20 Heartthrobs from the Golden Age of Hollywood

Marilyn Monroe was one of the original sex symbols

Marilyn Monroe started out in Hollywood in the late ’40s, but she really started to get her footing – and gain heightened exposure – after appearing in films like “The Seven Year Itch” (1955) and “The Misfits” (1961). She was known “both for her winsome embodiment of the Hollywood sex symbol, and her tragic personal and professional struggles within the film industry,” according to IMDb.