Jane Mansfield – Marilyn Monroe’s Biggest Rival Had a Curvaceous Figure, an IQ of 163, and Died Young in a Horrific Accident
To the majority of the public, Jayne Mansfield was a Hollywood sex symbol and superficial blonde, but few knew that her IQ was as high as 163.
She wasn’t ashamed to sell popcorn or candy just to pursue her dreams. She began her career as a nightclub entertainer and singer, and later became one of the first Playboy Playmates. Her popularity exploded, and film offers started pouring in.
She won Broadway in 1955, and the following year she became a Hollywood star. Although she left this world prematurely, at just 34 years old she managed to shoot over 30 films.
Jayne Mansfield remains remembered in Hollywood’s golden history as the first reality star, one of the most famous blond bombshells, and a serious rival to the era’s sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe.
Born April 19, 1933, in Pennsylvania as Vera Jane Palmer. Her family was very wealthy, and as the only child of Herbert William Palmer, she inherited a considerable fortune. It is estimated she received around $850,000 from her grandfather Thomas, and about $340,000 from her grandmother Beatrice Mary Palmer in 1958. She spent most of her childhood in New Jersey, where her father served as attorney for then-Governor Robert Meyner.
Jayne’s father died suddenly of a heart attack in 1936, and three years later her mother married industrialist Henry Laurence Pierce and the family moved to Dallas – reports the portal Nova.
Dreaming Big from an Early Age
American actress, singer, and dancer Shirley Temple was her idol, and as a teenager she dreamed of limelight, performance, and fame.
At 12, Jane began dance lessons. During high school, she showed interest in violin, piano, and cello.
Marriage at 17 and College Enrollment
At only 17, Jane decided to marry Paul Mansfield on May 6, 1950. Six months later they became parents to a daughter.
The couple then enrolled in drama studies at Southern Methodist University. Thanks to her beauty and feminine attributes, Jane went to Los Angeles in 1951 to compete for Miss California. However, her husband Paul disapproved and Jane withdrew from the contest.
After that, the famous starlet and her husband moved to Austin, Texas, where they both studied drama at the University of Texas.
She Wasn’t Ashamed of Any Job
Jane was extremely hardworking and ambitious, juggling various jobs. She posed as an art model, went door-to-door selling books, and worked at a dance studio reception. She also performed with groups “Curtain Club” and “Camp Gordon,” while her husband Paul Mansfield served in the military during the Korean War.
Attractive and determined, in 1953 she returned to Dallas and studied acting under Baruch Lumet, founder of the Dallas Institute of Performing Arts. By chance, Jane met his son, film producer Sidney Lumet. In April 1954 she recorded her first screen test for Paramount with Lumet’s support. The Mansfield family moved to Los Angeles that same year. In the City of Angels she took odd jobs like selling popcorn and candy, teaching dance, modeling, and appearing in sessions at “Esther Williams’ Trails” restaurant.
While attending the University of Texas in Austin, her beauty didn’t go unnoticed. She won various pageant titles such as “Miss Photoflash,” “Miss Magnesium Lamp,” and “Miss Fire Prevention Week,” but she refused the title of “Miss Roquefort Cheese” as it didn’t sound prestigious enough.
How Did She Break Through to Hollywood Stardom?
Together with her husband, in 1952 she took part in smaller stage shows like “The Slaves of Demon Rum,” “Ten Nights in a Barroom” and “Anything Goes.” In 1953, Jane achieved notable theatre success in Arthur Miller’s tragedy “Death of a Salesman.” However, the path to fulfilling her dreams wasn’t as easy as it seemed.
Although Jane had everything needed for stardom, the media at the time thought her large bust was inappropriate for serious roles and advised her to step away. However, she didn’t let that stop her. Mansfield took auditions at Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros in 1954. Not securing roles, she dyed her hair blonde, but that didn’t help either.
Fame via Hugh Hefner
In December 1953, controversial businessman Hugh Hefner launched Playboy magazine, which became hugely popular thanks to blonde bombshells like Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. Rumors circulated that Mansfield would overshadow Monroe.
“She imitates me in everything, and it’s very insulting to both her and me,” Monroe once said about Jane.
Jane never shied away from the rivalry. She famously chased John F. Kennedy, allegedly just to upstage Monroe.
“I bet Marilyn will crack over this!” Mansfield exclaimed. Playboy became a springboard for her popularity within the jet set. Posing nude for the Playboy calendar gave Mansfield her sex-bomb image.
As her fame grew, her marriage to Paul began to crumble. In 1956, her husband sought custody of their daughter, claiming Jane was an unfit mother because of her nude Playboy photos.
Three marriages, five children, and numerous affairs
Jane married for the second time in 1958, to actor and bodybuilder Mike Hargitay. They had three children and appeared in several films together. Despite being married, Jane had multiple affairs, and rumor has it she was involved with President Kennedy just to get back at her rival Marilyn Monroe.
In 1964 she married for the third time to Italian producer Matt Cimber, but this marriage also failed to bring her happiness.
Jayne Mansfield – Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett / Profimedia
She lived in a beautiful Barbie‑style pink villa with a large heart‑shaped pool.
Roles That Made Her Famous
Jane’s first film role was in the low-budget drama “Female Jungle,” shot in just a few days, earning her $150. Later, in 1955 her manager James Byron secured her a contract with Warner Brothers. Jane got small but significant parts in “Pete Kelly’s Blues,” “Hell on Frisco Bay,” and “Illegal.”
The glamor bomb finally landed leading roles in “Too Hot to Handle” and “The Girl Can’t Help It,” according to Kurir.
Jayne also appeared on TV shows like “Burke’s Law,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” and “The Red Skelton Hour.”
As demand for blonde bombshells waned and media scrutiny of her private life increased, she began a lucrative venture with elite nightclubs before her sudden death in a car accident. In “Promises” (1963), she became the first major American actress to appear nude in a mainstream Hollywood film.
Although her career was relatively short, she had several commercial successes and won the Theatre World Award and a Golden Globe.
Death at 34
She shared a fate similar to her fierce rival Marilyn Monroe. Just five years after Monroe’s death, Jane also died in a tragic accident.
In the early morning of 1967, Jane was traveling to New Orleans for a scheduled TV appearance the next day. During the long drive, she sat in front beside the driver and her boyfriend Samuel Brody. Her children were asleep in the back. Shortly after 2 AM, the car crashed into the rear of a truck, instantly killing the three passengers in front. The crash was so horrific that Jane was decapitated in the collision.
Miraculously, the children survived. One of them is Mariska Hargitay, now known as Detective Olivia Benson in “Law & Order.”
Mansfield, Brody, and Harrison didn’t die in vain. Their deaths led the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to mandate that all trailer trucks be equipped with underride guards to prevent such accidents.
After Jane’s gruesome death, rumors circulated across Hollywood and beyond that Anton LaVey, the notorious Satanist and Church of Satan founder, had cursed the blonde bombshell after she refused a romantic liaison.
