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Vera Jayne Palmer ( April 19 , 1933 in Bryn Mawr , Pennsylvania – June 29 , 1967 ) was an American Actress and Sex Symbol . Famed for her platinum-blond hair and hourglass figure, she emerged during the 1950s appetite for glamorous sex symbols led by Marilyn Monroe . In her first few starring roles, Mansfield was courted by 20th Century Fox as a replacement for a then-misbehaving Monroe. However, her Hollywood film career proved fleeting; most of her later films were independent films or low-budget comedies filmed in Europe. EARLY LIFE She was the only child of Herbert William Palmer ( 1904 - 1936 ) and Vera Jeffrey Palmer ( 1903 - 2000 ). It is not clear if her parents, both Palmers, were cousins. The maiden name of Jayne's Maternal grandmother was Jeffrey. When Jayne was three years old, her father, a lawyer, suddenly died of a Heart Attack . After his death, her mother worked as a school teacher to support them. In 1939 , Vera married Harry Lawrence Peers ( 1916 - 1997 ), and the family moved to Dallas, Texas . Jayne could play the Violin by the time she was seven, and would stand in the driveway playing for passersby. Jayne attended ," because it "just didn't sound right." In 1954 , they moved to Los Angeles and she studied drama at UCLA . HUSBANDS AND CHILDREN magazine, 1956.]] Mansfield was married three times: Paul Mansfield ( May 10 , 1950 - 1958 ), with whom she had Jayne-Marie ( November 8 , 1950 ); Hungarian -born NABBA Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay ( January 13 , 1958 - 1964 ), with whom she had Miklós Jeffrey ( December 21 , 1958 ), Zoltan Anthony ( August 1 , 1960 ) and Mariska Magdolina ( January 24 , 1964 ); and director Matt Cimber ( September 24 , 1964 - 1966 ), with whom she had Antonio Raphael Ottaviano ( October 18 , 1965 ). One biographer quotes Jayne as saying that Paul was not Jayne-Marie's father, but married him as she was opposed to Abortion . Actor Nelson Sardelli wrote a book after Jayne's death claiming he fathered Mariska, but he had no role in her life, and Hargitay raised her as his own. Jayne and Hargitay bought a 40-room Mediterranean -style mansion formerly owned by Rudy Vallee at 10100 Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills , which they called the "Pink Palace." As its name implies, the mansion was all pink, with Cupid s surrounded by pink Fluorescent Lights , pink furs in the bathrooms, a pink heart-shaped Bathtub , and a fountain spurting pink Champagne . Hargitay, who was a plumber and carpenter before he got into Bodybuilding , built its famous pink heart-shaped Swimming Pool . Engelbert Humperdinck bought the Pink Palace in the 1970s . In 2002 , he sold it to developers and it was torn down in November of that year. FILM CAREER AND CELEBRITY Mansfield wanted to be a movie star, and was willing to do practically anything for Publicity . She was rumored to have gotten her first TV job by slipping a note to the producer that read "36, 22, 35." Her Movie Career began with bit parts. She had a small role in '' Female Jungle '' ( 1954 ). She then went to Warner Bros. and did a small role in '' Pete Kelly's Blues '' starring Jack Webb , which brought her favorable attention. In January 1955 , she was part of a publicity drive for Howard Hughes' RKO movie '' Underwater! '' starring Jane Russell . In February 1955 , Mansfield was "Playmate of the Month" in '' Playboy '', a men's Magazine she would pose for several times over the ensuing years. After two more movies at Warners, which gave her a featured role as a hitman's mistress opposite Edward G. Robinson , she went to New York and appeared in the Broadway production of George Axelrod 's Comedy '' Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter '' ( 1955 ). Wearing only a towel, she flaunted as much of her impossibly-voluptuous physique as she could. She received the Theatre World Award of 1956 for her performance. Back on the West Coast , she appeared on TV Game Show s and starred in '' The Girl Can't Help It '' ( 1956 ). On May 3 , 1956 , she signed a long-term Contract with 20th Century Fox . After a couple more movies, she reprised her role of Rita Marlowe in the 1957 movie version of ''Rock Hunter'' co-starring Tony Randall . ''The Girl Can't Help It'' and ''Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter'' were critically acclaimed and popular successes and are largely considered classics today. In October 1957 , Mansfield went on a 16-country tour of Europe for 20th Century Fox. She was presented to Queen Elizabeth