Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress and Playboy Playmate. A prominent sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s, Mansfield was well-known for her public persona, including numerous publicity stunts and a candid personal life. Despite a relatively brief film career, she achieved significant box-office success and received both a Theatre World Award and a Golden Globe Award. Mansfield was famously dubbed Hollywood’s “smartest dumb blonde. Jayne Mansfield was born on April 19, 1933 in Bryn Mawr, United States. Jayne Mansfield died on June 29, 1967 at the age of 34 years in Slidell, Louisiana, USA. Discover below for comprehensive details about Jayne Mansfield, including the biography, wiki profile, age, date of birth, family background, relationship status, interesting facts, photographs, lesser-known facts, and more.
Jayne Mansfield Profile:
| Stage Name | Jayne Mansfield |
| Real Name | Vera Jayne Palmer |
| Profession(s) | Actress, Model, |
| Birthday | April 19, 1933 |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Death | Died on June 29, 1967 (57 years ago) (Age: 34 years) in Slidell, Louisiana, USA |
| Gender | Female |
| Birthplace | Bryn Mawr, United States |
| Hometown | Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Nationality | American |
Jayne Mansfield Family and Personal Life
- Jayne Mansfield‘ father’s name is Herbert William Palmer and Jayne Mansfield‘ mother’s name is Vera Jeffrey Palmer Peers.
Jayne Mansfield Trivia and Facts
- Jayne Mansfield was born in Bryn Mawr, United States.
- Jayne Mansfield’s birth sign is Aries.
- Despite what many people think, Jayne Mansfield’s sad death in June 1967 wasn’t caused by losing her head in a car crash. Instead, it was a very sad event, similar to Marilyn Monroe’s death, surrounded by exaggerated rumors.
- Jayne Mansfield and her three children, one of whom was the future actress Mariska Hargitay, were killed in a crash with a semi-truck on a dimly lit Louisiana highway on June 29, 1967. The collision was so severe that it ripped the roof off Mansfield’s car, killing all three adults in the front seats. Surprisingly, the children in the back survived the incident.
- Despite the scary stories about the accident, like decapitation and curses, the truth about Mansfield’s death is much sadder and more touching than the exaggerated myths that still exist.
- Who was Jayne Mansfield?: During the 1950s and early 1960s, Jayne Mansfield rose to prominence as a sex symbol, providing an alternative to Marilyn Monroe. Mansfield was born Vera Jayne Palmer on April 19, 1933, and arrived in Hollywood at the age of 21, already married and a mother.
- Mansfield, known for her provocative publicity stunts and candid personal life, had a brief but impactful film career that included notable successes. She won the Theatre World Award and a Golden Globe, earning her the title of Hollywood’s “smartest dumb blonde.”
- Her breakthrough came when she played Rita Marlowe in “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” on Broadway and in the 1957 film adaptation. Mansfield’s filmography includes memorable roles in works such as “The Girl Can’t Help It” (1956), “The Wayward Bus” (1957), “Too Hot to Handle” (1960), and “Promises! Promises!” (1963), where she became the first major American actress to appear in a nude scene in a post-silent era film.
- She also appeared in films such as “Too Hot To Handle” in 1960 and “The Girl Can’t Help It” in 1956. But what people noticed most about her was how she behaved off-screen. She emphasized her curves and aimed to be even more daring than Marilyn Monroe.
- Once, a reporter asked Marilyn Monroe about Jayne Mansfield, and Marilyn didn’t like being compared to her. She thought Jayne was copying her in a bad way.
- Jayne Mansfield even tried to get close to John F. Kennedy because he was known to have had a relationship with Marilyn Monroe. She thought it would make Marilyn jealous.
- In 1958, Jayne married Mickey Hargitay, an actor and bodybuilder. They were in some movies together and had three kids, including Mariska Hargitay.
- Taking her professional surname from her first husband, Paul Mansfield, she married three times, all of which ended in divorce, and had five children. Her romantic relationships were widely speculated to include figures such as Robert and John F. Kennedy, her attorney Samuel S. Brody, and entertainer Nelson Sardelli.
- She wasn’t shy about being seen as a sex symbol. She posed for Playboy magazine and talked openly about sex, saying people shouldn’t feel guilty about it. She did things that were shocking at the time, like flashing her breasts at photographers and being the first big American actress to show everything in a movie, in “Promises, Promises” in 1963.
