Hollywood marked 100 years since the birth of Marilyn Monroe on Monday 1 June, with the city paying tribute to one of its most recognisable stars.

More than six decades after her death, Los Angeles featured numerous references to the bottle-blonde actress on what would have been her centenary.

“When you think of Hollywood, you think of Marilyn,” tour guide Lacey Noel told AFP on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame. “There’s some sort of beautiful, mysterious, and captivating aura that she has that will never go away.”

At the historic Chinese Theatre, where Monroe’s handprints are preserved alongside those of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1953) co-star Jane Russell, fans gathered to sing “Happy Birthday” – echoing her performance for president John F Kennedy.

One hundred roses and a cake were placed at the site, a popular tourist destination that represents Hollywood’s golden age.

Museum exhibition opens

The Academy Museum opened “Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon” on Sunday, an exhibition celebrating her film career. The museum will host special screenings of her films throughout June, including “The Asphalt Jungle” (1950), “Niagara” (1953), “The Seven Year Itch” (1955), “Some Like It Hot” (1959), and “The Misfits” (1961).

The exhibition, running until February 2027, includes hundreds of original pieces, some rarely displayed. Among them is Monroe’s pink dress worn during her performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”.

On 4 June, Julien’s Auctions will sell nearly 200 pieces of Monroe memorabilia as part of its “100 Years of Marilyn” sale. The items include unpublished photographs, a script with notes from her final production, the unfinished short film “Something’s Got to Give”, and personal items including handwritten recipes and her Elizabeth Arden lipstick.

From factory worker to global star

Born in Los Angeles on 1 June 1926, Monroe experienced an unstable childhood in orphanages and foster homes. She married for the first time at 16.

Her introduction to show business came in 1944 whilst working in a factory, when a photographer arrived to capture images of women on production lines during World War II.

She entered the modelling world soon after, divorced her husband and dyed her brown hair platinum blonde. She secured her first contract with Fox, and by 30 had become a global star.

Monroe founded her own production company and attended the Actors Studio in New York. In the 1950s, whilst under contract with 20th Century Fox, she refused to appear in the musical adaptation “The Girl in Pink Tights”, citing a poor script and a salary three times less than co-star Frank Sinatra.

Her collaboration with Fox produced some of cinema’s most famous images, including Monroe holding down a white dress whilst standing on a New York City subway vent for “The Seven Year Itch”.

Private life in spotlight

Monroe’s fame extended beyond her films. Her private life provided regular content for tabloid publications, establishing her as a defining celebrity of the 20th century.

After her first marriage at 16, she had a brief union with baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, followed by a five-year marriage to US playwright Arthur Miller.

Reports also linked her romantically with John F Kennedy and his brother Robert F Kennedy, as well as Hollywood figures including Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.

Monroe died from a drug overdose at her Los Angeles home in August 1962 at 36.