It’s been 60 years since Marilyn Monroe‘s passing and the identity of her biological father had remained a mystery until this year. Of course, there were rumors of who her father was, but one rumor continued to circulate. Many people speculated that Monroe’s father was Charles Stanley Gifford. In 2022, we finally have confirmation.
Throughout Marilyn Monroe’s life, she never knew the true identity of her father. When Monroe was born, her mother, Gladys Pearl Baker, registered her ex-husband’s name (Martin Edward Mortensen) on her birth certificate. However, Baker had been separated from Mortensen at the time of Monroe’s conception. This ruled out Mortensen being Monroe’s father. According to Biography, Monroe even believed that Gone with the Wind actor Clark Gable was her father, but there was no evidence of this being true.
But, when Baker began working at Consolidated Film Industries as a film negative cutter (which was when she was still married to Mortensen), she reportedly had an affair with her co-worker. The co-worker was her superior, Charles Stanley Gifford. Around the same time, Baker became pregnant and gave birth to Monroe. It’s been said that after Baker gave birth to Monroe, Gifford didn’t want anything to do with her or Monroe.
But was Gifford really Monroe’s father? We shared what we know below.
Marilyn Monroe’s father: Was Charles Stanley Gifford really her father?
Yes, Charles Stanley Gifford was Marilyn Monroe’s biological father. Earlier this year, the mystery surrounding Monroe’s parentage was solved. A documentary called Marilyn, Her Final Secret by Francois Pomès revealed that Gifford was Monroe’s father. A DNA test was done using a lock of Monroe’s hair and a saliva sample from Gifford’s granddaughter. With these samples, scientists were able to confirm that Gifford was Monroe’s biological father.
Did Marilyn Monroe ever meet Charles Stanley Gifford?
According to Gifford’s granddaughter, Francine Gifford Deir, Monroe tried to meet Gifford. Deir told Marca newspaper that in the ’50s, Monroe went to see Gifford in Hemet, California, but he refused to see her. Monroe reportedly tried to reach out and contact Gifford several times, but she was denied and turned away. Gifford would go on to father two other children. He passed away in 1965 from unknown causes.
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