on November 4 . "You are so beautiful," she said to the Queen, who replied, "So are you." Mansfield won a Golden Globe in 1957 for Most Promising Newcomer - Female, with Carroll Baker and Natalie Wood . However, her squeaky voice, eye-popping figure and limited range made her tough to cast. Still, she was widely considered Marilyn Monroe 's number-one rival as Hollywood's top sex symbol in a crowded field of contenders ( Mamie Van Doren , Cleo Moore , Diana Dors , and Sheree North ). Even as her career drifted into low-budget comedies, she remained highly visible and won a Golden Laurel in 1959 for Top Female Musical Performance for Western '' The Sheriff Of Fractured Jaw '' ( 1958 ). Mansfield headlined in Las Vegas , toured with Bob Hope for the USO and released an album titled ''Jayne Mansfield Busts Up Las Vegas''. She did a number of guest spots on '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour '', '' The Jack Benny Show '', '' The Steve Allen Show '', '' Burke's Law '', '' Down You Go '' and '' The Match Game ''. LATER CAREER Despite her monumental publicity, good roles dried up. Mansfield nevertheless kept busy in series of low-budget films mostly filmed in the UK and Europe. She turned down the role of Ginger Grant in the Sitcom '' Gilligan's Island '' because "I am a movie star." In 1963, nude photographs of Mansfield on the set of ''Promises, Promises'' were published in '' Playboy .'' She was the first American mainstream actress to appear naked in a film. In one notorious set of photographs, Jayne stares at her breast, as does her male secretary and a hair stylist, then grasps it in her hand and lifts it high. The issue sold out and resulted in Hugh Hefner being faced with an obscenity charge, later dropped. Later that year, she was arrested for Indecent Exposure while performing her nightclub act in Burlington, Vermont . Despite the publicity, by the mid- 1960s her career was all but over. When her marriage to Hargitay (who protested her appearance in ''Playboy'' although he co-starred with her in ''Promises, Promises'') broke up, she married Cimber, who directed her in a stage production of ''Bus Stop'' in Yonkers, New York . Cimber took over managing her career during their marriage. Some allege that she became involved with the International Church Of Satan , founded in 1966 by Anton LaVey , and that she had an affair with LaVey. It should be noted that LaVey's public claims of an affair with her apparently began only after her death. LaVey had made similar claims of an ongoing affair with Marilyn Monroe , and as with Mansfield, he did not make these claims publicly until after Monroe's death. DEATH In 1967 , her time was split between a Southern nightclub tour and the production of '' Single Room, Furnished '', directed by Cimber. She split from Cimber and work on ''Single Room, Furnished'' was suspended. Mansfield continued her nightclub tour and started dating her divorce lawyer, Sam Brody, who was working to challenge Cimber's demand for full custody of his and Mansfield's child. After an engagement at the Gus Stevens Supper Club in , the car crashed into a truck spraying Mosquito Fogger . The children survived with minor injuries, but the adults were killed instantly, as was Jayne's pet Chihuahua . Mariska has a scar on her head from the accident, but has no memory of what happened. Rumors that Mansfield was Decapitated were proven untrue, though she did suffer severe head trauma. This Urban Legend was possibly spawned by the fact that her blonde Wig flew off her head and was seen in police photographs. Her funeral was held on July 3 , 1967 in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania , officiated by a Methodist minister. She is interred in Fairview Cemetery, just southeast of Pen Argyl. A memorial Cenotaph is in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery , Hollywood, California , in her honor. Shortly after the funeral, Hargitay sued her estate for over $275,000 to support the children. He married his current wife that September. Mansfield has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame at 6328 Hollywood Boulevard. In an A&E Network ''Biography'' program about Jayne Mansfield, the late Tony Randall , who had worked with her in ''Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?'' had talked about how friendly and down-to-earth Jayne was. He said that when tourists would drive by her mansion, she might just pop on out, waving and greeting them. As Randall put it, "She was a hoot!" FILMOGRAPHY
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