In our previous articles, we looked at stamps honoring famous figures like Clint Eastwood, John F. Kennedy, Bob Dylan, and Charlie Chaplin. This time, we’re focusing on one of Hollywood’s most iconic stars – Marilyn Monroe. We’ll go over some key facts about her life and explore stamps featuring her from three different continents.
Marilyn Monroe was born as Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Gladys Baker, had serious mental health problems and couldn’t take care of her, so Marilyn spent much of her childhood in foster care. Her father wasn’t around, and without a stable family, she also lived in an orphanage at times. At 16, she married factory worker James Dougherty to avoid going back to the orphanage. During World War II, she worked in a munitions factory in California.
Marilyn Monroe
Series: History of the Film
Republic Congo / Congo Brazzaville: 1971/03/16
The photographer who discovered Marilyn Monroe was David Conover. In 1944, he was working for the U.S. Army and sent to a munitions factory in California to take photos of female workers to boost morale. While there, he noticed Norma Jeane and was impressed by how good she looked on camera. His photos helped start her modeling career, which later led to her becoming a Hollywood star.
After photographer David Conover discovered her in 1944, Marilyn Monroe started working as a model and quickly became popular for her beauty and charm. Her modeling success helped her get a short-term contract with 20th Century Fox in 1946. That’s when she changed her name to Marilyn Monroe and dyed her hair blonde. Over the next few years, she took on small movie roles and worked on improving her acting.
Marilyn became a true Hollywood star in the early 1950s. The movie that made the biggest difference in her career was Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), where she played the role of Lorelei Lee. Her performance - especially singing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” - made her world-famous and helped create her image as a glamorous movie icon.
Legends of Hollywood: Marilyn Monroe
USA – 1995/06/01
After Gentlemen Prefer Blondes became a hit, Marilyn Monroe quickly rose to the top as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. That same year, she also starred in How to Marry a Millionaire with Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall, showing off her talent for comedy and charm on screen. In 1955, she appeared in The Seven Year Itch, which featured the famous scene of her white dress blowing up over a subway grate—one of the most iconic movie moments of all time.
Monroe continued to earn praise with more serious roles. In Bus Stop (1956), critics admired her emotional depth and acting skills. One of her best performances was in Some Like It Hot (1959), a comedy directed by Billy Wilder that’s still considered one of the greatest ever made. Her last finished film was The Misfits (1961), written by her husband at the time, Arthur Miller, where she acted alongside Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift. These films helped prove she was a great actress in both comedy and drama, and they remain a big part of what made her a legend.
One of the most talked-about parts of Marilyn Monroe’s love life is her rumored affair with President John F. Kennedy - and possibly his brother, Robert Kennedy. But aside from that, Marilyn had a rich and complicated romantic history.
As already mentioned, she married James Dougherty in 1942, and the marriage lasted until 1946. In 1954, she married baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, though their marriage was short-lived. Her third and final husband was playwright Arthur Miller, whom she was married to from 1956 to 1961. Over the years, she was also rumored to have had affairs with several famous figures, including Frank Sinatra, Yves Montand, Marlon Brando, and Milton Greene.
Charlie Chaplin & Mickey Mouse, Marilyn Monroe & Marlene Dietrich, Nikolai Cherckasov & Humphrey Bogart,
Sofia Loren & Liza Minelli, Gerard Phillip & Toshiro Mifune, Katya Pascaleva & Nevena Kokaneva
Series: Centenary of Motion Pictures
Bulgaria – 1995/10/16
Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962, at the age of 36. Her death sparked many rumors, especially involving a possible cover-up related to her relationships with the Kennedy brothers. The official cause of death was an intentional overdose of sleeping pills, likely linked to depression, mental health struggles, and a deep sense of loneliness.
Today, we’ve taken a look back at one of the most iconic Hollywood stars of the 20th century - Marilyn Monroe. While you wait for the next article in our celebrity series, feel free to check out some of the previous ones.
Celebrities on Stamps: Bob Dylan
Celebrities on Stamps: David Bowie
Celebrities on Stamps: Pink Floyd
Celebrities on Stamps: The Rolling Stones
