The tragic fate of Jayne Mansfield

The star who could have reigned
102-53-89
High capacities
An overachiever
Early blooming
An early wedding
Sweeping beauty pageants
Change to blonde
Three marriages (and three divorces)
Five children (four boys and one girl)
A troubled love life
Leap to Hollywood
Fox: the big opportunity
And suddenly, everything changed
From mainstream to oblivion
A less than satisfactory encounter
The decline of a diva
From Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Europe
And it all came to an end
Six in the car
Three dead and three unharmed
The Mansfield Bar
She was 34 years old
Forever in our hearts
The star who could have reigned

Jayne Mansfield's life tells the story of the actress who could have ruled Hollywood but fell by the wayside. The explosive, excessive, and gifted actress left us too soon.

102-53-89

"People are only interested in my numbers: 102-53-89," commented Jayne Mansfield. Her measurements (and her eagerness to show them off), made her a symbol of 1950s Hollywood.

High capacities

Interestingly, the image of the 'blonde bombshell with little brains' was the opposite of Jayne Mansfield. She actually had jet-black hair and an IQ in high figures: 163 points.

An overachiever

Born Vera Jayne Palmer, she was a child prodigy on many levels. The actress was raised in New Jersey and Texas and at the age of 12 she was already playing piano, violin, and viola at master level. In addition, she was fluent in five languages.

Early blooming

As her talents improved, her shapely figure began to emerge, and she was quickly aware of the hypnotic magnetism that her body would have on others.

An early wedding

As life would have it, when she was only 17 years old, she became pregnant and got married to Paul Mansfield, whose surname she took and kept even after divorcing him. Together they moved to Los Angeles in 1954. She was 20 years old.

 

Sweeping beauty pageants

To make a name for herself, Jayne Mansfield entered every beauty pageant she could in Los Angeles and swept the board. Miss 4th of July, Miss Orchid, Miss Chihuahua.... It was only a matter of time before she made the leap to the movies.

Change to blonde

To make that leap, Jayne Mansfield took what some might call the easy way out: dyeing her hair platinum blonde and emulating the most desired woman of the moment, Marilyn Monroe. She would be compared to the star until the end of her days.

Three marriages (and three divorces)

In 1956, at the age of 23, she divorced Paul Mansfield. She would marry again twice. The first time with bodybuilder and Mister Universe Mickey Hargitay (between 1958 and 1964) and another time with director Matt Cimber (1964-1966).

Five children (four boys and one girl)

From these three marriages, Jayne Mansfield conceived five children. The most famous and only female, along with four boys, was Mariska Hargitay (1964), star of the series 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit', on the air since 1999.

A troubled love life

In between, Jayne Mansfield had countless love affairs, although the most recognizable were with the Kennedy brothers, Robert and John, which only fueled her eternal comparison with Marilyn, as reported at the time by The Washington Post.

Leap to Hollywood

On an acting level, her first significant role was in 'The Girl Can't Help It' (1956), where she exploited the role of a blonde flower girl. A year before, she was about to be offered a role in 'Rebel Without a Cause' - she had an affair with Nicholas Ray, director of the film - but Natalie Wood ended up taking the role away from her.

Fox: the big opportunity

In 1957, Fox signed her to star in projects such as 'Kiss Them for Me' (1957) with Cary Grant, and 'The Wayward Bus', which earned her a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year.

And suddenly, everything changed

However, Hollywood changes over time, and the voluptuous figures of the 50s stars gave way to the delicate and petite Audrey Hepburn-like figures in the 60s.

From mainstream to oblivion

Jayne Mansfield went from being an icon of seduction to becoming yesterday's news. Just into her thirties, she was already considered old for Hollywood in the 60s.

A less than satisfactory encounter

A clear example took place in 1964 when The Beatles visited the United States and asked to meet their former teenage muse. Their disappointment was recorded in a phrase by George Harrison, when he referred to her as "an old firecracker", as reported by the Daily Mail. Jayne Mansfield was 31 years old.

The decline of a diva

The 1960s saw Jayne Mansfield's absolute decline, with a drinking problem, a deteriorating physique, and a film industry that was quick to forget her.

From Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Europe

Her last years of life were spent between Las Vegas nightclubs, low-budget European films, and memories of a glorious past that was all too fleeting.

And it all came to an end

In June of 1967, the world was shocked to hear that Jayne Mansfield had passed away in a car accident. It happened on a Louisiana highway in the early hours of the morning, when a dense fog significantly limited visibility.

 

Six in the car

In the front of Jayne Mansfield's Buick Electra was Sam Brody, her lover, and the chauffeur, Ronnie Harrison. In the back sat three of the actress' children, including Mariska Hargitay.

Three dead and three unharmed

Because of the fog, the driver crashed into the trailer of a tractor that suddenly slowed down. The three adults died on the spot, while the three minors were unharmed.

The Mansfield Bar

This accident would lead to a road regulation that forced trailers to install a bumper in the lower area. Since then, this improvement has been known as the 'Mansfield Bar' in the United States.

She was 34 years old

And that's how a gifted actress, who could have dominated Hollywood, ended up getting a road safety feature for tractors to her name. That's Hollywood history.

 

Forever in our hearts

Jayne Manfield's remains are resting in her native Pennsylvania, in a heart-shaped grave. Meanwhile, the memory of her short-lived but impactful stint in Hollywood lives on more than 50 years later.

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