Born Norma Jean Mortenson(nacida con el
nombre de Norma Jean) in Los Angeles, the daughter of an
emotionally unstable(emocionalmente inestable) mother,
she spent a troubled(turbulenta) childhood in foster
homes(casas de acogida) and orphanages(orfanatos)
and at the age of 16 entered into an ill-fated(infortunado, gafado)
marriage. In 1944, while working in a defense plant, she was noticed by a
United States Army photographer(un fotógrafo de la arma de los
EEUU se fijó en ella) who induced her to pose(posar)
for posters for the troops. Instantly popular as a model, Monroe soon found
other assignments(encargos, trabajos) and registered with
a modeling agency(agencia de modoelos), which sent her to
charm school and put her on a number of magazine covers(portadas).
She was signed by the 20th Century-Fox film studio in 1946 but had only two
small film roles(papeles) before she was dropped(despedida)
by the studio. In 1948 she was briefly under contract to Columbia Pictures,
and although she was soon out of work again, this stint yielded
appearances in a low-budget musical(este período dio paso a
apariciones en un musical de bajo presupuesto), Ladies of the
Chorus (1949), and in the film Love Happy (1949), in which she had a bit
part(pequeña participación) with the Marx Brothers.
In 1950 20th Century-Fox signed Monroe to another contract, and over(durante)
the next few years she appeared in a series of small parts in films that
began to gain(atraer, ganar) her increased attention.
Notable(destacado) among these were Asphalt Jungle (1950)
and All About Eve (1950). Monroe also appeared in Love Nest(nido)(1951),
Clash(estuendo, enfrentamiento) By Night (1952), and
Monkey Business(tejemanejes, trampas) (1952; with Cary
Grant and Ginger Rogers) and had her first lead role(papel
principal) in Don’t Bother to Knock (1952), as a psychotic
babysitter(niñera). By 1953 she was appearing as a star in
such films as Niagara, How to Marry a Millionaire, and Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes (as Lorelei Lee).
The sex-symbol phase of her career followed, in which her wide-eyed charm(encanto
de ojos anchos), physical voluptuousness(voluptuosidad),
and natural sex appeal made her internationally renowned(reconocida,
famosa) and her looks and mannerisms(maneras,
peculiaridades) were widely imitated. Famous films of this period,
during which she was 20th Century-Fox’s leading box-office(éxito)
attraction, include River of No Return (1954), There’s No Business Like Show
Business (1954), and The Seven-Year Itch(picor) (1955;
directed by Billy Wilder).
In 1954 Monroe married baseball player Joe DiMaggio, but they were divorced
a year later. In 1955 she rebelled against her long succession of
stereotyped roles, announced that she was forming her own production
company, and went to New York City to attend(asistir a)
classes at the Actors Studio. She was, however, subsequently induced to
remain(permanecer) at 20th Century-Fox with a contract
that offered her more creative control. In 1956 she married playwright(dramaturgo)
Arthur Miller, whom she had met in New York City and who later scripted(escribió
el guión de) her last film. She made The Prince and the Showgirl—a
critical and commercial failure—with Laurence Olivier in 1957, gave a
noted performance(célebre actuación) as the singer
Sugar Kane in Some Like It Hot (1959; directed by Wilder), and appeared with
Yves Montand in Let’s Make Love (1960).
During this period, under the constant care of a psychiatrist, beset(acosada)
by depression and illness, and prone(propensa) to mix
prescription drugs(drogas recetadas por médicos) with
alcohol, Monroe was becoming increasingly unreliable(poco serio,
informal). Her final film was The Misfits(inadaptados)
(1961), written for her by Miller and directed by John Huston. A week after
the film opened, she divorced Miller. In the summer of 1962 she was fired(expulsada,
despedida) from the set(plató, escenario) of her
latest picture, and a month later she was found dead in her home, the
apparent victim of a barbiturate overdose(sobredosis de
barbitúricos) (although suicide was not ruled out(descartado)). |