Young Jayne Mansfield: A Pinup, A Starlet, A Mother -- And A Tragedy

Left: Jayne Mansfield circa 1956. Source: (Getty/Bettmann). Right: Mansfield on the poster for The Girl Can't Help It, 1956. Source: (imdb.com)

Beautiful blonde actress Jayne Mansfield was a sex symbol and a mother and was seen as the "next" Marilyn Monroe. She was known for her risque performances and was the first major American actress to have a nude scene. Mansfield was not only a film and television actress but also performed as a singer on the nightclub circuit.

Mansfield was well recognized as a major sex symbol in Hollywood during the 1950s and early 1960s. She was a very public figure (in more ways than one) and didn’t mind the attention she received as a result of her looks. Playboy magazine was only too happy to feature Mansfield in one of its earlier issues. Mansfield's famous and ground-breaking nude scene came in the 1963 film Promises! Promises!, and only intensified her notoriety and appeal.