Cimber was the third husband of actress Jayne Mansfield, and they had a son together, Antonio, born in 1965. He directed Mansfield on stage and in the film Single Room Furnished. This was not released until 1968, after her death in a car accident the year before.[8]
Matt Cimber with his wife Jayne Mansfield, their newborn son and her four other children (1965)
He met his future wife, Jayne Mansfield, while directing a 1964 revival of William Inge'sBus Stop. He directed and co-starred with her in productions of The Rabbit Habit and Champagne Complex.[19][20] Another of Cimber's Off-Broadway credits, Walk-Up,[21] was adapted as Single Room Furnished, a vehicle for Mansfield.
Film
Cimber made his debut as a film director (credited as "Matteo Ottaviano")[1][22] with Single Room Furnished (1966).[23] The film was shot by László Kovács, noted pioneer of the "American New Wave". It was introducted by Walter Winchell. Jayne Mansfield, in what was her last principal film role, was described by Variety as having "surprisingly moving moments".[24]
Cimber proceeded to direct a string of "sexploitation films" under the pseudonyms "Gary Harper" and "Rinehart Segway," including Man & Wife: An Educational Film for Married Adults (1969), Sex and Astrology (1971), and The Sensually Liberated Female (1970), which was based on a best-selling book, The Sensuous Woman by Joan Garrity.[25]
The following year, Cimber collaborated with actress Laurene Landon on the adventure films Hundra, which premiered at Cannes and featured a score by Ennio Morricone,[33] and Yellow Hair and the Fortress of Gold.
Television
In 1986, Cimber co-created GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, and served as executive producer and director of the syndicated television program. The show lasted for four seasons. It later inspired the fictionalized Netflix series GLOW. In GLOW, Marc Maron's character Sam Sylvia was inspired by Cimber.[34]
Later career
Cimber wrote and directed the documentaries An American Icon: Coca-Cola, The Early Years (1997) and The History of United Nations (1996). He created and wrote the eight-minute intro for visitors to the United Nations, for which he received a special commendation from the U.N.
After a 20-year absence from feature films, he wrote and directed Miriam (2006), based on the real-life story of Holocaust survivor Miriam Schafer, starring Ariana Savalas as Schafer.[35][36][37]
Personal life
Cimber became involved with Jayne Mansfield when he directed her in a stage production of Bus Stop in Yonkers, New York.[38][39] Mansfield married Cimber on September 24, 1964, in Mulegé, Baja California Sur, Mexico.[40] Cimber managed Mansfield's career during their marriage. The marriage began to collapse in the wake of Cimber’s alleged physical abuse as well as Mansfield's alcohol abuse, open infidelities, and disclosure to Cimber that she had been happy only with a previous lover, Nelson Sardelli.[41] They separated on July 11, 1965 and filed for divorce on July 20, 1966.[40] The couple had a son, Antonio Raphael Ottaviano (a.k.a. Tony Cimber), born October 18, 1965, who became a director and actor.[42]
Cimber's second wife is dress designer Christy Hilliard Hanak. Cimber and Hanak raised Tony Cimber.[43][44][45]
↑Jordan, Jessica Hope (2009). The Sex Goddess In American Film 1930–1965: Jean Harlow, Mae West, Lana Turner and Jayne Mansfield. Cambria Press. p.222. ISBN978-1-60497-663-2.
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