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{{short description|American actress}}

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'''Toni Lanier Mannix''' (born '''Camille Bernice Froomess'''; February 19, 1906 – September 2, 1983) was an American actress and dancer in early motion pictures filmed with soundtracks, known as "[[talkies]]". Going by the name Toni Lanier, she became known in Hollywood circles for her extramarital relationship with future husband [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] studio head [[Eddie Mannix]], who was married at the time to Bernice Fitzmaurice. Following Fitzmaurice's death in 1937, Lanier moved in with Mannix. The couple married in 1951. It was not long after her marriage to Mannix that she began a notorious affair with actor [[George Reeves]], also in 1951.
'''Toni Lanier Mannix''' (born '''Camille Bernice Froomess'''; February 19, 1906 – September 2, 1983) was an [[Actor|American actress]] and dancer in early motion pictures filmed with soundtracks, known as "[[talkies]]". Going by the name Toni Lanier, she became known in Hollywood circles for her extramarital relationship with future husband [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] studio head [[Eddie Mannix]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |author=Guardian Staff |date=2006-11-18 |title=The mysterious death of George Reeves, the original Superman |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/18/features.weekend1 |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> who was married at the time to Bernice Fitzmaurice. Following Fitzmaurice's death in 1937, Lanier moved in with Mannix. The couple married in 1951. It was not long after her marriage to Mannix that she began a notorious affair with actor [[George Reeves]], also in 1951.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Mannix was born Camille Bernice Froomess on February 19, 1906 in New York City. Her father, Charles, was a [[French people|French]] immigrant, and her mother, Elizabeth, was a [[French Canadian]] [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]. The large family would ultimately include 11 children: seven boys and four girls. The children were raised in their mother's faith. Mannix's father was a department store window decorator in [[Rochester, New York]], and her mother was a homemaker.<ref>1920 U.S. Census</ref>
Mannix was born Camille Bernice Froomess on February 19, 1906<ref name=":0" /> in New York City. Her father, Charles, was a [[French people|French]] immigrant, and her mother, Elizabeth, was a French Canadian Roman Catholic. The large family would ultimately include 11 children: seven boys and four girls. The children were raised in their mother's faith. Mannix's father was a department store window decorator in [[Rochester, New York]], and her mother was a homemaker.<ref>1920 U.S. Census</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
For a time, Mannix was a [[Ziegfeld Follies]] showgirl, and appeared in the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] biography of [[Florenz Ziegfeld]]'s life, ''[[The Great Ziegfeld]]'' (1936).
For a time, Mannix was a [[Ziegfeld Follies]] showgirl and appeared in the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] biography of [[Florenz Ziegfeld]]'s life, ''[[The Great Ziegfeld]]'' (1936).{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
As Toni Lanier, the Ziegfeld dancer and actress met MGM's general manager [[Eddie Mannix]] in the 1930s. She later lived with him as his mistress, and then as his wife, until his death in 1963. Shortly after her marriage to Mannix in 1951 and shortly before the launch of [[George Reeves]] to stardom in the successful [[television series]] ''Adventures of Superman'', Mannix met and began an extramarital affair with Reeves, with the permission of her husband, according to Reeves' co-stars [[Noel Neill]] and [[Jack Larson]].<ref>Ward, Larry Thomas. ''Truth, Justice, & The American Way: The Life and Times of Noel Neill, The Original Lois Lane'', Nicholas Lawrence Books, 2003. {{ISBN|0-9729466-0-8}}. p. 83.</ref>
Toni Lanier, the Ziegfeld dancer and actress<ref name=":0" /> met MGM's general manager [[Eddie Mannix]] in the 1930s. She later lived with him as his mistress, and then as his wife, until he died in 1963. Shortly after her marriage to Mannix in 1951 and shortly before the launch of [[George Reeves]] to stardom in the successful [[television series]] ''Adventures of Superman'', Mannix met and began an extramarital affair with Reeves, with the permission of her husband, according to Reeves' co-stars [[Noel Neill]] and [[Jack Larson]].<ref>Ward, Larry Thomas. ''Truth, Justice, & The American Way: The Life and Times of Noel Neill, The Original Lois Lane'', Nicholas Lawrence Books, 2003. {{ISBN|0-9729466-0-8}}. p. 83.</ref>

⚫
Reeves ended the affair in 1958 after meeting and starting a relationship with "B-girl" Leonore Lemmon in New York while he was travelling on business. His death by gunshot wound to the head five months later was officially ruled a suicide, although questions have been raised about the circumstances under which he died. Mannix was devastated by Reeves' death and remained dedicated to him, reportedly building a shrine to him in her house.

==Later years and death==
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2022}}
Mannix, wealthy following the death of her husband in 1963, developed [[Alzheimer's disease]] when she was in her seventies. She died in 1983 in [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] at the age of 77, having neither remarried nor having had children. She is interred next to husband Eddie Mannix at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Her crypt niche's memorial marker reads: "Camille Toni Mannix, 1906-1983, God Bless".


