Jayne Mansfield was a famous American actress, singer, nightclub entertainer, and Playboy playmate.
Born as Vera Jayne Palmer on April 19, 1933, Jayne rose to fame in the 1950s. She was popularly recognized as the most prominent sex symbol of the early 1950s and 1960s, starring in several big hits, including Johnny Promises! Promises!, The Girl Can’t Help It, The Wayward Bus, Too Hot To Handle, Female Jungle, The Love of Hercules, Kiss Them For Me, and The Jayne Mansfield Story.
Mansfield was also sometimes referred to as ‘the poor man’s Marilyn Monroe’ because of the roles she played in the movies.
She married thrice in her life – first to Paul Mansfield in 1950 when she was only 16 years old. After tying the knot, the duo left to study acting at Southern Methodist University.
A year after her first marriage, Mansfield gave birth to her daughter, Jayne Marie Mansfield. She was 17 at that time.
“Paul and I had a rough time,” she told May Mann. “I peddled photo albums door-to-door, and he took odd jobs, swept floors, and sold magazines. […] Many times, I would have to take Jayne Marie […] to classes with me.”
While Paul was away for a summer camp, Jayne left her daughter in the care of her parents and left to study drama at the University of California.
“I had been to three different universities and two or three dramatic schools before I went to Hollywood, preparing myself for my hoped career as an actress. I did a soliloquy for Joan of Arc for Milton Lewis, who was head of casting at Paramount Studios, in order to audition. And he seemed to think I was wasting my ”obvious talents.”
“He lightened my hair and tightened my dresses, and this is the result,” she said in one of her interviews, referring to her looks similar to Monroe.
In her pursuit of competing with Marilyn, the world-famous Hollywood star at that time, Mansfield couldn’t balance her personal and professional life, and her marriage with Paul ended in 1955.
In 1958 Jayne married Mickey Hargitay and welcomed three children with him, including her star child, Mariska Hargitay, Zoltan Hargitay, and Mickey Hargitay Jr.
The couple stayed together for almost six years – in 1964, Mickey divorced Jayne due to her alleged tryst with President John F. Kennedy.
Mansfield also married for the third and last time; this time, she exchanged vows with the director, Matt Cimber. However, the marriage didn’t last long and ended with divorce in 1966.
The mother of five tragically lost her life in a car accident in June, 1967.
The car crash also involved her 3-year-old daughter, Mariska Hargitay who made it out completely unharmed.
After Jayne’s passing, Mickey married actress Ellen Siano who helped Mariska, and her siblings get over their mother’s loss and financially supported the family.
Mariska was in college when she first realized her passion for acting. So, after making it to UCLA, she studied Theater and in 1984 landed a role in a motion picture.
Mariska made her debut in the entertainment industry in 1984 by appearing in a music video; She Loves My Car.
After playing several minor roles, Hargitay rose to fame with her role in 1994 in the Television series called ER.
Her notable projects include Ghoulies, Jocks, Lake Placid, The Perfect Weapon, Blind Side, I Am Evidence, Mr. Universe, Plain Truth, Welcome to 18, and Leaving Las Vegas.
In 1999 she joined the cast of NBC’s ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ and played the character of Olivia, which turned out to be her breakthrough role, and she became one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood.
The actress received several awards, including the Golden Globes and Primetime Emmy, for her outstanding performance in the series.
Speaking to Closer for an interview, Hargitay once said that in the early days of her career, she hated constant references to her late mother because she wanted to be recognized for her work.
“I used to hate constant references to my mom because I wanted to be known for myself.”
In another interview with Redbook in 2009, Mariska said Jayne’s tragic passing left a scar on her soul.
“Losing my mother at such an early age is the scar of my soul. But I feel like it ultimately made me into the person I am today. I understand the journey of life. I had to go through what I did to be here.”
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