Marilyn Monroe, appearing with the USO Camp Show, "Anything Goes," poses for the shutterbugs after a performance at the 3rd U.S. Infantry Division area. Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 - August 5, 1962) was an American actress, model, and singer, who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s and early 1960s. She travelled to Korea where she performed for 13,000 American Marines over a three day period. By the end of the war, over 113,000 American USO volunteers were working at 294 centers at home and abroad. February 17, 1954.