⚫
Reeves ended the affair in 1958 after meeting and starting a relationship with "B-girl" Leonore Lemmon in New York<ref name=":0" /> while he was traveling on business. His death by gunshot wound to the head five months later was officially ruled a suicide, although questions have been raised about the circumstances under which he died.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Toni Mannix — The Mysterious Death of Superman — Crime Library |url=https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/celebrity/george_reeves/8.html |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=www.crimelibrary.org}}</ref> Mannix was devastated by Reeves' death and remained dedicated to him, reportedly building a shrine to him in her house.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}
==In popular culture==
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2022}}
* Kashner and Schoenberger's [[George Reeves]] biography ''Hollywood Kryptonite'' states as an unsourced fact that Toni Mannix, using her husband's connections to [[organized crime]], hired a [[hitman]] to murder [[George Reeves]] and stage it to look like a [[suicide]].
* In the 2006 film ''[[Hollywoodland]]'', Toni Mannix was portrayed by [[Academy Award]]-winning actress [[Diane Lane]], opposite [[Bob Hoskins]] as [[Eddie Mannix]] and [[Ben Affleck]] as [[George Reeves]]. Although the film offers a [[contract killing]] ordered by the Mannixes as one of several possible solutions to the mystery of Reeves' death, ''Hollywoodland'' ends without choosing any one theory as fact.
* [[Alison Pill]] played a character inspired by Toni Mannix in the [[Coen brothers]]' 2016 comedy film, ''[[Hail, Caesar!]]''.


==See also==
==See also==
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[[Category:American female dancers]]
[[Category:American female dancers]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease]]
[[Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California]]
[[Category:Neurological disease deaths in California]]
[[Category:Deaths from dementia in California]]
[[Category:People from Greater Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Actresses from Greater Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City]]
[[Category:Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City]]
[[Category:Actresses from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Actresses from New York (state)]]
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[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:20th-century American dancers]]
[[Category:20th-century American dancers]]
[[Category:Ziegfeld girls]]

Latest revision as of 16:55, 15 April 2024

Toni Mannix
Born
Camille Bernice Froomess

(1906-02-19)February 19, 1906
New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 2, 1983(1983-09-02) (aged 77)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Other namesToni Lanier, Camille Toni Mannix
Occupation(s)Actress, dancer
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1951; died 1963)​

Toni Lanier Mannix (born Camille Bernice Froomess; February 19, 1906 – September 2, 1983) was an American actress and dancer in early motion pictures filmed with soundtracks, known as "talkies". Going by the name Toni Lanier, she became known in Hollywood circles for her extramarital relationship with future husband MGM studio head Eddie Mannix,[1] who was married at the time to Bernice Fitzmaurice. Following Fitzmaurice's death in 1937, Lanier moved in with Mannix. The couple married in 1951. It was not long after her marriage to Mannix that she began a notorious affair with actor George Reeves, also in 1951.

Early life

[edit]

Mannix was born Camille Bernice Froomess on February 19, 1906[1] in New York City. Her father, Charles, was a French immigrant, and her mother, Elizabeth, was a French Canadian Roman Catholic. The large family would ultimately include 11 children: seven boys and four girls. The children were raised in their mother's faith. Mannix's father was a department store window decorator in Rochester, New York, and her mother was a homemaker.[2]

Career

[edit]

For a time, Mannix was a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl and appeared in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer biography of Florenz Ziegfeld's life, The Great Ziegfeld (1936).[citation needed]

Personal life

[edit]

Toni Lanier, the Ziegfeld dancer and actress[1] met MGM's general manager Eddie Mannix in the 1930s. She later lived with him as his mistress, and then as his wife, until he died in 1963. Shortly after her marriage to Mannix in 1951 and shortly before the launch of George Reeves to stardom in the successful television series Adventures of Superman, Mannix met and began an extramarital affair with Reeves, with the permission of her husband, according to Reeves' co-stars Noel Neill and Jack Larson.[3]

Reeves ended the affair in 1958 after meeting and starting a relationship with "B-girl" Leonore Lemmon in New York[1] while he was traveling on business. His death by gunshot wound to the head five months later was officially ruled a suicide, although questions have been raised about the circumstances under which he died.[4] Mannix was devastated by Reeves' death and remained dedicated to him, reportedly building a shrine to him in her house.[citation needed]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Guardian Staff (2006-11-18). "The mysterious death of George Reeves, the original Superman". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  2. ^ 1920 U.S. Census
  3. ^ Ward, Larry Thomas. Truth, Justice, & The American Way: The Life and Times of Noel Neill, The Original Lois Lane, Nicholas Lawrence Books, 2003. ISBN 0-9729466-0-8. p. 83.
  4. ^ "Toni Mannix — The Mysterious Death of Superman — Crime Library". www.crimelibrary.org. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
[edit]
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