Forever known as the “Blonde Bombshell,” Marilyn Monroe was one of the biggest movie stars of the 1950s and 1960s and became one of Hollywood’s most famous sex symbols through films such as The Seven Year Itch , Some Like It Hot , and The Misfits . But Monroe’s story went much deeper than that. She was raised in foster homes and orphanages in Los Angeles before catching the eye of pin-up photographers and landing her first film role in 1947. While she soon became a Hollywood icon, Monroe was also a voracious reader, an animal lover, and a political progressive. Which classic crooner gifted her a beloved pet? How did she get her legendary stage name? Why were the feds keeping tabs on her? As Marilyn Monroe takes the spotlight once again as the subject of recently released film Blonde starring Ana de Armas (based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 novel), discover eight fascinating facts you may not have known about the beloved star.