Toni Mannix was a showgirl who fell in love with Superman star George Reeves
She was born Camille Bernice Froomess on February 19, 1906 in New York City. Toni was one of eleven children. Her family moved to Rochester, New York where her father, Charles Froomes, worked as a department store window decorator. Sadly her father died when she was fifteen years old. She started her career with the Ziegfeld Follies using the name Toni Lanier. Florenz Ziegfeld called her "the girl with the million dollar legs" and had them insured by Lloyd's of London. In 1936 she had a bit role in the film The Great Ziegfeld. During filming she began an affair with married MGM executive Eddie Mannix. She announced her engagement to Neil Miller, ex-husband of Dorothy Mackaill, but they didn't make it down the aisle. Toni married eighteen year old Jessie Livermore in 1937. The marriage only lasted a few months. Then she resumed her romance with Eddie who was now widowed. It's been rumored that he had his first wife killed so he could be with Toni. They were married on May 31, 1951. The couple had an open relationship and Toni had a big sexual appetite.
She fell madly in love with George Reeves who starred on the popular television show Superman. Toni, who was eight years older than George, bought him a house on Benedict Canyon and tried to help him with his career. When he left her for another woman in 1959 she was devastated. She started calling him up to twenty times a day and had his beloved dog kidnapped. On June 16, 1959 George committed suicide by shooting himself in his home. Many people believe that Toni had him murdered and made it look like a suicide. Actress Phyllis Coates later claimed that Toni called her the day George died and said he had been murdered. She remained married to Eddie until his death in 1963. Toni never stopped loving George and even built a shrine to him in her home. As she grew older she became reclusive and started suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Shortly before her death she allegedly confessed to a friend that she had George murdered. She died on September 2, 1983 at the age of seventy-seven. Toni is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. In 2006 Diana Lane portrayed Toni in the movie Hollywoodland.
With Eddie Mannix
She fell madly in love with George Reeves who starred on the popular television show Superman. Toni, who was eight years older than George, bought him a house on Benedict Canyon and tried to help him with his career. When he left her for another woman in 1959 she was devastated. She started calling him up to twenty times a day and had his beloved dog kidnapped. On June 16, 1959 George committed suicide by shooting himself in his home. Many people believe that Toni had him murdered and made it look like a suicide. Actress Phyllis Coates later claimed that Toni called her the day George died and said he had been murdered. She remained married to Eddie until his death in 1963. Toni never stopped loving George and even built a shrine to him in her home. As she grew older she became reclusive and started suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Shortly before her death she allegedly confessed to a friend that she had George murdered. She died on September 2, 1983 at the age of seventy-seven. Toni is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. In 2006 Diana Lane portrayed Toni in the movie Hollywoodland.
