Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson in 1926 in Los Angeles. Her mother suffered from mental illness and Monroe lived in an orphanage as a child. She married young but began modeling in the 1940s, which led to acting roles in the 1950s. Monroe became a major Hollywood star through films like The Seven Year Itch but struggled with personal issues. She married both Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller but divorced. Monroe died in 1962 at her Los Angeles home at the age of 36.