Curious facts about the iconic Jayne Mansfield
She is often remembered for her signature platinum blonde look and flirtatious personality, but Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield was much more than just a pretty face. She was highly intelligent, she had a shrewd business acumen, and she knew exactly how to build a public personality.
Curious? Check out this gallery to learn all about Hollywood's smartest blonde.
What's in a name?
Her birth name was Vera Jayne Palmer. She only became Jayne Mansfield when she married her first husband, John Mansfield, in May 1950.
Natural performer
As a child she took voice, dance, piano, and violin lessons. She loved to perform and reportedly wanted to be a Hollywood star like Shirley Temple.
Working girl
Before she made it as a Hollywood star she worked a number of odd jobs, including as a candy girl at a cinema.
Serial bride
Jayne Mansfield was married three times and had a total of five children. Her daughter Mariska Hargitay is also an actress and is best known for playing Olivia Benson in ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.’
Deception
In fact, her blondness wasn’t even real: a natural brunette, Mansfield first dyed her hair platinum blonde when she moved to Los Angeles in 1951.
Swimming pool
The most infamous of such occasions involved a red bikini that mysteriously untied itself as she dove into a pool in the presence of paparazzi.
Pretty in pink
The star adopted the color pink as her trademark and she took the branding very seriously: she wore pink, drove a pink car, and bought a house she called "the pink palace."
Beauty pageants
She won many beauty pageants in her time, some with titles so strange she had to refuse, such as Miss Roquefort Cheese.
Custody battle
As a result of Mansfield’s appearance in Playboy magazine, her husband John Mansfield filed for custody of their daughter in August 1956.
Awards
Although her movie career was short-lived, she did nab a Theatre World Award and a Golden Globe.
Working man's Monroe
She was often compared unfavorably to Marilyn Monroe, who was perceived as being the classier of the two women.
Music
In 1965, she recorded two songs with Jimi Hendrix that were unfortunately never released.
A close call
Thankfully he survived, but he suffered major head trauma and had to undergo three surgeries. The theme park was eventually closed down.
Tragedy
There were rumors following the accident that Mansfield had been decapitated, but these were unfounded: it was merely her wig that was tangled in the broken windshield.
