Marilyn Monroe has always been a global icon of glamour and sex appeal. She is still well-known and revered to this day, most closely associated with diamonds and beauty from ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend’.  She was an intriguing figure with a complicated life story, ending in tragedy after a meteoric rise to fame. Many of her films can still be seen on television today.

Here we look at some lesser known facts about the woman behind the Hollywood glitz:

She was born Norma Jean Mortenson and grew up not knowing her father. She was sent to an orphanage at the young age of 9 years old due to her mother and grandmother suffering from mental health problems. Both her mother and grandmother were admitted to hospital.

Her mother spent much time inside institutions suffering with mental health issues and Marilyn would be haunted for her whole life with anxiety about suffering the same fate. She even had an occasional stutter at different stressful times in her life. She married at the tender age of sixteen to Jim Dougherty and they remained together for 4 years.

The name Marilyn Monroe came into being thanks to the head of talent spotting at Fox Studios, Ben Lyon. He felt she looked like a Marilyn, after Marilyn Miller who starred in New York musicals. Monroe was chosen by Norma herself, as it was her grandmother’s last name.

Marilyn Monroe was possibly one of the first celebrities to have plastic surgery. She had a minor nose job completed in 1950 which lifted it a little. She also had some cartilage inserted into her jaw to give her a more defined chin line.

Many producers didn’t like working with her as she was known for being late and unreliable. She would often be given her own shooting schedule, so others didn’t have to wait for her to show up. The more fame she achieved, the more erratic her behaviour became. She often didn’t turn up at all or was very late because of her fragile emotional state. She was, in fact, fired from her last ever film ‘Some like it hot’ because of her behaviour.

Marilyn first attempted suicide in December 1950 after the death of a good friend. After marrying Arthur Miller, she sadly experienced a miscarriage which led to a further suicide attempt several months later. It is said that Arthur Miller had to call doctors and save his wife from suicide three times. After another pregnancy failed, her behaviour declined even more. Her funeral was an extreme sad affair with many celebrities turning out to remember this incredible lady. Funeral Directors Southend on sea way create these same beautiful ceremonies for their clients and help to leave some positive memories for the families left behind.