Marilyn Monroe’s father, Charles Stanley Gifford, was the catalyst for a lifetime of seeking love, according to Charles Casillo’s new book, “Marilyn Monroe: The Private Life of a Public Icon.” Gifford had a brief affair with Gladys Pearl Monroe, Norma Jeane Baker’s mother, before rejecting her upon learning of her pregnancy.

The same fate awaited his daughter, Norma Jeane, who would spend her life looking for her father’s love.

The search for love began at age eight when Norma Jeane first saw a photo of her father.

She was fascinated by the man in the picture and longed for his affection.

Gladys Pearl Monroe suffered from mental illness, and less than a week after giving birth to Norma Jeane, she tried to stab a friend during a delusional episode.

As a result, Norma Jeane spent her childhood moving from foster home to family friend’s house and never found stability.

She was s^xually abused multiple times during her childhood, and abuse became a common thread throughout her life.

In the 10th grade, Norma Jeane was living with a family friend who arranged for her to marry a 20-year-old named Jim Dougherty.

While Dougherty was fighting in World War II, Monroe started modeling and was spotted by a Hollywood executive.

She divorced Dougherty and became Marilyn Monroe.

Monroe never forgot her father and even attempted to contact him while still an up-and-coming actress.

Gifford cruelly dismissed her, saying, “I don’t have anything to say to you. Call my lawyer.” This incident crushed her emotionally.

Monroe’s desire for her father’s affection led to problematic and even disturbing encounters with men.

She frequently recounted incidents of men attacking her at Hollywood parties, and she was at the mercy of s^xual extortionists while she was an aspiring actress.

Harry Cohn, the founder and president of Columbia Pictures, demanded she have s^x with him in his office, and when she refused, he did not renew her contract.

Despite these struggles, Monroe found success through impressive performances in films like “Clash By Night” and “Niagara,” and her modeling career.

She married baseball player Joe DiMaggio, who helped her in times of need but was possessive and jealous.

During the filming of the subway-grate scene in “The Seven Year Itch,” DiMaggio became enraged, and their ensuing argument resulted in bruises on Monroe’s arms.

Arthur Miller, Monroe’s husband from 1956-1961, was jealous of her s^xual history and broke her heart when he intentionally left his diary open for her to read.

Miller considered her a disappointment and an embarrassment, and the incident became “one of the most devastating, catastrophic moments in Marilyn’s life.”

Monroe’s most complex relationships were with John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert.

She met the Kennedys through her close friends, Peter and Pat Kennedy Lawford.

The couple’s home was a party house where the president would rendezvous with actresses.

Monroe was reportedly more serious with Robert Kennedy, and their relationship coincided with a rapid decline in Monroe’s mental health.

Whispers of an affair between Monroe and JFK grew too loud after she sang “Happy Birthday” to him at Madison Square Garden.

Jackie Kennedy demanded he break it off, and when Monroe learned of this, she turned to Robert for comfort.

However, he had a family and career to think about, and the president told him to end the relationship.

Monroe took a fatal overdose on August 5, 1962, in her Brentwood home.

She had tried to get Robert to see her the week before she died, but it is unknown if she succeeded.

Lawford received a call from Monroe the night she died but was talked out of checking on her by Monroe’s lawyer and others in his circle who were concerned about political ramifications.

In the end, the men surrounding Monroe let her down in death, just as they had throughout her life.

“She put all her hopes in the men she was with,” says Casillo.

“It’s what she was always looking for — this is my father, this is my savior.

“She was a lady born into turmoil, and she spent the rest of her life looking to be saved.”

Monroe’s search for love and validation began at a young age, and the absence of her father had a significant impact on her life.

She spent her entire life trying to fill the void left by her father’s rejection, seeking love and affection from men who were unable to provide it.

The abuse she suffered as a child and the exploitation she experienced in Hollywood only added to her struggles.

She found some solace in her marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, but even those relationships were fraught with difficulties.

Monroe’s relationships with John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy were perhaps the most complicated of all.

She was caught up in a political world that she did not fully understand, and the men she turned to for comfort were unable to provide the love and support she needed.