Marilyn Monroe’s Hollywood Transformation
When you visualize Marilyn Monroe, it’s easy to imagine the actress’s signature look: blonde hair, red lip, full lashes. But the star actually started out her career as a fresh-faced brunette. While her beauty look quickly evolved as her career took off, Monroe continued to experiment with her hair and makeup, wearing her iconic curls in a variety of styles. She also proved the versatility of her glamorous look by wearing a full face of makeup for every occasion, from an on-screen appearance to a casual party at home. Here, a look back at Marilyn Monroe’s beauty evolution, from up-and-coming brunette to blonde Hollywood bombshell.
A portrait of the young actress Marilyn Monroe, with curly brown hair, in 1940.
Monroe was officially working as a successful model, but her husband still was not content with her career choices.
First Steps into Film:
By the time Dougherty returned from the war in 1946, Monroe was ready to move forward with her life, as a single woman and without her husband’s permission to continue modeling. Indeed, Monroe had her eye on a career on Hollywood’s silver screen. And after her divorce, while still riding the high of her modeling career, Monroe signed with an acting agency that year.
20th Century Fox
Though Monroe’s screen test was not the most enthusiastically received by the executives at 20th Century Fox, the head of the studio Darryl F. Zanuck decided to give her a standard six-month contract.
Another executive at 20th Century Fox, Ben Lyon, became close to Monroe and suggested “Marilyn” for her stage name. She chose Monroe after her grandmother’s surname.
Monroe did not rise to stardom right out of the gate. Instead, she was given bit parts in two films, Dangerous Years in 1947, and Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! in 1948.
Producers considered Monroe too shy and reserved to have a real acting career, so despite her enthusiasm for the craft, the studio did not renew her contract when it lapsed in the fall of 1947.
Still determined to become an actress, Monroe returned to modeling. She also continued to work the odd film job at various studios—though most of these screen positions were behind the scenes or very limited. But Monroe also continued her training at the Actor’s Laboratory Theater, a Hollywood institution for acting techniques that people such as Howard Da Silva and Dorothy Dandridge frequented.
Columbia Pictures
Ever resourceful in her approach to accomplishing her goals, Monroe continued a process of networking and making influential friends in the movie industry. She attended director’s parties, befriended gossip columnists, and linked herself to producers and actors alike at studio functions. Soon, her acquaintance Joseph M. Schenck, a 20th Century Fox executive, mentioned her to his friend in the industry.
This friend of Schenck’s was no other than Harry Cohn, the head executive of Columbia Pictures, who signed Monroe onto his studio after some persuasion.
Once she arrived at Columbia, Monroe’s appearance was changed further, as her look became modeled after the famous Rita Hayworth and Monroe’s hair was bleached platinum blonde.
Though Columbia Pictures was arguably where Monroe got her fresh start on the screen, she was not entirely successful at this studio, either. She did land her first starring role in a low-budget musical called Ladies of the Chorus in 1948, where she played a chorus girl courted by a millionaire. She was also screen-tested for the lead in Born Yesterday, released in 1950, but her contract was not renewed in 1948.
Back to Modelling
After her Columbia contract lapsed, Monroe returned to modeling. During this time, she shot some of her more ‘risqué’ material—posing for a Pabst beer commercial and an artistic nude photoshoot for John Baumgarth’s calendars, using the name Mona Monroe. Because of her earlier topless and bikini modeling experience, Monroe was comfortable with this style in front of cameras.
However, her need to return to modeling to make ends meet was soon to end. During 1949, Monroe met and befriended Johnny Hyde, vice president of the William Morris Talent Agency.
And it was through Hyde that Monroe found her first solid pathway into Hollywood stardom.
Marilyn Monroe’s Breakthrough
Thanks to Johnny Hyde’s connections, Monroe landed her first influential role on the screen:
Both films were released in 1950, and Monroe gained critical acclaim even in her limited roles and screen time. The doors, it seemed, were opening for the young actress.
In December of 1950, Monroe signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox, returning to the initial studio she had dreamed of. During the next year, she had successful supporting roles in comedies, including As Young as You Feel, Let’s Make it Legal, and Love Nest. However, she would later attest that each film cast her as sexually ornamental.
But this was indeed the beginning for Monroe—her audience popularity grew with each title, and magazines featured her frequently.
Fan mail arrived in the thousands, and in 1952, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association dubbed her “best young box office personality”.
Marilyn Monroe was well on her way to the top of the Hollywood totem pole.
The Iconic Blonde Bombshell
In 1953, Marilyn Monroe starred in three films that arguably became her most iconic role in the public’s perception: the blonde bombshell.
By this point, Monroe and her makeup artist, Allan Snyder, had achieved her “trademark” look. It included pale skin and platinum blonde hair, with dark eyebrows and deep red lipstick. Her beauty mark, a mole above the right side of her mouth, was also augmented with makeup.
Monroe rocketed to fame as the sultry-voiced, hourglass-figured sex symbol of Hollywood with the release of Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and How to Marry a Millionaire. In bright Technicolor, Monroe dazzled and sashayed her way into the hearts of audiences worldwide, where her iconic blonde hair, pink dresses, and pouty smile drew everyone’s attention.
The second of these films firmly—and unfortunately—solidified her on-screen persona as a ditzy blonde, who occasionally played a gold-digger. And the audiences loved it: when How to Marry a Millionaire was released, it turned into Monroe’s biggest box office success thus far.
Legacy
The transformation of Norma Jeane Mortenson into Marilyn Monroe is more than just a Hollywood story. It’s a tale of a woman who dared to dream and change, becoming an enduring symbol of glamour and determination. Even today, decades after her untimely death in 1962, Marilyn Monroe’s legacy continues to inspire millions around the world.
In conclusion, Monroe’s journey from Norma Jeane Mortenson to Marilyn Monroe is a powerful testament to the power of reinvention and resilience. Her life serves as a reminder that one can rise above adversity to achieve their dreams, leaving an indelible mark on the world.