"I want to age without a facelift; I want to have the courage to be true to the face I made. Sometimes I think it would be easier to avoid old age, die young, but then you would never end your whole life, would you? You would never know yourself completely. Marilyn Monroe said in the younger days of her life. not realized, Marilyn Monroe had a memorable life, filled with ups and downs Who would have thought that such a successful young woman had such an unstable life whether you know her as "The Blonde Bombshell", or Norma? Marilyn Monroe, she had a huge impact on the way people view women of the past From her childhood to her achievements, her downfalls and even her death, Marilyn Monroe had a huge impact on people around the world. Jeane Mortenson, better known as Marilyn Monroe, was born on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California. She was also known as Norma Jeane Baker in her youth. His mother, Gladys Monroe Baker Mortensen, was a film editor at RKO Studios. Norma's biological father has never been identified. His mother told him that his father looked like the movie star Clark Gable. Throughout her childhood, Norma imagined Clark as her father. Almost immediately after her birth, Norma's mother became mentally ill and abandoned her, forcing her into a series of foster homes. Norma's adoptive parents, Ida and Albert Bolender, were very strict and religious. Gladys paid $25 per month for Norma's placement. Despite her mother's frequent visits, Norma did not consider Gladys her mother, but rather "the woman with the red hair." Despite having a difficult childhood, where she was nearly suffocated to death at two and raped at six, Norma's life has only become a life almost... middle of paper... back with Grace McKee Goddard. Over the next year, Norma began taking the next steps to get into acting. Norma signed up with a talent agency, National Concert Artists Corporation, and quickly met Ben Lyon, an executive at Twentieth Century-Fox. Ben arranged for Norma to do a screen test, which is a short film to see what a person looks and acts like on camera. According to cinematographer Leon Shamroy, Norma's brief performance gave him "chills". Ben Lyon was so impressed with her performance that he entered her shortly after the screen test. In August 1946, she signed a six-month contract. His contract paid him $75 a week for six months. Norma was only twenty years old at the time, so Grace had to co-sign the contract. Once the contract was signed, there was only one thing left to do: choose a pseudonym..