Jayne Mansfield

Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress, Playboy Playmate, and singer. Mansfield was a sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s, and was known for her numerous publicity stunts, her buxom figure, and her personal life. Mansfield played the fictional actress Rita Marlowe in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? on Broadway in 1955–1956, obtaining a Theatre World Award for the portrayal, and reprised the role in the 1957 film adaptation. Her other film roles include the musical comedy The Girl Can't Help It (1956), the drama The Wayward Bus (1957), the neo-noir Too Hot to Handle (1960), and the sex comedy Promises! Promises! (1963). In Promises! Promises!, Mansfield became the first American actress to perform a nude scene in a starring film role. Her performance in The Girl Can't Help It won a Golden Globe Award for New Star. Mansfield's professional name came from her first husband, public relations professional Paul Mansfield. She married three times and had five children. On June 29, 1967, she died in a traffic collision at age 34.