On June 13, 1926, 26-year-old Gladys Baker brought her 2-week-old daughter, Norma Jeane Mortenson, to the foster home of Ida and Wayne Bolender in Hawthorne, California.
There was no sign of any father—officially unknown, though Baker would insist for years that it was a Consolidated Studios co-worker named Charles Stanley Gifford—nor of the baby girl’s grandmother, Della Monroe, though she had at least arranged things with the Bolenders before running off to India.
Marilyn Monroe is remembered as one of the most glamorous women in Hollywood history. Her blonde hair, unforgettable smile and legendary films turned her into a global icon whose image still lives on decades after her death.
But long before she became the woman the world knew as Marilyn Monroe, she was a little girl named Norma Jeane Baker — and her childhood was filled with pain, instability and heartbreak.
She never knew her father. Her mother, Gladys Baker, struggled with severe mental illness and spent much of Marilyn’s life in psychiatric institutions. Because of this, Marilyn spent her childhood moving between foster homes, orphanages and the homes of strangers.
Even as a young child, she experienced chaos most people could never imagine. At one point, her mother reportedly tried to take her away from foster parents during an emotional breakdown. Years later, Gladys suffered a major mental collapse in front of her daughter and was institutionalized.
Marilyn desperately wanted a normal family and a mother’s love, but stability never lasted long. She was constantly moved from one place to another, and by her own account, she experienced abuse and trauma while growing up.
When she was only 16 years old, Marilyn married her boyfriend simply so she would not be forced back into an orphanage after her guardians moved away. It was less a fairy-tale romance and more a way to survive.
But despite everything she endured, Marilyn refused to give up on herself.
While working in a factory during World War II, she was discovered by a photographer. Modeling quickly changed her life. Soon, Norma Jeane transformed herself into “Marilyn Monroe,” dyeing her hair blonde and stepping into Hollywood with dreams much bigger than anyone expected.
At first, studios did not see her as serious actress material. But Marilyn had something impossible to ignore. Her beauty, charisma and screen presence made audiences fall in love with her almost instantly.
Before long, she became one of the biggest stars in the world.
Films like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Seven Year Itch turned her into Hollywood’s ultimate symbol of glamour and fame.
Yet behind the fame, Marilyn still carried the emotional scars of her childhood. Friends and biographers often described her as someone constantly searching for love, safety and acceptance — the very things she lacked growing up.
Even after becoming one of the most recognizable women on Earth, her relationship with her mother remained painful and complicated. Gladys continued struggling with mental illness for most of her life, while Marilyn battled loneliness, anxiety and addiction behind closed doors.
In 1962, Marilyn Monroe tragically died at just 36 years old. But despite her short life, she left behind a legacy unlike any other.
The little girl who grew up in foster homes without stability or security became one of the most famous actresses of all time — a Hollywood legend whose name the world will never forget.
