Baptised Norma Jeane Baker, better known as Marilyn Monroe, she was an American actress, singer and model. After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, she began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946. Her early film appearances were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950) were well received. By 1953, she had progressed to leading roles, including such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and The Seven Year Itch (1955). Limited by typecasting, she studied at the Actors Studio to broaden her range, and her dramatic performance in Bus Stop (1956) was hailed by critics, and she received a Golden Globe nomination. She received a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Some Like It Hot (1959).

The final years of her life were marked by illness, personal problems, and a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to work with. The circumstances of her death, from an overdose of barbiturates, have been the subject of conjecture, although officially classified as a probable suicide.