- Jayne Mansfield liked to be over-the-top. She lived in a bright pink mansion in Hollywood with a pool shaped like a heart. But when Marilyn Monroe died suddenly in 1962, Jayne got worried. She thought maybe something bad could happen to her too.
- On June 29, 1967, Mansfield’s life was tragically cut short at the age of 34 in a fatal car accident on her way to New Orleans, as documented in Wikipedia.
- Actress Jayne Mansfield met with an car accident in June 1967: Five years after the passing of Monroe, Jayne Mansfield met her demise in a tragic car accident. On the early morning of June 29, 1967, Mansfield departed from Biloxi, Mississippi, en route to New Orleans. Having just concluded a performance at a Biloxi nightclub, she was rushing to make a scheduled television appearance the following day.
- Mansfield was in the front seat with her driver, Ronald B. Harrison, and her boyfriend, Samuel S. Brody. Her three kids were sleeping in the back. Around 2 a.m., the 1966 Buick Electra crashed into the back of a trailer truck, killing everyone in the front seat instantly. Harrison probably couldn’t see the truck in time because there was a machine nearby making thick fog to kill mosquitoes.
- How and When Did Jayne Mansfield’s Die?: After the Buick Electra crashed into the truck, it went under the back of the trailer and the top of the car got torn off. The police came quickly to the accident. They found Jayne Mansfield’s three kids alive in the backseat. The adults in the front seats and Mansfield’s dog died instantly. Mansfield was declared dead right there. As news of the accident spread, rumors circulated that Mansfield was decapitated in the collision. The pictures of Mansfield’s crash made the rumors worse. In some photos, her wig came off and it looked like her head was missing.
- According to the police report, Mansfield’s head was severely injured, but not completely cut off. Her death certificate stated that her skull was crushed and partially separated, but her head was not entirely separated. People still talk about her head being severed, including in the 1996 film Crash. People also said Mansfield’s boyfriend, Brody, got cursed by Anton LaVey, who started the Church of Satan. But nobody proved this rumor. It’s still talked about, partly because of a documentary from 2017 called Mansfield 66/67.
- Who was Jayne Mansfield’s Daughter?: Mariska Hargitay, best known for her portrayal of Olivia Benson on Law and Order: SVU, survived a tragic car accident that killed her mother and two of her brothers, Zoltan and Miklos Jr. Although she may have slept through the accident, a visible scar on her head serves as a constant reminder of the ordeal. Reflecting on her experience, Hargitay told People that she chose to confront her losses directly rather than avoid them. Embracing the adage “the only way out is through,” she has learned to lean into her pain and grief, understanding that avoiding it only delays the inevitable reckoning.
- Contrary to the public perception of her mother, Jayne Mansfield, Hargitay remembers her as more than just a glamorous sex symbol. She fondly remembers Mansfield’s multifaceted personality, praising her violin skills, intelligence, love for her five children, and fondness for dogs. Mansfield’s untimely death not only saddened her family and admirers, but also resulted in a significant change in federal legislation.
- Overall, Hargitay’s tribute to her mother goes beyond the media’s superficial portrayal, highlighting Mansfield’s remarkable qualities and the long-term impact of her tragic death.
- Jayne Mansfield Tragedy Spurs Mandatory ‘Mansfield Bars’ on Semis: Following the tragic accident in which Jayne Mansfield’s Buick collided with a semi-truck, resulting in a devastating loss of life, the federal government quickly enacted preventative measures. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mandated a redesign of semi-trucks to incorporate a safety feature aimed at averting similar incidents in the future.
- Henceforth, all trailers were required to install a steel bar, colloquially termed “Mansfield bars,” to prevent cars from sliding underneath the rear of the truck. These modifications were implemented to ensure that no more lives would be needlessly endangered due to such avoidable accidents.
- Jayne Mansfield was not the only Old Hollywood celebrity who died tragically young. Explore the enigmatic circumstances surrounding James Dean’s passing.
Jayne Mansfield Official Sites
Jayne Mansfield Height
Based on robust data analytics and rigorous fact-checking procedures, Jayne Mansfield's height determined to be approximately 5′ 5″ (1.65 m), an insight supported by a multitude of credible sources and methodologies.
