Marilyn Monroe’s sex appeal, talent and untimely death combined to make her one of Hollywood’s most recognizable icons and, for a time, the world’s most famous blonde.  Marilyn Monroe was born as Norma Jean Mortenson in Los Angeles in 1926. Her home life was unstable; she lived in foster homes, with relatives, and in the Los Angeles Orphans Home until she married Jim Dougherty at age 16. She was discovered by a photographer while working at an airplane factory during World War II, and began a modeling career which quickly led to some small film roles. Early in her film career she played the cheerful but not-too-smart object of desire in movies like How to Marry a Millionaire(1953) and The Seven Year Itch (1955). Her va-va-voom curves soon made her a global celebrity, and she went on to win acclaim as a talented actress in the films Bus Stop (1956) and Some Like It Hot (1959, with Jack Lemmon ).