Exceedingly voluptuous beauty pageant winner turned wild blonde bombshell with a flair for broad comedy; the most flamboyant and successful of the Monroe imitators, and at one time the most publicized woman in the world, whose schemes for headline grabbing are unsurpassed in Hollywood folklore. Apart from her starring roles in two notable Frank Tashlin films ("The Girl Can't Help It" 1956, "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" 1957), Mansfield tended to appear in relatively minor Hollywood fare. In the 1960s, her stardom having fizzled, she was recruited by European filmmakers who attempted to capitalize on her name and her propensity for camp. Mansfield died in a car accident on the way to Louisiana at age 34. Her second husband was Hungarian actor and "Mr. Universe" Mickey Hargitay and her third, director Matt Cimber. Daughter Mariska Hargitay is an actress.
Family
FATHER: Herbert Palmer. Lawyer. Died when Mansfield was six.
MOTHER: Vera Palmer. Kindergarten teacher.
DAUGHTER: Jayne Marie Mansfield. Born November 8, 1950; put in protective custody of juvenile authorities when she reported being mistreated at home to police, two weeks before mother's death.
SON: Miklos J Hargiatay Jr. Born on December 21, 1958.
SON: Zoltan A Hargitay. Born on August 1, 1960; mauled by a lion as Mansfield posed for photos in a California animal compound in 1966.
DAUGHTER: Mariska Hargitay. Actor. Born on January 23, 1964; Miss Beverly Hills (1982).
SON: Octabiano Cimber. Born c. 1965.
Companion
HUSBAND: Paul Mansfield. Married in 1950; divorced in 1958; classmate at college.
HUSBAND: Mickey Hargitay. Actor, former Mr. Universe. Married on January 13, 1958; divorced in January 1964.
HUSBAND: Matt Cimber. Director. Married in September 1964; separated in July 1966.
COMPANION: Sam Brody. Lawyer. Engaged at the time of their deaths in 1967.
Milestone
1950: Worked as a candy vendor when first arrived in Hollywood (date approximate)
Appeared in small part in TV play
1955: Broadway debut, "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?"
1956: Film debut, "Female Jungle" (bit part)
1956: Achieved star status in "The Girl Can't Help It"
1959: Went to England to appear in "The Challenge"
1967: Acted in last film, "Single Room Furnished" (released 1968)
1968: Appeared in "documentary", "The Wild, Wild World of Jayne Mansfield"
Education
Highland Park High School - Dallas, Texas
Southern Methodist University - Dallas, Texas
University of California at Los Angeles - Los Angeles, California
University of Texas at Austin - Austin, Texas - drama - classmates included actors Rip Torn and Barbara Barrie and director Robert Benton
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