Did Marilyn Monroe’s Father Charles Stanley Gifford Have A Mental Illness?

Since Marilyn Monroe suffered from years of trauma and despair leading to her degraded mental health condition, queries about if her father, Charles Stanley Gifford, also had a similar mental illness condition arose among fans.

For years, the identity of Marilyn Monroe’s father has remained a mystery. In this post, we’ll look at some intriguing facts about her father, Charles Stanley Gifford.

Blonde, the newest Marilyn Monroe film starring Ana de Armas, has just been released. Many people have concerns about the world-famous actress, like who her biological father was and if they ever met.

The film is based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 novel of the same name and focuses on Marilyn’s ascent to stardom and her interactions with men. Marilyn’s father and her quest to find him are recurring themes in the film.

Gladys, Marilyn’s mother, allegedly told her for years that her father was a renowned movie actor. Gladys is said to have informed Marilyn of several versions of her father’s identity, but no one knew who he was for years. A DNA test in 2022 revealed that the icon’s father was Charles Stanley Gifford, her mother’s boss.

Quick Facts About Marilyn Monroe

Did Marilyn Monroe’s Father Charles Stanley Gifford Have A Mental Illness?

Well, Charles Stanley Gifford, Marilyn Monroe’s father, was not mentally ill. According to the reports, Charles was the boss of Marilyn’s mother, and they had a short-term affair.

According to reports, Charles Stanley Gifford was born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1898. According to The Cinemaholic, Gifford passed away three years after Marilyn’s passing in 1965.

While it is often said Marilyn never knew the identity of his biological father, she was aware of him and also tried to contact him on several occasions. Unfortunately, Gifford wanted no contact with them.

Although Gladys’ husband, Martin Edward Mortensen, was listed as Marilyn’s father on her birth certificate, it has now been established that her true father was one of her associates, Charles Stanley Gifford, after the recent tests.

Furthermore, a DNA test utilizing a strand of Marilyn’s hair still preserved at the coroner’s office and a cheek swab from Charles Stanley Gifford’s great-grandchild showed he was her biological father earlier this year.

Marilyn Monroe’s Mother Gladys Pearl Baker Mental Illness

According to the reports, Marilyn’s mother, Gladys Pearl Baker was said to be mentally ill. Moreover, Marilyn, too had a difficult upbringing, with her mother spending time in a mental facility.

Gladys experienced a mental breakdown in January 1934 and was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Furthermore, she was sent to the Metropolitan State Hospital after spending many months at a rest home. She spent the remainder of her life in and out of hospitals, seldom seeing Monroe.

Moreover, Monroe was made a ward of the state, and her mother’s friend, Grace Goddard, took care of her and her mother’s affairs. She spent her childhood in foster care and an orphanage.

Did Marilyn Ever Meet Her Father, Charles Stanley Gifford?

According to Wikitree, Charles had two further children with his wife, whom he married in 1919 and eventually got divorced. According to Vanity Fair, he worked as a supervisor at RKO Studios and resided in the same apartment building as Marilyn.

It’s unclear what Marilyn knew about her father, although she did manage to find Charles Stanley Gifford at one time, according to the book Marilyn Monroe: The Private Life of a Public Icon by Charles Casillo.

According to the book, Marilyn approached Charles Stanley Gifford and informed him who she was, only for him to answer, “I’m married, and I have a family. I have nothing to say to you. Please contact my attorney “according to Showbiz CheatSheet.

Francine Gifford Deir, Charles’s granddaughter, alleges Marilyn attempted to meet with her father. Marilyn went to see her grandfather in Hemet, California, in the 1950s, when she was already renowned, but he refused to see her, she told Distractify.

According to the Daily Mail, some of Marilyn’s associates recalled the star’s frequent attempts to contact Gifford, even saying that she talked with him in person at one point in 1950. She would have been around 24 years old at the time.

But with each visit, she was disappointed, and throughout the years, Marilyn recounted various stories about whether or not she had actually met her father in person. Marilyn’s companion pondered on Gifford’s rejection, stating that “it did her no good. It crushed her heart,” according to The Sun.

Marilyn Monroe’s Mental Health And Illness

Marilyn Monroe struggled with dyslexia and stuttering from a young age. It had an impact not just on her school life, but also on her adulthood and job.

Reportedly, the icon suffered from mental health illnesses such as; dyslexia and borderline personality disorder.

Similarly, Lois Banner writes in her book ‘Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox’ that Marilyn had horrific dreams her whole childhood, which contributed to her chronic sleeplessness.

She had a bipolar illness and was frequently out of touch with reality. Not to mention that she was continuously in excruciating discomfort throughout her period.

Furthermore, the book stated that the actress suffered from a skin rash and hives before developing chronic colitis, which caused gastrointestinal pain and nausea. may acquire strength,” the author went on to say. Monroe, unfortunately, suffered from mental illness till the end.

Marilyn Monroe’s Family

Marilyn Monroe was born to Gladys Pearl Baker, her mother, and Charles Stanley Gifford, her father. Monroe was born on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles County Hospital in Los Angeles, California, as Norma Jeane Mortenson.

Gladys Pearl Baker, her mother, was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico to an impoverished Midwestern family who immigrated to California at the turn of the century. On the contrary, DNA testing in 2022 revealed that Monroe’s father was Charles Stanley Gifford, a coworker with whom Gladys had an affair in 1925.

Marilyn, on the other hand, was said to have two more half-siblings from her father’s side. Monroe’s early life was steady and joyful, despite the fact that her mother Gladys was psychologically and financially equipped for a child.

Gladys put her daughter in the remote hamlet of Hawthorne with evangelical Christian foster parents Albert and Ida Bolender.

Marilyn Monroe’s Early Childhood Days

Monroe’s home environment frequently changed while she was a youngster. She continued to live with Atkinson for the first 16 months, and she may have been physically abused during this period.

She had always been a shy girl, but now she stuttered and withdrew. She spent the summer of 1935 with Grace and her husband, Erwin “Doc” Goddard, as well as two other families.

Grace put her in the Los Angeles Orphans Home in September 1935. Monroe felt abandoned despite the fact that the orphanage was recognized as “a model institution” by her classmates.

Encouraged by orphanage workers who believed Monroe would be happier living with a family, Grace became Monroe’s legal guardian in 1936 but did not remove her from the orphanage until the summer of 1937.