Following a short but successful career, Marilyn Monroe remains a 1950’s icon.
One the brightest shining stars of 1950’s Hollywood was Marilyn Monroe. During the decade she appeared in 23 films, with her major starring roles starting in 1952. She was born Norma Jeane Mortensen on June 1, 1926 in the charity ward at Los Angeles County Hospital. Her mother was institutionalized and Marilyn spent her childhood bouncing between foster homes, orphanages and the homes of relatives. She married Jim Dougherty in 1942 at the age of 16. This marriage was arranged by a family friend in order to keep her out of another orphanage. After her husband was sent overseas she went to work on an assembly line at an aeronautical plant. It was while working there in 1945 that a photographer took a picture of her and she began a career as a model. By the end of 1946 she had dyed her hair to the trademark blonde and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe.
Marilyn started with a number of small roles in movies in the late 1940’s and early 50’s. Her first starring role was in 1952’s Don’t Bother to Knock and her breakthrough role was later that year in Niagra. From there Marilyn went on to star in a number of movies, including Gentleman Prefer Blondes, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination and Some Like It Hot, where she won a Golden Globe. The Misfits in 1961 was her last completed film and Marilyn died on August 5, 1962.
Of the many things that Marilyn Monroe is known for one is her hourglass figure. But she didn’t practice any Hollywood fad diets to stay in shape. In a 1952 interview with Pageant magazine Marilyn said that every morning she drank a glass of warm milk with two raw eggs beaten in, followed by several multi-vitamins. For dinner she told Pageant, ”My dinners at home are startlingly simple. Every night I stop at the market near my hotel and pick up a steak, lamb chops or liver, which I broil in the electric oven in my room. I usually eat four or five raw carrots with my meat and that is all.”
Sources: http://marilynmonroe.com/history/
http://www.finedininglovers.com/blog/curious-bites/what-did-marilyn-monroe-eat/