Behind the Scenes

Sophia Jackson and Leah Fraser|May 15, 2018

When many think of foster care, they do not think of James Dean or John Lennon. The truth is, though, icons such as these were involved in the foster care system. Many tend to put the famous on a pedestal and do not realize that they go through many of the same issues as everyone else, sometimes even worse. Some of these struggles include losing a family member or not being around family at all. Some may let their tough past get in the way of success, but unlike the two mentioned above. What this means for people currently in the foster care system is uncertain, but it just goes to show that it is possible to conquer bad circumstances and memories and achieve success.

When he was five, James Dean’s mother died, putting him in foster care. He was eventually fostered by his aunt and uncle. According to Biography, he sought comfort in a reverend of a nearby church. This reverend helped to spur his interest in theatre and speed racing, a sport which many believe ultimately led to his demise.

Dean was a well-renowned actor in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. According to Foster Club, he was well known for his “bad boy” image. His most famous works are Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, and Giant. For East of Eden, Dean received a posthumous Oscar nomination, the first in history, which is an award nominated after the death of the nominee. He broke yet another record, previously set by himself, when he became the first person to receive two posthumous nominations, the second one for his role in Giant.

Norma Jeane Mortenson, better known as Marilyn Monroe, was also a child in foster care system. Born June 1, 1926, her mother, Gladys Pearl Baker, was a single mother in a time where unmarried mothers were shunned along with women who didn’t have jobs, making her job as a new mother more difficult than it already was. Monroe’s mother was labeled as a paranoid schizophrenic, yet most studies show that she was suffering from depression. With her illness and a low paying job, Miss Baker had to give up her daughter only 12 days after her birth to a couple known as the Bolenders, a strict Christian family that held Monroe from her wants and desires. Many years went by and Monroe only saw her mother every Saturday, referring to her as “the lady with red hair” instead of as her mother. In 1933, her mother was stable enough to gain a sufficient amount of money to take back her daughter, only to lose her again after having a nervous breakdown in 1935. Monroe was handed over to friends and coworkers of her mother who wanted to adopt her, yet her mother refused to allow anyone to legally take her, and eventually she was dropped off at an orphanage and eventually into foster care. This soon turned into a cycle of going between the two places. During those times of moving back and forth, Monroe was sexually molested around the age six to nine by one of the foster parents she had to stay with, leaving her to fall into the same depression as her mother had. Luckily for her, things started to get better as her road to becoming an actress began.

Monroe’s life did not start the most glamourous or happiest life for a little girl, but most movie plots do not start off like this, either. Through the movie of her life, she had learned and scraped herself up from the heartache and mistakes, building herself up into one of the most remembered women in Hollywood. Monroe was the main female star in almost every movie, playing as the dumb blonde to the main character’s perspective, gaining much love and affection from male watchers. Her symbol wasn’t the most positive or innocent compared to others, but she was one of the most successful women in America, staring in movies such as Niagara and How To Marry a Millionaire in 1953.

Within the chaos of World War II and between the air raids and bombings, John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England. Foster Club said that during the time of her pregnancy and labor, Julia Lennon was alone while her husband, Alfred Lennon, was away at sea. He did not return till after 18 months after Lennon was born. When he came home, Julia filed for a divorce, since her husband did not play a role in her or her son’s life at that time. Soon after this, Julia starting dating another man that John Lennon developed no connection with, causing him to slowly disobey authority and even run away from school and home. He was expelled from kindergarten for misbehavior. When he ran away, he would run to his Aunt Mary’s house, who saw his negative living conditions and called a social worker on her sister and new husband. Lennon was soon put into the hands of his aunt Mary and uncle George. Lennon did see his mother often since she lived three miles away, but his aunt and uncle took on the role of teaching him proper manners and gave him a stable living condition.

In his late teens, Lennon slowly moved his way into the music industry and started spending more time with his mom. His aunt did not agree with the idea of Lennon making a career out of music, stating that, “The guitar’s all right, John, but you’ll never make a living with it.”  

In 1957, Lennon was accepted into the Art College of Liverpool Institute. The next summer, Lennon’s mother died in a car accident. He dedicated his life to music for his mother, joining many bands. Eventually, he met another musician, Paul McCartney. They were later joined by George Harrison and Ringo Starr around 1960-1961, first being called the Fab Four before renaming it The Beatles. While Lennon had The Beatles as a creative outlet for his struggles, Simone Biles had gymnastics.

Simone Biles not only has gymnastics as a creative outlet, she is one of the most decorated American gymnasts. She has not always been this successful though. According to an interview conducted by Fox Business, Simone Biles said, “…we don’t always have a smooth ride to success, sometimes there are bumps in the road… .” This is true for Biles’ life.

Biles was a foster child. Her mother was taking drugs, and she was put in foster care when she was only three years-old. She was never able to return to her mother afterward because she was unable to pass a drug test. Eventually, Biles was adopted by her grandparents. Biles is a fairly well-known icon for foster kids everywhere. She is now known as the most decorated American gymnast with 19 medals altogether, from the Olympics and world championships. She is proving to foster kids all over that their situation doesn’t hold them back from their dreams and success.

People like Simone Biles, John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, and James Dean managed to rise above the problems that they faced in the foster care system to become well-known names in the entertainment industry. While it is undetermined what this may mean to other people in the foster care system, or who struggle at all, the fact remains that it is possible to overcome such difficulties.