Net Worth Ranker
What Was Jayne Mansfield’s Net Worth?
At the time of her untimely death in June 1967, Jayne Mansfield’s net worth was estimated to be $2 million after adjusting for inflation. This net worth reflected her multifaceted career as an actress on stage, screen, and television, as well as her work as a singer, nightclub entertainer, and early “Playboy” Playmate. During the 1950s and 1960s, she was a prominent Hollywood sex symbol.
Jayne Mansfield’s Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born Vera Jayne Palmer on April 19, 1933, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Jayne’s early life was marked by significant family events. Her father, Herbert, an attorney, passed away from a heart attack in 1936. In 1939, her mother, Vera, remarried Harry Lawrence Peers, and the family relocated to Dallas, Texas. She attended Highland Park High School, graduating in 1950. Before that at the age of 12, Mansfield began ballroom dance lessons and throughout her teens, she studied piano, violin, and viola, while also learning German and Spanish. Post-high school, she pursued acting studies at Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Austin, setting the stage for her future career in entertainment. After returning to Dallas, she studied acting with Baruch Lumet and got her first screen test in 1954.
Jayne Mansfield’s Acting Career and Notable Roles
Mansfield’s acting career began with a television debut on “Lux Video Theatre” in 1964, followed by her first film role in “Female Jungle” in 1955. That year, she signed a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers. She appeared in the Broadway production of “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” alongside Walter Matthau and Orson Bean. She reprised her role in the 1957 film adaptation. In 1956, she won a Golden Globe for her performance in “The Girl Can’t Help It”. She starred in films such as “The Burglar,” “The Wayward Bus,” and “Kiss Them for Me” in 1957, and “The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw” in 1958. Her film “Promises! Promises!” (1963), was banned in several cities due to its nudity. In the early ’60s, she appeared in films such as “The Challenge” (1960), “Too Hot to Handle” (1960), “The Loves of Hercules” (1960), “The George Raft Story” (1961), and “It Happened in Athens” (1962). In 1964, Jayne appeared in the Italian films “L’Amore Primitivo” and “Panic Button” and the German film “Einer frisst den anderen,” followed by 1966’s “The Fat Spy” and “The Las Vegas Hillbillys.” She had a cameo in 1967’s “A Guide for the Married Man,” and her performance as Johnnie/ Mae/ Eileen in “Single Room Furnished” is considered to be one of her best. The film was briefly released in 1966, then it was pulled from theaters and officially released in 1968, nearly a year after Mansfield’s death. By the late ’50s, she was earning $20,000 for each TV performance.
Jayne Mansfield’s Other Artistic Endeavors
Beyond acting, Mansfield explored her talents as a singer. She released two albums, “Jayne Mansfield Busts up Las Vegas” in 1962 and “Jayne Mansfield: Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky & Me” in 1964. She also collaborated with Jimi Hendrix on the 1967 singles “Suey” and “As The Clouds Drift By”. These artistic ventures added to her income and diversified her public image, which contributed to her overall net worth.
Jayne Mansfield’s Personal Life, Marriages, and Children
Mansfield’s personal life was as eventful as her professional one. She married Paul Mansfield on May 6, 1950, at the age of 17, and they had a daughter, Jayne Marie, on November 8, 1950. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1954 to support Jayne’s acting ambitions. Jayne and Paul divorced in early 1958. On January 13, 1958, Mansfield married bodybuilder, actor, and former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay. They began touring in stage shows, and Mickey co-starred with Jayne in films such as “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” and “The Loves of Hercules.” They had three children together: Mickey Jr. (born December 21, 1958), Zoltan (born August 1, 1960), and Mariska (born January 24, 1964). Jayne and Mickey divorced in Mexico in May 1963, but it was not ruled valid by the state of California until August 1964. Mansfield married director Matt Cimber on September 24, 1964, and they had a son, Tony (born October 18, 1965), before filing for divorce in July 1966. Around that time, Jayne began living with her divorce lawyer, Sam Brody. In November 1966, Mansfield’s son Zoltan was attacked by a lion while visiting Jungleland USA with Jayne and Sam and had to undergo brain surgery.
Jayne Mansfield’s Death and Estate
On June 29, 1967, Jayne Mansfield, along with Sam Brody and others, was involved in a fatal car accident. The accident occurred on the way from Biloxi, Mississippi, to New Orleans. All three adults died instantly, and though it was erroneously reported that Jayne was decapitated, her official cause of death was “crushed skull with avulsion of cranium and brain.” Jayne’s funeral took place in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, on July 3rd, and she was buried next to her father in Fairview Cemetery. After Mansfield’s death, several people tried to gain control of her estate, including Cimber, Hargitay, and her mother. The estate was initially estimated to be worth $600,000 and included Jayne’s home mansion, a sports car, jewelry, and Brody’s estate (which he left to her in his will). Beverly Brody sued the estate in 1971 for more than $300,000 worth of jewelry and gifts Sam had given to Jayne, and in 1977, Mansfield’s children discovered that their mother’s massive debt (approximately $500,000) had left her estate insolvent.
Jayne Mansfield’s Awards and Honors
Mansfield’s talent and contributions to the entertainment industry were recognized with several awards and honors. In 1957, she won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Female for “The Girl Can’t Help It.” In 1956, she won a Theatre World Award for Promising Personality for “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?”. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. In 2008, the Texas Film Awards posthumously honored Jayne with a Legacy Award (which was accepted by her daughter Mariska) and inducted her into the Texas Film Hall of Fame.
Jayne Mansfield’s Real Estate: The Pink Palace
In 1957, Mansfield purchased a mansion on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles for $76,000. The mansion included 40 rooms, and Jayne and Mickey hired set decorator Glenn Holse to make some changes to the home. The house was painted pink with cupids surrounded by pink fluorescent lights, pink furs in the bathrooms, a pink heart-shaped bathtub, and a fountain spurting pink champagne. Mickey built a 40-foot heart-shaped pool in the backyard. The residence, famously known as the “Pink Palace,” became a symbol of her glamorous lifestyle. Mansfield wrote to companies and asked for free samples to help her decorate the home, which resulted in Jayne receiving more than $150,000 in free merchandise. Since Jayne’s death, celebrities such as Ringo Starr and Engelbert Humperdinck have owned the “Pink Palace,” and after it was sold to developers in 2002, the mansion was demolished.
