Mariska Hargitay is not only an accomplished actress herself, but is also known for her famous family, being the daughter of Jayne Mansfield. However, last year, she shared a big revelation about her life. Since then, she recently weighed in on the impact it had on her family during a recent podcast appearance.
Mariska Hargitay Tragically Lost Her Mother In 1967 Due To An Infamous Car Crash
As an actress, Hargitay is best known for her work on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Playing Olivia Benson since 1999, she has portrayed one of the longest-running characters of all time in U.S. primetime dramas. Outside of acting, she is also known for founding the Joyful Heart Foundation.
Hargitay is also the daughter of actress and model Jayne Mansfield. Tragically, Mansfield lost her life in 1967 in a car crash. Mariska, who was three years old at the time, was sleeping in the backseat alongside two of her siblings, who survived with minor injuries, during the incident.
Before her twenties, Mariska believed that her mother’s husband, Mickey Hargitay, was her biological father. It wasn’t until the 2025 release of the documentary, My Mom Jayne, that she revealed it was actually Las Vegas entertainer Nelson Sardelli.
Mariska Shared That She Realized That She Wasn’t The Only One Who Was Hurting From The Revelation
Recently, Mariska opened up about her family during an appearance on the Hoda Kotb podcast Making Space, which airs as a podcast for The Today Show. At the time, she recalled learning about Nelson being her biological father, first suspecting it after a fan of her mother’s showed her a photo of him. She confessed, “I was so angry and felt betrayed.”
Mariska continued, “I confronted my dad and he denied it.” Saying she repeatedly questioned him on why he never told her, she shared, “He goes, ‘What are you talking about?! You look exactly like my father. You are my daughter. You are my daughter.’”
In time, however, Mariska realized that she wasn’t the only one who was hurting from what happened. She explained, “It was so beautiful, now. Because I understand. He was also in so much pain. That was the day I became an adult. Because I loved him so much, that I said, ‘We’re good.’”
The actress continued, “We don’t need to talk about it anymore, because I felt like he was in more pain than I was. But also, I was his daughter, and that’s how he saw it, and that was his truth.”
What is your reaction to Mariska Hargitay’s recent share? Have you been following this story? Are you keeping up with Law & Order: SVU? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest TV and celebrity news.
John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.