HBO’s new documentary,My Mom Jayne, provides a new look into Jayne Mansfield’s life, her acting career in Hollywood, and the circumstances of her tragic death.My Mom Jaynewas created byLaw & Order: SVUstar Mariska Hargitay, Mansfield’s youngest daughter. Throughout the documentary, she uncovers more about her mother’s Hollywood career throughout the 20th century, and the personal struggles she faced in her life. Hargitay, who was only three years old when her mother died, also interviews her siblings and family friends to learn more about the mother she has few memories of.
Jayne Mansfield began her career in the entertainment industry in 1955 as a Playboy model, appearing in the magazine several times between 1955 and 1960. In 1956, she made the successful transition from model to actress, appearing in the Broadway play,Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, and won the Golden Globe Award for Promising New Star in 1957 for her performance inThe Girl Can’t Help It.HBO’sMy Mom Jaynedocumentaryallows viewers to gain a new perspective on the starlet’s career in the movie industry and the tragic circumstances that led to her death.
Jayne Mansfield Died In A Car Accident In 1967
Her Car Collided With A Semi-Truck On US Highway 90
ThroughoutMy Mom Jayne, Mariska Hargitay uncovers the circumstances of her mother’s death in 1967. In the early hours of June 26, 2025,Hargitay and two of her siblings, Miklós and Zoltán, were traveling with their mother, from Biloxi, Mississippi, to New Orleans, Louisiana,where Mansfield was scheduled to appear as a guest on WDSU’s Midday Show. Also traveling with the family were Mansfield’s attorney, Sam Brody, Ronald B. Harrison, who was driving the car, and Mansfield’s four pet Chihuahuas (viaHistory).
At around 2:25 in the morning, the car crashed into a tractor-trailer on US Highway 90. The impact of the crash caused the trailer to cut off the roof of Mansfield’s car.Jayne Mansfield, Sam Brody, and Ronald B. Harrison were killed instantly in the crash. The autopsy concluded that Mansfield had died from a “crushed skull with avulsion of the cranium and brain” (viaNew Orleans Radio Shrine). Miraculously, her three children, who were asleep in the back seat, survived with only minor injuries. Mariska Hargitay has few memories of the crash, which left her with a permanent scar on her face.
Jayne Mansfield Was Only 34 Years Old When She Died
Mansfield Was Buried In Fairview Cemetery, Pennsylvania
In the HBO documentary, Mariska Hargitay reflects on the loss of her mother, with her siblings, including her two brothers, Miklós and Zoltán, who also survived the fatal crash. Zoltán, who was seven when Mansfield died, revealed that he spent many years wondering why his mother chose to sit in the front of the car, rather than in the back. InMy Mom Jayne,Zoltan Hargitay stated that he remembered his mother comforting him just before the crash and then “[hearing] her scream so loud, and that was it.” Mansfield was only 34 years old at the time of her death.
A memorial cenotaph for Jayne Mansfield exists at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. This cenotaph erroneously gives Mansfield’s birth year as 1938, incorrectly making her 29 at the time of her death.
Following the crash,there were rumors and reports that Mansfield had been decapitated as a result of the crash; photographs released of the crash site showed blonde hair tangled in the windshield, indicating potential decapitation. Investigators and the autopsy report later debunked these reports, revealing that the blonde hair found on the windshield was a headpiece owned by Mansfield, and she had died as a result of severe head trauma (viaAll That’s Interesting). Mansfield’s funeral took place on August 14, 2025, and she was buried next to her father in Fairview Cemetery, Pennsylvania. Her second husband, Mickey Hargitay, attended her funeral service.
Jayne Mansfield’s Tragic Death Led To A Major Change In Semi-Truck Designs
Mansfield Bars Were Added To Semi-Trucks Following Her Death
In the aftermath of Mansfield’s death, her eldest daughter, Jayne Marie Mansfield, and former husband, Matt Cimber, filed two wrongful-death lawsuits, which led to an investigation and trial in 1971. After a 16-day investigation, it was determined that the driver of the semi-truck that crashed into Mansfield’s car did not act negligently, while a mosquito fog-spraying vehicle had acted negligently to cause the truck to slow down prior to the crash (viaJustia).It was later suggested by the National Highway Safety Traffic Association to change the design of semi-trucksto prevent similar accidents from happening again (viaMotorTrend).
Due to the underride extension bars' connection to Jayne Mansfield’s death, they became known across America as Mansfield Bars.
Following the crash, many semi-trucks and tractor-trailers were redesigned to have an underride extension bar fitted to the front, sides, and rear of their vehicles. Due to the underride extension bars' connection to Jayne Mansfield’s death, they became known across America as Mansfield Bars (viaAutoweek). Despite strong opposition by drivers throughout the trucking industry throughout the 1970s and 1980s, it became mandatory for all semi-trucks and tractor-trailers to have extension bars fitted (viaFederal Register). As shown throughoutMy Mom Jayne,her untimely death left a strong impact on the entertainment industry, but the changes made by the NHSTA make it hopeful that similar accidents could be prevented.
