Jane Russell Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American film actress and one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. Russell moved from the Midwestern United States to California, where she had her first film role in 1943 in "The Outlaw". In 1947, Russell delved into music before returning to films. After starring in multiple films in the 1950s, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1953, Russell again returned to music while completing several other films in the 1960s. She starred in more than 20 films throughout her career. Russell married
Jayne Mansfield biggest successes, both critically and financially, earning more than "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" had three years before. Soon afterwards, Fox started promoting Mansfield as "Marilyn Monroe king-sized", attempting to coerce Monroe to return to the studio and finish out her contract. Mansfield had become one of 20th Century Fox's main sex symbol actresses. Mansfield next played a dramatic role in 1957's "The Wayward Bus", an adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel of the same name. With this film, she attempted to move away from her "blonde bombshell" image and establish herself as a serious actress. The film enjoyed moderate box office success,