Marilyn Monroe

Professor Lois Banner Dept: The actress, who died Aug. 5, 1962, ranked third in Forbes' 2011 list of the top deceased celebrity earners. Her image generated $27 million US, as photos, fashion and films from her career gain a new following in the digital era, according to CBC. Banner, author of the new book Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox , argues that Monroe was actually a comedian who created a parody of femininity in films such as Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch and marilyn Monroe continues to be a fascinating character 50 years after her death. Monroe is also being reassessed as a cultural touchstone. Professor Lois Banner, who teaches history and gender studies at the University of Southern California, says the actress who played the perennial dumb blonde was actually a proto-feminist. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.