She made drones and experienced pregnancy loss several times: 5 little-known facts about Marilyn Monroe. Photo

"She was a girl who knew how to be happy even when she was sad. And that's important, you know? " Marilyn Monroe said about the character of Sadie Thompson in the play Rain (1921), a role she desperately wanted to play. These words also describe the American actress, producer, and model, one of the most enigmatic stars of the Golden Hollywood era.

Was Marilyn, the "sex symbol of the 1950s," really a frivolous blonde who was highly regarded by directors? In fact, she received one of the lowest salaries among her colleagues, and she was also extremely well-read and had an IQ of 160 (the average is 100). Are you surprised? In the OBOZ.UA article, on the occasion of Marilyn Monroe's 98th birthday, we decided to tell the most interesting facts from her life.

1. Her mother was mentally ill

Norma Jeane Baker (the actress's real name) spent her childhood in eleven foster homes and several orphanages. Her mother, Gladys Baker, was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and hospitalized. Several times the woman kidnapped her daughter when she was with her foster parents, but to no avail. Social services returned the child home each time.

When Norma turned 16, she decided to have a wedding to avoid ending up in an orphanage. Her chosen one was a 21-year-old American policeman, James Doherty. This marriage ended in 4 years when her husband joined the U.S. Merchant Marine in 1943... Subsequently, in her autobiography My Story, Marilyn wrote that this union "brought neither happiness nor pain" and added "I am grateful that it (marriage - Ed.) ended her status as an orphan forever."

2. Norma Baker's first job was making drones

Norma spent her teenage years in the Second World War. At the age of 18, she started working 10 hours a day at Radioplane, a company that manufactured small unmanned aerial vehicles for dropping explosives. Her job was to assemble individual elements for the drones, inspect the parachutes, and spray them with flame retardant (a substance that makes it difficult for materials to ignite and reduces the rate of flame spread).

It was at the factory that she became interested in modeling. She was inspired by David Conover, a photographer for the US Army. He was once commissioned to photograph women next to military equipment. When he saw Norma Jeane smiling, he was struck by her charm. So, he took a series of photographs, which he published in an army magazine in 1945... Soon, the beauty began working with the Blue Book Modeling Agency, where she first used the pseudonym "Marilyn Monroe". Her success grew rapidly! A little later, the newly minted star signed a contract with 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios).

3. She received small fees and stuttered

Marilyn Monroe was the most popular actress of the Golden Hollywood era. She starred in comedies and melodramas, where directors skillfully exploited her looks and turned her into a sex symbol of the 50s. Among the cult films starring her are Niagara (1953), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and The Itch of the Seventh Year (1955)...

The image of a frivolous blonde became the only role for the star who sought to play dramatic roles. For her dedication to cinema, she received one of the lowest salaries among Hollywood stars. Because of this, she often quarreled with the 20th Century Fox film company, but the conflicts did not help to achieve justice. For example, actress Jane Russell earned 10 times more than Monroe!

Another detail is worth paying attention to. In movies and during interviews, Marilyn always spoke with a breath (this special style of communication was later called "Monroeisms"). Thanks to speech therapy, she learned to use a lower pitch. This controlled, guttural voice minimized her stuttering. Unfortunately, the problem returned while working on her last film, Something's Gotta Happen (1962). The actress found it difficult to pronounce her lines, so after the filming was completed, 20th Century Fox terminated her contract.

4. Her pregnancies ended in miscarriages

In April 1952, the star was admitted to the surgical department, where she was to have her appendix removed. When the doctors pulled off the patient's gown, they saw a note taped to her stomach. In it, Marilyn begged the doctor to keep her ovaries intact: "Cut as little as possible. I know it seems futile... The fact that I am a woman is important and means a lot to me... You have children, and you should know what it means to me." The surgeon complied with the request, but Monroe's dream of becoming a mother never came true.

The actress suffered from endometriosis for many years. This is a gynecological disease in which endometrial cells grow outside the inner walls of the uterus, causing a chronic inflammatory process. Marilyn tried many times to get pregnant, and when she succeeded, it ended in miscarriages because of the disease...

Later, in her book They Knew Marilyn Monroe: Famous Persons in the Life of the Hollywood Icon (2012), Les Harding wrote: "Above all, Marilyn wanted what she had never had: a normal family life. She desperately wanted to become a mother."

5. She was well-read and intelligent

After filming Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Monroe told reporters:"I can be clever when I need to be, but most men don't like that." She was a bit of a liar...

This actress was wiser than she was thought to be. She became one of the first women to head her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions. Her IQ was 160 (which is higher than average). In addition, the star was an avid reader: she amassed a personal collection of books that included more than 400 volumes. Her home library included the works of James Joyce, John Milton, Walt Whitman, Rainer Maria Rilke, and more. When Marilyn had nothing to do at home, she would go to the store and buy books that caught her interest from the first page.

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