Born Norma Jean Mortenson on June 1, 1926, the actress swept Hollywood with her undeniable charm and bombshell look. Fame was not particularly kind to her, having faced scandals, prejudice, and even deep loneliness throughout her life. Decades after her passing, she remains to be an inspiration to many and an enigmatic character to most. 

As her cookbooks shed a light on her home life and piqued the interest of loyal fans, we round up a few facts about the actress that you may not know.

Pictured here is the only home Monroe ever owned, and where she lived and died at just 36 years old. As the property changed hands, married actors Michael Irving and Veronica Hamel discovered that the house was bugged. Some time in the early '70s, they remodelled the property and stumbled upon a sophisticated, government-grade eavesdropping and telephone tapping system that extended into every room of the house.

Although people often associate Monroe with the 'dumb blonde' image, she was known to be quite well-read. At the time of her death, she owned around 430 books, including several first editions. She was also often caught reading in between takes at movie shoots. 

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Sold at US$1,267,500 (over RM5 million) in 1999, the gown Monroe wore when she sang Happy Birthday to JFK in 1962 has become an icon in and of itself. Similarly, the white dress she wore for the The Seven Year Itch promotion was bought for US$4.6 million (over RM19 million). 

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Her life and romances were the stuff of tabloids so much so that it caused strain for most (if not all) of her marriages. At 16, Monroe married James Dougherty, although they soon divorced in 1946.

Her second marriage was to Joe DiMaggio who was a famous baseball player, many thought of them as an up-and-coming It couple who had the looks, charm, and popularity to boot. Despite what seemed like a magical pairing on paper, the couple separated in 1954, mere nine months into the marriage.

Two years later, she fell in love with celebrated author Arthur Miller; they divorced in 1961—a year before her untimely death. 

Several accounts mention that Monroe was emotional and quite unsure about herself, especially during shoots. Despite being a student of Lee Strasberg and even attending classes at the Actors Studio co-founded by Elia Kazan (with whom she had an affair), Monroe had a reputation for being difficult on set.

Although she was a major star, she displayed erratic behaviour that cost her a few roles. Marilyn frequently demanded one too many takes, to the vexation of her co-stars. "For somebody who the camera loved, she was still terrified of going before the camera and broke out in a rash all over her body," shared Don Murray, her co-star in the 1956 flick, Bus Stop.

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