Dark Secrets About Marilyn Monroe’s Life

1. She never knew her father

(Image/ Source: variety.com)Though she commonly went by Norma Jean Baker as a child, Baker was the name of her mother's previous husband and the two half-siblings she did not know about until she was 12 years old. It was only in 2022 that the true identity of Marilyn’s father came to light; it was Charles Stanley Gifford, who Marilyn’s mother Gladys had an affair with at work.

2. She was in and out of orphanages

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While parts of Marilyn’s childhood were happy, her mother’s mental health continued to spiral. Gladys was eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, so Marilyn was in and out of orphanages,  and spent time with foster parents, family members, and friends of Gladys during her mother’s episodes.

3. She was rocked by the death of her mentor

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Just when her career was starting to finally pick up in 1950, her agent and mentor Johnny Hyde, vice president of the William Morris Agency, died suddenly of a heart attack just days after securing a seven-year contract for her. Marilyn was devastated. She’d maintained a close friendship with Johnny for years.

4. She struggled with her stage fright

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She might have seemed confident on stage and screen, but it turns out Marilyn had a lifelong battle with stage fright. She was notoriously shy and introverted as a child, and her shyness began to manifest as stage fright as she started to perform. Her reputation as a difficult actress stemmed from this stage fright.

5. And this later turned into anxiety and insomnia

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Marilyn didn’t have an easy time with her mental health. The perfectionism in her performances was a side effect of her crippling anxiety, which she struggled with both on and off set. Don Murray opened up about their time together on set and recalled: “She was very, very nervous… she'd break out in a rash every time we'd shoot a scene.”

6. Marilyn also struggled with depression

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During the later years of her life, Marilyn’s behaviour became increasingly erratic. She spiraled into depression during the early 1960s after numerous failed relationships and the death of her co-star Clark Gable. She was quickly placed under the constant care of a psychiatrist, but her condition continued to deteriorate.

7. Her most iconic moment ended her second marriage

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Marilyn’s second husband, baseball star Joe DiMaggio, was prone to jealousy- something that really doesn't mix with being married to the world's most famous actress! After seeing the infamous photos of his wife’s dress flying in the air for the iconic movie The S

even Year Itch

, their marriage was over.

8. She constantly battled with production companies

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The actress and singer was typecast as the femme fatale in a LOT of Hollywood films. Determined to take on more challenging roles, she had several lengthy battles with her production company over the films she worked on. The star eventually set up her own production company, Marilyn Monroe productions, but was ridiculed by the press for it.

9. She had multiple miscarriages

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Marilyn desperately wanted children, but things went badly wrong for her. She suffered from endometriosis, a condition where the tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places. This caused chronic pain for the star throughout her life, and resulted in at least four miscarriages, including an ectopic pregnancy.

10. She had to work alongside her ex-husband

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After her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller fell apart, she was still forced to not only work with him on the movie The Misfits

, but to look on as he began a brand-new relationship in front of her. She also felt that he purposely wrote her role to be less compelling than those of the male actors surrounding her.

11. She never got to complete her final film

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Studio bigwigs knew Marilyn was diagnosed with a case of sinusitis and in need of medical attention, but spread rumours accusing her of "faking it" when they got worried they would go over budget for the unfinished film Something's Got to Give

. They fired her and sued her for $750,000 in damages, but at co-star Dean Martin's insistence, they eventually attempted to resume filming. Marilyn died before they could finish the movie.

12. She allegedly had an affair with John F Kennedy

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While there’s only one photograph of the pair, it’s been rumoured that Marilyn Monroe and John F Kennedy had an affair- and Marilyn’s Some Like It Hot

co-star has confirmed what we all thought. Jack Lemmon said: One day I was coming back home… And there were these guys in funny suits… standing around watching Marilyn Monroe and JFK having a frolic in the pool.”

13. She married when she was just 16

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Marilyn Monroe was 16 years old and still known as Norma Jeane Baker when she married Jim Dougherty, her former classmate at Van Nuys High School. They got hitched in 1942, but their relationship began to break down when Dougherty joined the Merchant Marines and she began modelling. They were divorced by 1946.

14. She apparently bedded Charlie Chaplin Jr

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There have been rumours about Marilyn and Charlie Jr’s relationship for years now. It’s claimed that Marilyn had an affair with the legendary star's son in 1947, but the relationship allegedly ended when Charlie caught Marilyn in his brother Sydney's bed. Chaplin spoke about their affair in his 1960 autobiography.

15. She was beaten up by her second husband

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Joe DiMaggio’s rages were infamous. During their marriage, he made it clear he wanted Marilyn to give up acting to live a “simpler life”, but he didn’t get what he wanted. He flew into such a rage about Marilyn during the filming of The Seven Year Itch

that he beat her up in a hotel room. Other guests in the hotel reported the noise, and Marilyn’s bruises had to be covered up with make-up for the rest of her scenes on set.

16. She dated Frank Sinatra

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After her divorce from Arthur Miller, the actress briefly dated Frank Sinatra. The A-list couple spent time together at Frank’s lavish house in Los Angeles when Marilyn moved over from New York, but things quickly fizzled out when Frank met Juliet Prowse. Marilyn and Frank remained friends until her death.

