She was born Norma Jean Mortenson but there wasn't a man around to step up to the plate and claim Norma Jean as his daughter. Norma Jean would shed her identity anyway when she became Marilyn Monroe in 1956. The name the whole world would recognize.

Marilyn was married at the age of sixteen. The marriage was somewhat arranged by the foster parents that she had been living with at the time. The family decided to move and couldn't take Marilyn with them. They asked their neighbor's son to marry her and he did. She left her first husband in 1946.

Monroe became a successful model and the recognition allowed her to meet up with Ben Lyon who was a talent scout. He arranged a contract with 20th Century Fox. Soon, she had a few parts in the 1947 releases Dangerous Years and Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!

After renewing one six-month contract, Fox didn't renew the contract again and Marilyn was left to find other avenues to pursue. She appeared nude in Playboy for their first issue and began to make her name known within the world of modeling and in Hollywood specifically.

Ladies of the Chorus allowed Monroe the opportunity to work with Columbia Pictures but when the musical flopped, she was once again left unemployed. Johnny Hyde began to work with Marilyn as her agent and soon Fox took a look once more. She starred in Love Happy and All About Eve.

Hyde encouraged some plastic surgery to correct her nose and chin issues and soon Hyde and others were convinced that Marilyn was a keeper. Films like Monkey Business allowed Marilyn Monroe to claim her fame. She earned her chance at the big time with Niagara, a 1953 film that allowed her to soar as a movie star.

When the Playboy pictures surfaced, Monroe didn't deny that they were hers and when she was taunted with the question of what she "had on" during the photo shoot, she simply replied, "The radio". She instantly won the media's favor.

With her career soaring, Marilyn's personal life often suffered. Still, she was involved with some very powerful men including Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller and one or both of the Kennedy brothers (Bobby and John F.).

Marilyn Monroe died in 1962. Her death was ruled as a probable suicide but many believe someone powerful orchestrated her death. Today, Marilyn Monroe ranks at number nine on Forbes.com's list of "highest earning dead celebrities".