who is marilyn monroe and why is she famous?
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 According to The Guide to United States Popular Culture , " as an icon of American popular culture , Monroe 's few rivals in popularity include Elvis Presley and Mickey Mouse ... no other star has ever inspired such a wide range of emotions – from lust to pity , from envy to remorse . " Art historian Gail Levin has stated that Monroe may have been " the most photographed person of the 20th century " , and The American Film Institute has named her the sixth greatest female screen legend in American film history . The Smithsonian Institution has included her on their list of " 100 Most Significant Americans of All Time " , and both Variety and VH1 have placed her in the top ten in their rankings of the greatest popular culture icons of the twentieth century . Hundreds of books have been written about Monroe , she has been the subject of films , plays , operas , and songs , and has influenced artists and entertainers such as Andy Warhol and Madonna . She also remains a valuable brand : her image and name have been licensed for hundreds of products , and she has been featured in advertising for multinational corporations such as Max Factor , Chanel , Mercedes @-@ Benz , and Absolut Vodka . 

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 Monroe was listed in the annual Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll in both 1953 and 1954 , and according to Fox historian Aubrey Solomon became the studio 's " greatest asset " alongside CinemaScope . Monroe 's position as a leading sex symbol was confirmed in December , when Hugh Hefner featured her on the cover and as centerfold in the first issue of Playboy . The cover image was a shot of her at the Miss America Pageant parade in 1952 , and the centerfold featured one of her 1949 nude photographs . 

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 Monroe began 1956 by announcing her win over 20th Century @-@ Fox ; the press , which had previously derided her , now wrote favorably about her decision to fight the studio . Time called her a " shrewd businesswoman " and Look predicted that the win would be " an example of the individual against the herd for years to come " . She also officially changed her name to Marilyn Monroe in March . Her relationship with Miller prompted some negative comments from the press , including Walter Winchell 's statement that " America 's best @-@ known blonde moving picture star is now the darling of the left @-@ wing intelligentsia . " Monroe and Miller were married at the Westchester County Court in White Plains , New York on June 29 , and two days later had a Jewish ceremony at his agent 's house at Waccabuc , New York . Monroe converted to Judaism with the marriage , which led Egypt to ban all of her films . The media saw the union as mismatched given her star image as a sex symbol and his position as an intellectual , as demonstrated by Variety 's headline " Egghead Weds Hourglass " . 

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 To profit from Monroe 's popularity , 20th Century @-@ Fox cultivated several lookalike actresses , including Jayne Mansfield and Sheree North . Other studios also attempted to create their own Monroes : Universal Pictures with Mamie Van Doren , Columbia Pictures with Kim Novak , and Rank Organisation with Diana Dors . 

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 Monroe 's enduring popularity is linked to her conflicted public image . On the one hand , she remains a sex symbol , beauty icon and one of the most famous stars of classical Hollywood cinema . On the other , she is also remembered for her troubled private life , unstable childhood , struggle for professional respect , and her death and the conspiracy theories surrounding it . She has been written about by scholars and journalists interested in gender and feminism , such as Gloria Steinem , Jacqueline Rose , Molly Haskell , Sarah Churchwell , and Lois Banner . Some , such as Steinem , have viewed her as a victim of the studio system . Others , such as Haskell , Rose , and Churchwell , have instead stressed Monroe 's proactive role in her career and her participation in the creation of her public persona . 
