58] | |
| 1959 | Crystal Star Award | The Prince and the Showgirl | Best Foreign Actress | Won | [59] |
| Laurel Award | The Prince and the Showgirl | Top Female Comedy Performance | Fourth place | [59] | |
| 1960 | Golden Globe Award | Some Like It Hot | Best Motion Picture Actress in Comedy or Musical | Won | [10] |
| Laurel Award | Some Like It Hot | Top Female Comedy Performance | Second place | [60] | |
| 1962 | Henrietta Award | – | World Film Favorite: Female | Won | [10] |
Notes and references
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ Spoto 2001, p. 677; Lefkowitz 1995, p. 120.
- ^ a b c d Henriksen, Margot A. "Monroe, Marilyn". American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved July 15, 2016. (subscription required)
- ^ Churchwell 2004, pp. 59–60.
- ^ Churchwell 2004, p. 61.
- ^ Spoto 2001, pp. 283–84.
- ^ Spoto 2001, p. 352.
- ^ a b Schneider 2011, p. 92.
- ^ Hertel, Howard; Heff, Don (August 6, 1962). "Marilyn Monroe Dies; Pills Blamed". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ a b Rollyson 2014, p. 87.
- ^ a b c d e f "Marilyn Monroe". Golden Globes. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
- ^ Spoto 2001, p. 409; Vogel 2014, p. 131.
- ^ "Marilyn Monroe". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
- ^ "Palm Springs Walk of Stars" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
- ^ "AFI's 50 Greatest American Screen Legends". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
- ^ Chapman 2001, pp. 542–543; Hall 2006, p. 468.
- ^ "Something's Got to Give (1962)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ Spoto 2001, pp. 681–82.
- ^ "Dangerous Years". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Scudda-hoo! Scudda-hay! (1948)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Ladies of the Chorus". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Love Happy". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "A Ticket to Tomahawk". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Asphalt Jungle". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "All About Eve". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "The Fireball". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Right Cross". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Home Town Story". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "As Young As You Feel". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Love Nest". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Let's Make It Legal". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Clash by Night". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "We're Not Married!". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Don't Bother to Knock". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Monkey Business". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "O. Henry's Full House". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Niagara". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "How to Marry a Millionaire". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "River of No Return". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "There's No Business Like Show Business". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "The Seven Year Itch". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Bus Stop". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "The Prince and the Showgirl". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Some Like It Hot". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Let's Make Love". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "The Misfits". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ Burkhead 2013, p. 142.
- ^ Hyatt 2006, p. 142.
- ^ Rollyson 2014, p. 149.
- ^ Rollyson 2014, p. 263; Vogel 2014, p. 163.
- ^ Vogel 2014, p. 21.
- ^ Kidder 2011, p. 42.
- ^ Rollyson 2014, p. 106.
- ^ Super 2005, p. 367.
- ^ "Foreign Actress in 1956". British Film Institute. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
- ^ "Foreign Actress in 1958". British Film Institute. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
- ^ Spoto 2001, p. 409.
- ^ a b Vogel 2014, p. 131.
- ^ Vogel 2014, p. 143.
Sources
edit- "Marilyn Monroe". American Film Institute. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- "Marilyn Monroe". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- Burkhead, Cynthia (2013). Dreams in American Television Narratives: From Dallas to Buffy. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4411-2417-3.
- Chapman, Gary (2001). "Marilyn Monroe". In Browne, Ray B.; Browne, Pat (eds.). The Guide to United States Popular Culture. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-87972-821-2.
- Churchwell, Sarah (2004). The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe. Granta Books. ISBN 978-0-312-42565-4.
- Hall, Susan G. (2006). American Icons: An Encyclopedia of the People, Places, and Things that Have Shaped Our Culture. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-98429-8.
- Hyatt, Wesley (2006). Emmy Award Winning Nighttime Television Shows, 1948–2004. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-2329-3.
- Kidder, Clark (2011). Marilyn Monroe: Cover to Cover: Cover to Cover. Iola, WI: Krause Publications. ISBN 978-1-4402-2780-6.
- Lefkowitz, Frances (1995). Marilyn Monroe. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7910-2342-6.
- Rollyson, Carl (2014). Marilyn Monroe Day by Day: A Timeline of People, Places, and Events. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4422-3080-4.
- Schneider, Michel (2011). Marilyn's Last Sessions. Edinburgh: Canongate Books. ISBN 978-1-84767-036-6.
- Spoto, Donald (2001). Marilyn Monroe: The Biography. Lanham, MD: Cooper Square Press. ISBN 978-0-8154-1183-3.
- Super, John C. (2005). The Fifties in America. Ipswich, MA: Salem Press. ISBN 978-1-58765-203-5.
- Vogel, Michelle (24 April 2014). Marilyn Monroe: Her Films, Her Life. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7086-0.