Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, model, and singer. Famous for playing comedic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s and was emblematic of the era's changing attitudes towards sexuality. She was a top-billed actress for only a decade, but her films grossed $200 million by the time of her death in 1962.Long after her death, she has continued to be a major icon of pop culture.In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Monroe sixth on its list of the greatest female screen legends from the Golden Age of Hollywood.Probably the world’s most iconic woman, her incredible sexuality, sultry voice and stunning looks left every man she met helpless. A tough early life perhaps led to her later erratic ways and dependency on drugs, but she remains the ultimate movie goddess, whose movie presence is, as yet, unmatched.