The provided text offers an extensive overview of the life and career of Marilyn Monroe, beginning with her birth as Norma Jeane Mortenson in 1926. It chronicles her difficult childhood, her early modeling career, and her breakthrough as a major Hollywood star and sex symbol in the 1950s, detailing key films like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Seven Year Itch. The source also discusses her notable marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, her struggles with the studio system that led her to form her own production company, and her reputation for being a challenging but talented performer. Finally, the text addresses her untimely death in 1962 from a barbiturate overdose, ruled a probable suicide, and examines her enduring legacy as a global pop culture icon.