Jayne Mansfield
American actress and sex symbol of the 1950s–1960s.
Jayne Mansfield was born Vera Jayne Palmer on April 19, 1933, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and died in a car crash at age 34 on June 29, 1967. She worked as an actress, singer, and Playboy Playmate, becoming a major sex symbol in the 1950s and early 1960s thanks to her curvy figure, headline-grabbing stunts, and very public personal life. Her stage name came from her first husband, Paul Mansfield, a student who later worked in sales and as a refrigeration engineer. She was married three times and had five children.
Mansfield first made a splash on Broadway in the 1955–1956 run of *Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?*, playing the fictional actress Rita Marlowe. That performance earned her a Theatre World Award, and she later played the same part in the 1957 film version. Her other notable films include the musical comedy *The Girl Can't Help It* (1956), the drama *The Wayward Bus* (1957), the neo-noir *Too Hot to Handle* (1960), and the sex comedy *Promises! Promises!* (1963). In *Promises! Promises!*, she became the first major American star to appear nude in a mainstream film, though earlier American actresses had appeared nude in starring roles in non-mainstream or foreign films. Her overall work in 1957, including *The Girl Can't Help It* and *The Wayward Bus*, won her a Golden Globe for New Star.
Growing up, Mansfield was the only child of Herbert and Vera Palmer. Her father, a lawyer who once practiced with future New Jersey governor Robert B. Meyner, died of a heart attack while driving when she was three years old—she was in the car. After her mother remarried a sales engineer named Harry Lawrence Peers in 1939, the family moved to Dallas, Texas. As a child, she dreamed of being a Hollywood star like Shirley Temple, took ballroom dance lessons at twelve, and studied violin, piano, viola, Spanish, and German. She graduated from Highland Park High School in 1950.
While at the University of Texas at Austin, Mansfield won several beauty contests, including Miss Photoflash, Miss Magnesium Lamp, and Miss Fire Prevention Week. She turned down the title Miss Roquefort Cheese because it "just didn't sound right," and later rejected Miss Prime Rib in 1957. She married Paul Mansfield in 1950, and the couple performed in small local theater productions in Dallas and Georgia.
- Known for
- Sex symbol of the 1950s–1960s, Broadway and film roles, first major American star to appear nude in a mainstream film
Lore & Background
Jayne Mansfield was born Vera Jayne Palmer in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, the only child of Herbert and Vera Palmer. She inherited over $90,000 from her maternal grandfather and over $36,000 from her maternal grandmother in 1958. Her father died of a heart attack while driving in 1936, when she was three years old and in the car. Her mother later married Harry Lawrence Peers, and the family moved to Dallas, Texas. Mansfield graduated from Highland Park High School in 1950, having studied violin, piano, viola, Spanish, and German.
Mansfield married Paul Mansfield in 1950 and began performing in local theater. After moving to Los Angeles in 1954, she worked various jobs including selling popcorn, teaching dance, and modeling. She became a Playboy Playmate in February 1955 and appeared in the magazine several times, boosting both her career and the magazine's circulation. Her first film role was a supporting part in *Female Jungle*, and she signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers in 1955.
Mansfield starred on Broadway in *Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?* (1955–1956), winning a Theatre World Award, and reprised the role in the 1957 film adaptation. Her film credits include *The Girl Can't Help It* (1956), for which she won a Golden Globe for New Star; *The Wayward Bus* (1957); *Too Hot to Handle* (1960); and *Promises! Promises!* (1963), where she performed the first nude scene by an American actress in a starring role. She died in a traffic collision on June 29, 1967, at age 34.
Reader's Guide
Jayne Mansfield's significance lies in her role as a major sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s, whose career was shaped by her buxom figure, publicity stunts, and personal life. She was one of the early Playboy Playmates, appearing in the magazine repeatedly from 1955 to 1960, and her photos helped boost the magazine's circulation. Her film work included both comedic and dramatic roles, though her acting range was often limited by her image. Her performance in *The Wayward Bus* was considered her best acting by *The New York Times*, and she won a Golden Globe for New Star for *The Girl Can't Help It*. Mansfield's legacy includes being the first American actress to perform a nude scene in a starring film role, in *Promises! Promises!* (1963). She was married three times and had five children. Her death in a traffic collision at age 34 cut short a career that had been marked by both fame and controversy.
Did You Know?
- Mansfield inherited more than $90,000 from her maternal grandfather and more than $36,000 from her maternal grandmother in 1958.
- Mansfield won a Golden Globe for New Star for her performance in *The Girl Can't Help It* (1956).
- She appeared as Playboy's Playmate of the Month in February 1955 and was featured each February from 1955 to 1958, and again in 1960.
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