Born in Los Angles, California, June 1, 1926.
This was Marilyn Monroe's first TV appearance. The Jack Benny Show in 1953. She was a major film star at that time. She (and her studio) had turned down countless offers before agreeing to this appearance. Jack and Marilyn were friends and remained close for many years.
Norma Jean Baker imagined, created, and perfected one of the most famous and enduring theatrical personas in the history of the performing arts.
Some quotes from Marilyn Monroe:
“I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.”
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“I've never fooled anyone. I've let people fool themselves. They didn't bother to find out who and what I was. Instead, they would invent a character for me. I wouldn't argue with them. They were obviously loving somebody I wasn't.”
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“Respect is one of life’s greatest treasures. I mean, what does it all add up to if you don’t have that? Arthur Miller wouldn’t have married me if I had been nothing but a dumb blonde.”
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“This life is what you make it. No matter what, you’re going to mess up sometimes, it’s a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you’re going to mess it up.”
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“I’m a failure as a woman. My men expect so much of me, because of the image they’ve made of me– and that I’ve made of myself– as a sex symbol. They expect bells to ring and whistles to whistle, but my anatomy is the same as any other woman’s and I can’t live up to it.”
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“The most unsatisfactory men are those who pride themselves on their virility and regard sex as if it were some form of athletics at which you can win cups. It is a woman’s spirit and mood a man has to stimulate in order to make sex interesting. The real lover is the man who can thrill you just by touching your head or smiling into your eyes or by just staring into space.”
