Mariska Hargitay reveals biological father’s identity in new documentary
Mariska Hargitay’s new documentary “My Mom Jayne” delves into her mother’s past and reveals the surprising identity of her biological father.
WASHINGTON — Mariska Hargitay is revealing a decades-long secret in her new documentary: the true identity of her biological father.
In a new documentary called “My Mom Jayne,” the “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star opened up about the shocking discovery of her paternal father. Mariska, daughter of Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield, revealed that her biological father is not Mickey Hargitay but rather Italian singer Nelson Sardelli.
Mariska, in an interview with Vanity Fair, recalled the moment she knew she wasn’t Hargitay’s biological daughter. The actress discovered the truth in her 20s after someone showed her a picture of Sardelli.
“It was like the floor fell out from underneath me. Like my infrastructure dissolved,” Mariska says in the documentary.
Mansfield married Mickey Hargitay in 1958 and filed for divorce in 1963. During their brief separation, Mansfield began a relationship with Sardelli before reconciling with Hargitay. Mariska was born in January 1964, just months after the pair’s reconciliation.
Hargitay raised Mariska and her siblings following her mom’s sudden death in 1967. Mariska was just three years old when her mother died in a car accident.
The 61-year-old actress told Vanity Fair she tried to confront Mickey Hargitay about Sardelli following her discovery, but he denied it. Mariska told the outlet that the moment was “so shattering” that she never brought it up again to Hargitay, who died in 2006.
Mariska said that when she was 30, she saw Sardelli perform in Atlantic City. There, she introduced herself to her biological father.
The actress told the outlet that Sardelli burst into tears and told her, “I’ve been waiting 30 years for this moment.”
Mariska recalls she went “full Olivia Benson” on Sardelli, channeling to her character on “Law & Order: SVU unit.”
“I was like, ‘I don’t want anything, I don’t need anything from you.… I have a dad,'” she told Vanity Fair. “There was something about loyalty. I wanted to be loyal to Mickey.”
Mariska eventually formed a bond with Sardelli and his daughters, though she revealed she struggled to navigate “knowing I’m living a lie my entire life.”
“I grew up where I was supposed to, and I do know that everyone made the best choice for me,” she told the outlet. “I’m Mickey Hargitay’s daughter—that is not a lie. This documentary is kind of a love letter to him, because there’s no one that I was closer to on this planet.”
Where to watch “My Mom Jayne”?
The documentary, which is also Mariska’s directorial debut, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last week. According to Vanity Fair, it features cameos from both families, including Sardelli and Mariska’s siblings.
“My Mom Jayne,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last week, will have a limited theatrical release on June 20. It will then air on HBO on June 27 and become available to stream on HBO Max.