Marilyn Monroe ( born Norma Jeane Mortenson ; June 1 , 1926 – August 4 , 1962 ) was an American actress , model , and singer . Famous for playing comic " blonde bombshell " characters , she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s and was emblematic of the era 's changing attitudes towards sexuality . Although she was a top-billed actress for only a decade , her films grossed $ 200 million ( equivalent to $ billion in ) by the time of her unexpected death in 1962 . More than half a century later , she continues to be a major popular culture icon
her unexpected death
Death of Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe