Marilyn Monroe (<!--IPA necessary for millions of nonnative English speakers--> ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model<!-- Although Monroe sang in some of her films and in public (such as at JFK's birthday ceremony in 1962), she was NOT a full-time singer. Please do not say she was. Thank you. -->. Known for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million (equivalent to $ billion in ) by her death in 1962. Wikipedia