Jayne Mansfield's Life in Photos

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1949: A Young Jayne Mansfield

Born Vera Jayne Palmer in 1933, the future icon eloped with 20-year-old Paul Mansfield in 1950, just before graduating from high school. A year into their marriage they welcomed a baby girl, Jayne Marie Mansfield, while they were both studying acting at Southern Methodist University.

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1951: Headed for UCLA

In 1951, Mansfield moved to Los Angeles to attend a summer session at UCLA. The aspiring actress entered the Miss California contest, but later dropped out. Afterward, she and her husband enrolled at the University of Texas in Austin, where she began performing in theater productions.

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1954: Hollywood Aspirations

Eager to break into the industry, Mansfield and her family relocated to Los Angeles in 1954. She began taking modeling jobs, even though she faced resistance at first, as many casting directors felt her curvy figure was too sexy for commercial ads. She famously was cut out of her very first ad, a print ad for General Electric.

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1954: Facing Rejections

Later that year, Mansfield caught her first break when she landed auditions with both Paramount and Warner Brothers studios—but she didn't land a contract with either. Afterward, she dyed her hair platinum blonde to compete with the star of the moment: Marilyn Monroe.

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1954: 'Playboy' Fame

Mansfield landed the cover of the newly launched Playboy magazine in 1954. Her provocative pose ended up garnering her a lot of attention and earned her the spot of "Playmate of the Month" in 1955.

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1955: Getting Divorced

Unfortunately, Jayne's husband did not share the same public aspirations as the budding star, and in 1955 the two were granted a divorce. Paul returned to Dallas, Texas and the couple's young daughter remained in Los Angeles with her mother.

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1955: Marketing Herself

Mansfield was a skilled marketer and, building off of her newfound pinup success, she decided to package herself as the newest blonde bombshell. She made pink her signature color and even bought a pink Cadillac to drive.

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1955: Her First Big Role

Mansfield's hard work continued to pay off as she earned her first acting role in the 1955 movie Female Jungle. It was a low-budget noir film, but gave the aspiring actress a lot of exposure.

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1955: A Warner Brothers Contract

In 1955, her manager negotiated a seven-year contract with Warner Bros. for the rising star. Here, Mansfield is seen on the grounds of the studio with her Chihuahua.

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1955: Landing Minor Roles

With the support of a studio, Mansfield continued to nab minor film roles. In 1955 alone, she appeared in a trio of Warner Bros. films—Pete Kelly's Blues, Illegal, and Hell on Frisco Bay.

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1955: Headed to Broadway

In 1955, Mansfield signed on to the Broadway production of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, playing Rita Marlowe. Shortly after, she was dropped from her contract with Warner Bros.

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1956: Settling at Another Studio

After her run on Broadway was over, Mansfield returned to Hollywood with no studio contract secured. But she was quickly scooped up by 20th Century Fox for a six-year contract.

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1956: Her Breakout Role

Mansfield's first starring role was in Fox's musical comedy, The Girl Can't Help It. The movie did well with both critics and box offices (earning more than Monroe's debut film, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) and won Mansfield a Golden Globe for Best New Star of the Year.

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1956: The New Marilyn Monroe

The success of Mansfield's first feature film caught the attention of her studio and Fox began marketing her as the "Marilyn Monroe King-Size." The success of Mansfield as a '50s sex symbol only grew from there.

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1956: A New Romance

In 1956, Mansfield became romantically linked with Mr. Universe a.k.a. Hungarian weight lifter Mickey Hargitay.

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1957: Becoming a Movie Star

In 1957, Mansfield starred in the film adaptation of her broadway show, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? That same year, she also starred in The Wayward Bus, Kiss Them For Me, and The Burglar.

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1957: Stealing the Show

Mansfield kept up with the same publicity antics that she used to grab her studio's attention years before and became known for creating a spectacle in the form of photo bombs or manufacturing wardrobe malfunctions for the press. The actress garnered a lot of attention for one photo in particular: the Sophia Loren side-eye for this revealing dress.

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1957: An Engagement

Mansfield and Hargitay announced their engagement in 1958. The actress received a round, 10-carat diamond from her fiancé, which was estimated to be worth $25,000 at the time.

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1958: Brains and Beauty

Although Mansfield rose to fame for her physical appearance, the actress was a premier student growing up. As a young child she practiced both voice and violin and was known of having an IQ of 149.

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1958: Getting Married Again

On January 13, 1958, Mansfield wed her second husband, Mickey Hargitay, in a press-filled ceremony at the Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

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