Clara Grace Goddard was instrumental in making Marilyn Monroe a movie star. She was friends with Gladys Baker who was Monroe's mother. She was living in Los Angeles as early as 1920 and met Gladys around that same time. Both lived together in early 1920s in East Hollywood and worked at Consolidated Film Industries together. That's where they first met. It was an important relationship because after Gladys gave birth to Marilyn in 1926, Grace would eventually play a crucial role in Marilyn Monroe's early life. Though Gladys worked, during those times there was no welfare as we know it today. She was a single mother and made a difficult decision to allow Albert and Ida Bolender, to take care of her daughter Marilyn. However, she lived with them until she decided to work longer work shifts. She had to move to Los Angeles to do so. She returned to Hawthorne, which was some 10 to 15 miles from Los Angeles, on weekends to spend time with Marilyn. Working longer hours meant more money and by 1933 Gladys had enough money to buy a house in Hollywood. After buying her house, she brought Marilyn to live with her. However, unfortunate events happened after she settled in her new house. To make extra money, she rented out some of her house to an English actor and his wife. Afterwards, Gladys declined from a steady way of life, to that of a troubled life. Her friend Grace was there to help Gladys in her time of need. Grace was yet close to Gladys after Gladys bought her house in Hollywood. She frequented her Hollywood house from 1933-1934 and possibly was aware of what troubled Gladys. In 1935, Gladys was declared unfit and Grace became Marilyn's guardian. She sold Monroe's mothers house and placed Marilyn in foster care including to her own mother. Also in 1935, Grace met and married Doc Goddard. To possibly keep Marilyn safe, she placed Marilyn in an orphanage. She didn't leave her there and forget about her. An arrangement had been agreed upon and Grace paid a fee of $15 monthly, to that orphanage. She did so for two years. Doc Goddard was her third husband. Her first husband was Reginald Evans who she married in 1915. In 1920, she married her second husband John McKee. She prepped Marilyn for her role in life. She frequently took young Marilyn to movies and knew Marilyn would eventually became an actress. She knew Marilyn had what it takes. In 1937, Grace got brave and possibly out of sorrow for Marilyn, she agreed to take Marilyn out of that orphanage, to live with her and her husband who abused her. In response to her husbands bad intentions, Grace placed Marilyn in care of her aunt Ana Lower. Marilyn stayed with her for five years. Grace had ambitions on becoming an actress yet that didn't work out. During World War II, Grace moved to Chicago, while her husband spent some time in Virginia. They moved back to California in 1946. They may have done so because Marilyn was wanted by FOX Studios and was not of legal age or not 21. Marilyn needed Grace to sign her contract in order for it to become legal. Grace was Marilyn's guardian. Grace lived long enough to see Marilyn become a major movie star. She died in September of 1953 at age of 58 or 59. They lean towards Grace dying from a drug overdose. However, there's another possibility and that was cancer. Without Grace, there would not have been a Marilyn Monroe.
