In life, Marilyn Monroe possessed a unique combination of earthy sexuality and childlike innocence, which informed every aspect of her brief but memorable career as an actress in films like “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1953), “The Seven Year Itch” (1955) and “Some Like It Hot” (1959). Those same qualities helped to preserve her in the annals of Hollywood history after her untimely and controversial death in 1962, when she transcended the bounds of stardom to become an iconic figure discussed, celebrated and excoriated in countless biographies and merchandise. Eventually, she became a prism for
