Gladys Pearl Baker, a single parent who gave birth to a Hollywood icon, was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Today, many people have yet to learn the real relationship between Marilyn Monroe and her mom Gladys.
Gladys Pearl Monroe
Initially, Monroe was adamant about her not knowing who Gladys Pearl Monroe was in her life back when she started in Hollywood. She claimed she was an orphan that was bouncing from one foster home to another. Unfortunately, this awful story was only half right. Few years later, a rumor that Monroe’s biological mother was alive and well, living in a nursing facility.
Marilyn had a strained relationship with Gladys Pearl Monroe, who was also named Gladys Pearl Baker. Despite the rollercoaster of events in their lives, the Hollywood icon still felt obligated to leave a hefty inheritance to Gladys after her devastating demise in 1962.
Norma Jeane Mortenson
Norma Jeane Mortenson may sound unfamiliar to the public, but her screen name Marilyn Monroe was once the most sought-after celebrity in Los Angeles. Born and raised in California in 1962, Monroe came as the third offspring to Baker, a film cutter at an editing studio in Hollywood. Monroe’s mom had a series of troubled marriages but gave her two children before Marilyn was born.
Few years later, Baker married Edward Mortenson, but unfortunately, they ended it shortly. Until today, nobody knew if this Edward was indeed Marilyn’s biological father. No one can corroborate it, even her mother, who was suffering from mental illness. The unpredictability of Baker’s mental health led Marilyn to be placed in the foster system.
Even with such a condition, Gladys visited her daughter often. She couldn’t bear seeing someone looking after Marilyn, she kidnapped her and placed her inside a duffle bag. Baker was really a disturbed woman and had a nervous breakdown a few years after. Monroe lived with different families until she ended up with her mom’s friend, the McKee’s. Sadly, this was still a terrible family for Marilyn since the head of the family sexually abused her.
The young Marilyn Monroe and her mother.
The Woman Behind Hollywood’s Most Iconic Star
As Monroe continued to make a reputation, Baker’s mental health worsened. The Hollywood celebrity pretended she’d cared for a second, but in reality, Marilyn despised her mother for the tragic childhood she experienced.
Norma Jean finally changed her name to Marilyn Monroe. And since she was already famous back then, her publicity team wanted to make sure Marilyn’s troubled past remained hidden. She had to fabricate a story about her dead parents that led her to be an orphan at a young age.
Even when she was already a celebrity, her secret eventually came out that her mom was still at a nursing home. Her mom willingly admitted that indeed the most recognized celebrity was her daughter, but nobody believed Gladys.
Marilyn kept in touch with her mom, even if she completely hated her. She sent a monthly allowance to the facility. In return, Baker kept writing to her daughter, begging to get her out from the sanitarium. It’s so unfortunate that Marilyn Monroe’s sudden death ended the possibility of reconciliation between the mother-and-daughter relationship.
