Probably the most famous of all actresses, Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jean Mortenson on June 1, 1926 at Los Angeles General Hospital. Before her birth, Marilyn's father bought a motorcycle and headed north to San Francisco, abandoning the family in Los Angeles. Marilyn grew up not knowing for sure who her father really was. Her mother, Gladys, had had several affairs, further confusing her daughter as to who her father was. Gladys later named Norma Jean (Marilyn) after Baker, a boyfriend she had before Mortenson. Poverty was a constant companion of Gladys and Norma. Gladys, who was extremely attractive and worked for RKO Studios as a film editor, suffered from mental illness and was in and out of mental institutions for the rest of her life, and because of this Norma Jean spent time in foster homes. When she was nine she was placed in an orphanage where she would remain for the next two years. After being released from the orphanage, she went to another foster home. In 1942, at the age of 16, Norma Jean married James Dougherty, 21, an aircraft plant worker. The marriage lasted only four years and they divorced in 1946. At this point Marilyn began modeling swimsuits and bleached her hair blonde. Various shots made their way into the public eye, where some were eventually seen by RKO Pictures head Howard Hughes. He offered Marilyn an audition, but an agent suggested that 20th Century-Fox would be the best choice for her, since it was a much larger and more prestigious studio. He signed a contract of $125 a week for a period of six months and this was increased by $25 a week at the end of that period when his contract was lengthened. His first film was in 1947 with a small part in The Shocking Miss. Pilgrim (1947). His next output wasn't much better, somewhat in the forgettable Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948). Two of the three brief scenes she appeared in ended on the cutting room floor. Later that same year, she was given a slightly better role as Evie in Dangerous Years (1947). However, Fox refused to renew her contract, so she returned to modeling and acting school. Columbia Pictures then chose her to play Peggy Martin in Ladies of the Chorus (1948), where she sang two songs..