17. She never wanted to go blonde

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In her early modelling days, Marilyn was a brunette. But her agency told her that she needed to dye her hair bleach blonde if she wanted more work. Desperate to climb the ladder, she agreed- and also underwent electrolysis around her hairline to remove her widow's peak, a V-shaped point in her hairline.

18. She had plastic surgery

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While her hairline surgery was fairly well known, Marilyn actually had other procedures in secret. Some of her X-rays -rays suggested she had some type of procedure to alter the cartilage around the tip of her nose. Her medical records also implied that she had a chin implant, but this isn’t conclusive.

19. The FBI had a file on her

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Her then-husband Arthur Miller was called to testify about his alleged communist activities. He refused, so the FBI continued to monitor him, as well as his Hollywood wife. Apparently Marilyn had also made a request to visit the Soviet Union, which put the FBI on high alert. But she never ended up visiting.

20. She had an affair with Jerry Lewis

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In his 2011 interview with GQ, the late Jerry Lewis claimed he had an affair with the starlet during the late fifties. He said that Monroe used sex like he used to humour: “She needed that contact to be sure it was real.” Apparently it was a VERY long affair, and Jerry went on to say that he was “crippled for a month.”

21. She became addicted to drugs

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As she headed into the final years of her life, Marilyn Monroe became addicted to amphetamines, barbiturates and alcohol as she continued to spiral into depression. She was taking tons of prescription drugs, including opiates, sleeping pills and tranquillizers when she finished The Misfits

, which was when her marriage to Arthur Miller officially ended.

22. And this is what caused her death

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While there are tons of conspiracy theories about her death, the fact remains that the 36-year-old starlet died of a barbiturate overdose on August 4, 1962 at her LA home. But nobody knows for certain if her death was intentional or an accident. The coroner's office listed her death on its records as possible suicide, while the police report said her death was possibly accidental.

23. She didn't have enough cash for a proper funeral

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Joyce Carol Oates, author of the book Blonde

, has documented the starlet’s life- and her death. Apparently she was fairly poor when she died, so she couldn’t afford a lavish funeral. Joyce said that she “made a lot of money for a lot of men, but not much for herself. When she died, at 36, she didn’t own enough money for a proper funeral.”

24. But she set some money aside to support mental health funding

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In her will, Monroe left 25 per cent of her assets to her psychiatrist, Dr Marilyn Kris. She said the money should be used "for the furtherance of the work of such psychiatric institution or group as she shall elect". And that’s what her doctor did. The money ended up going to the Anna Freud Centre for the Psychoanalytic Study and Treatment of Children in England.

25. Her house was bugged

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The only house Monroe ever owned, a modest hacienda in Brentwood, California, was purchased by married actors Michael Irving and Veronica Hamel in the early 70s, roughly a decade after Marilyn had died there. During a redesign of the house, the couple discovered a sophisticated phone tapping system that extended throughout the house.

26. She actually struggled to remember her lines

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While her co-star Dom Murray was aware of her camera shyness, he also picked up on the fact that the actress struggled to actually remember her lines properly. “The joke was, she couldn't make two sentences meet,” he said. This was also thought to be because of her nerves and anxiety on set rather than a lack of professionalism.

27. Joe DiMaggio and Frank Sinatra tried to catch her cheating with another man

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Joe and Frank were having dinner together when a private investigator that DiMaggio had hired tipped them off that Marilyn was with another man at a house nearby. They got a CROWD of people together to break into the house- only to find that they’d got the wrong place. The homeowner decided to sue.

28. Warren Beaty was one of the last people to see Marilyn alive

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A 25-year-old Warren Beatty was attending a party at actor (and JFK’s brother-in-law) Peter Lawford’s house when he met the actress and singer for the first time. She asked him to take a walk along the beach with her; he later said that “It was more soulful than romantic.” Her death was announced the next day.

29. Her estate has gone up in price since her passing

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She might not have had much money at the time of her death, but Marilyn Monroe was actually worth an impressive $20 million at the time. The money was pocketed by producers, who are rumoured to have taken over her estate after her passing. These days, the owners of her estate make a whopping $30 million a year.

30. She lived like a recluse in her final years

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During her final couple of years, Marilyn began to live as a recluse. The breakdown of her marriage to Arthur saw the star cut herself off from the world, and when she did make a public appearance, she didn’t look like her usual glamourous self. Her box office disappointments with 1960’s Let's Make Love

and 1961’s The Misfits

were thought to have played on her mind.

31. A family wanted to adopt her

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Marilyn Monroe had suffered with being left alone most of her life. At one point her mother went to live with a family, named the Bolenders, for several years.  This was because there was a lot of stigma on single parents at that time. The Bolenders loved Marilyn and actually wanted to adopt her. However, her mother had already lost two children and hated this idea and moved away as a result.

