10 Facts You May Not Have Known About Marilyn Monroe

This actress was often described as a blonde bombshell. But, there are some things that people may or may not know about this bubbly, blonde actress.

-For one thing, she was the definition of 1950s glamor. Her tragic death at the age of 36 is surrounded by mystery and intrigue

1. She had a tough childhood

-Her real name was Norma Jean Mortenson. Born in 1926, her early life was a hard one. Her mother Gladys suffered and struggled with mental illness while her father was out of the picture. She bounced around foster homes and orphanages as a child. This unstable life created lifelong problems for Marilyn. Despite showing a high degree of glamor and confidence on screen, in real life she suffered with anxiety and low self-esteem 

2. She adopted her breathy voice to beat her stutter

-Her iconic raspy, breathy voice was immediately recognizable. It was also designed to help her overcome a stutter from childhood. As a child, Marilyn suffered from stuttering. This could have been a hindrance to her dream of acting. With the assistance of speech therapy, she learned to talk in a lower, breathier tone of voice. It helped control and minimize any stuttering. And, of course, this tone of voice became her trademark

3. She was actually a natural brunette

-It might be hard to believe, but Marilyn Monroe was not always a blonde. She had brunette hair in her younger years. She dyed it platinum blonde when she first started acting. Maintaining the look was not easy. She was said to touch up her roots every couple of weeks and bleached her hair every six weeks. It was a high maintenance thing to do, but it became something iconic for her

4. She studied Method Acting

-This type of intense acting style was created by Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio in New York City. She worked hard to develop her skills in acting, and, as such, she studied under the famous Lee Strasberg to help shape and mold her acting skills

5. She loved literature

-She was an avid reader. It surprised many who thought she was just a pretty face with no intelligence. She had a massive collection of books, numbering at least over 400. Her library included classics, poetry, philosophy, art and photography books

-She also included authors as friends. She loved reading books by authors such as Dostoyevsky, Joyce, Milton, Whitman and Rilke. She was actually working on a book of poetry at the time of her death. She was definitely a bookworm at heart

6. She converted to Judaism

-Prior to marrying her husband Arthur Miller, she converted to Judaism in 1956. She was raised Christian Scientist, she openly and willingly embraced Judaism. Even after she got divorced, she still followed the Jewish faith. She found comfort in embracing her third husband's faith during times that were challenging

7. She had her eye on Einstein

-Actress Shelly Winters was a roommate of Marilyn's. They both made a list of men they fantasized about intimately. After Marilyn's death, Winters revealed one of the men from Marilyn's list included Albert Einstein. While it's unclear if she ever met the Nobel prize winner, a photo of him could be spotted on her piano

8. She suffered from stage fright

-It's hard to believe that someone like Marilyn Monroe, who made a living in front of the screen, could suffer from stage fright. She did. Prior to live performances, she suffered from shaking hands, a nervous stomach and even vomiting. Unfortunately, she turned to alcohol and sedatives to calm herself, leading to an addiction. Her anxiety led to the reputation of her being late and unprofessional on set

9. She worked in a WWII munitions factory

-Prior to hitting the big screen, Norma Jean Mortenson worked in a munitions factory, specifically the Radioplane munitions factory in Los Angeles during the years of WWII. The factory made military drones used during the war. This job had the unexpected benefit of starting her modeling and acting career. Photographer David Conover was sent by Ronald Reagan to take pictures of female war workers to help boost the public morale in 1944. When Conover saw her, he was struck immediately by her immense beauty. He convinced the shy 19 year old to pose for him on her lunch break. Those photos led to more photos, including the "sweater girl" photos outside of the factory

-He convinced her to leave the factory and start a career in modeling. She soon signed with the Blue Book Modeling Agency and quick to find success. Ironically, her humble beginnings and working in a WWII munitions factory helped give her a kickstart to her career on the silver screen

10. She left a quarter of her fortune to her psychiatrist

-In 1957, she stated seeing a prominent New York psychiatrist named Dr. Marianne Kris. They developed a close relationship during their sessions. Marilyn spent more time with Dr. Kris than any other health professional. This devotion even popped up in her will. When Marilyn died suddenly in 1962, it was discovered she had left 25% of her estate to Dr. Kris. The requirement was that the money should support Dr. Kris' work. When Kris passed away, the money was donated to a London psychiatric center called the Anna Freud Center as per her wishes