A History Of Iconic Women: Here Are 60 Years Of Lady Legends

She Had A Short, But Bright, Career

Monroe eventually met a photographer in 1944 and that’s when her career began. She had been working in a factory during the war effort but quit that job to begin modeling—including pin-up modeling. She changed her name to Marilyn Monroe and eventually began to get some roles in films. She really broke through, with some minor roles in films like The Asphalt Jungle and All about Eve in the early 1950s.

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She went on to have a successful acting career for a time, although was disappointed at her always being cast in a “dumb blonde” role and because she was paid so much less than her male counterparts. She won a Golden Globe in 1959 for the film Some Like It Hot. Monroe was married twice, to Joe Dimaggio and to Arthur Miller. She passed away from a barbiturate overdose, possibly intentional, at the age of 36.