32. Her mother uprooted them

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So, they uprooted from the Bolenders who her mother saw as a potential threat, and they then moved to a couple called Mr and Mrs Atkinson. She had finally experienced a stable and loving home and now had to move again. The Atkinsons both worked in the movie industry and this next period was tumultuous for Monrow.

33. Her great grandfather committed suicide

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Her mother Gladys's grandfather, and Marilyn's great grandfather, committed suicide. His name was Tilford Hogan. This was another tipping point for Gladys and another traumatic experience that Monroe had to go through as a child and deal with her mother's reaction.

34. Her half-brother died

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Her half-brother who she discovered when she was 12 years old tragically died of tuberculosis of the bone. Despite the two of them not being in one another's lif it was yet another experience she had to deal with as well as her mother who could not cope with this loss.

35. He didn't know she existed

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Marilyn Monroe had found out as we know about her half-brother's when she was already 12. Yet, they had no idea of her existence. And, when her half-brother died, he died not knowing that he had a half-sister, knowing nothing about her existence at all.

36. Her mother suffered a nervous breakdown after his death

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As we know, Gladys struggled with mental health battles throughout her life. But when she lost her son, she spiralled downhill very quickly. She suffered from a nervous breakdown and from this point on she was institutionalised for the majority of the remainder of her life.

37. Her mother took the death of her son out on Marilyn

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Her mother, of course, was in a serious state of bad mental health after her son's death. And her reaction terribly impacted Marilyn because Gladys even questioned why it could not have been her that died instead of her son. After this, her mother's institutionalisation meant that Monroe never saw much of her mother again.

38. Marilyn was sexually assaulted

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Now her mother had gone and there was a new lodger in the house which she was staying. She was sexually assaulted by him which, of course, was a hugely traumatising experience in her life. Marilyn spent the majority of her life being used by men and viewed as a sexual object.

39. She believed her mother had died

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When her mother had gone to be taken to into an institute for her mental health - nobody explained to Marilyn Monroe where she had gone. She was now deeply struggling, and she had no idea where her mother had gone and for quite some time believed her to have died.

40. Her marriage was an arrangement so that she would not have to go back to an orphanage

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The reason for the first marriage of Marilyn Monroe is not because the two of them fell in love. Yes, the two of them had been briefly dating. But the arrangement was proposed to them by two adults who wanted to keep Monroe from having to go back into an orphanage now that her mother had gone. She likened the marriage to like being retired to a zoo.

41. Her first husband left for war

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Her first husband James Dougherty then had to leave for war. And once again, Marilyn Monroe found herself alone, left by the person she had been married to. Jim was supportive of her and even when she began modelling. However, he told her that when he was back, he would have to give up her new modelling career to start a family

42. Marilyn filed for divorce to pursue her career

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And so, this was not what she had dreamed of or what she wanted at this point in her life. So, she moved to Los Angeles where she knew she could best pursue her career and she dreamed of becoming a film star. Her husband Jim was devastated when Monroe filed for divorce.

43. She was made to change her name

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Marilyn Monroe did not want to give up her own identity and take on a new name, especially her first name. Twentieth Century Fox made her take upon the name Marilyn Monroe when she signed the contract with them. She did not even know how to spell the name Marilyn.

44. She declined Johnny Hyde's proposals

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Johnny Hyde proposed to her many times. Monroe had done some small roles before meeting him, and one movie which had never even been released as it ended up being scrapped. But, when Johnny met her, he was influential and took her under his wing. The two of them were really close. He asked her to marry his numerous times and she always said no.

45. Her nude photos almost ruined her career

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Marilyn was taking off; her career was at an all-time high which meant that the media started digging. They discovered that she had once posed nude for a magazine and they also found out that her mother was alive, living in institutions. Her candour saved her as she admitted to posing due to being desperate for money. And she revealed that she had lied about her mum to protect her and so the public continued to love her.

46. Arthur Miller had written about her in his notebook

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Her and her husband at the time Arthur Miller pair had moved to London. Miller had a notebook, which was found by Marilyn. When she read it, she discovered he had written in his journal that he felt let down by his wife in quite some detail. And so, they moved back to San Francisco to try and start a family.

47. She had multiple operations to try and become a mother

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As we know, Marilyn Monroe never managed to have any children due to her health conditions. She underwent multiple operations to try and become a mother but sadly to no avail. They all failed, and after all of these attempts she finally gave up trying.

48. Clark Gable's widow blame Marilyn for her husband's death

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Another terrible incident happened while Monroe was shooting a movie. Her co-star Clark Gable died just days afterwards from a heart attack. But his wife, for unfounded reasons publicly blamed Monroe for his death stating that it was due to her stress. This affected Monroe's mental wellbeing even further.

49.  Joe DiMaggio released her from a psychiatric hospital

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Monroe had admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital after feeling suicidal at a particularly low time in her life. However, once she was inside, she was surrounded with very disturbed patients, and she felt even worse. Only through Joe DiMaggio's perseverance and strong insistence did she manage to get out again.

50. The media hounded her

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There was speculation that Jo DiMaggio was back together with Monroe as the two struck up a close friendship. However, this was media speculation. The media became obsessed with her and hounded her, making her struggles public and even harder to bear.