Marilyn was born Norma Jean Mortenson on 1st June, 1926 in Los Angeles.
Her Mother Gladys was suffering from a mental illness at the time and was
admitted to a mental institute. Her father had left before her birth and Marilyn
was then sent to a series of foster homes where she experienced abuse. At the age
of 16 she married James Dougherty who joined the Merchant marines and left her
at home on her own, so Marilyn began working in a factory and was photographed
by someone who quickly praised her beauty and offered her a job as a model. She
began to have aspirations to be a model and eventually divorced Dougherty to
reach her dreams.