Hollywood Marks 100 Years Since Marilyn Monroe's Birth with Exhibits and Events

On June 1, Hollywood is honoring the centennial of Marilyn Monroe's birth with a series of exhibitions, film screenings, and a public auction. Despite having passed away more than 60 years ago, Monroe remains a prominent figure in the city known as the heart of cinema.

Fans of Monroe gathered on Monday at the Chinese Theatre, a symbol of old Hollywood, where they celebrated with a cake and 100 roses. Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Baker on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, left a lasting imprint on the venue where she famously pressed her hand and footprints in 1953 alongside Jane Russell, her co-star in the film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."

For a long period, Monroe was cast primarily in roles portraying the naive blonde stereotype, and her presence on the silver screen was confined to that image. However, over time, she established herself as a feminist icon.

The celebrations coincide with an exhibition titled "Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon" at the Los Angeles Cinema Museum. Opened on Sunday, the exhibit offers visitors insight into key moments of Monroe's life and career through film screenings and rare personal items, including the famous pink satin dress she wore in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."

The program also includes a public auction named "100 Years of Marilyn," featuring unpublished photographs of the late star, a screenplay from her unfinished film "Something's Got to Give" annotated in her handwriting, and several personal belongings such as cosmetics.

Monroe's sudden death on the night of August 4 to 5, 1962, at the age of 36, has sparked decades of speculation and analysis. Some theories suggest suicide, others propose an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, while a third group speculates murder linked to her intimate relationships with U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert.

Although Monroe's career spanned only 17 years, she continues to inspire both within the film industry and beyond. Books about her are continually published, films produced, and she remains a subject in various cultural works.

In 2023, Monroe ranked twelfth on Forbes magazine's list of highest-earning deceased celebrities, with income of ten million dollars, trailing only singer Michael Jackson but surpassing physicist Albert Einstein on the list.

The 2022 film "Blonde," based on a novel by American author Joyce Carol Oates, portrayed Monroe’s life with Cuban actress Ana de Armas playing the blonde star. The film highlighted Hollywood's patriarchal system but did not clarify the enduring mystery surrounding Monroe's death.

Her life has inspired numerous artistic works, ranging from Andy Warhol's paintings to the film "My Week with Marilyn" starring Michelle Williams a decade ago, as well as novels by writers such as Norman Mailer.