Marilyn Monroe wrote letters, kept journals and constantly jotted down her creative ideas. They provide an intimate, complex portrait of the sex symbol, and are the basis of this HBO documentary. Milton H. Greene/Courtesy of HBO
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Monroe often wrote to famed acting teacher Lee Strasberg (above, seated) about her doubts as an actress. Shortly before her death, she sent him an optimistic letter about her future. Everett Collection
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Monroe often wrote to famed acting teacher Lee Strasberg about her doubts as an actress (above). Shortly before her death, she sent him an optimistic letter about her future. AP
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Monroe constantly wrote notes while living at the Connecticut home of her favorite photographer, Milton Greene (center). Gene Lester/Getty Images
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Monroe bounced around foster homes as a child (with her mother Gladys Baker in 1929, above). Despite a difficult upbringing, she revealed in her letters a desire to educate and better herself. Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
