Credit: @therealmariskahargitay
The truth about actress Mariska Hargitay is that many people love her, but very few know too much about her. She’s a lovely woman who has graced our television screens for decades, and we love her in every role. Hargitay is perhaps most famous for her role as Olivia Benson. She’s the star character in the hit show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Mariska Hargitay began playing Olivia Benson in 1999, which means she is now 23 years into her starring role. Unsurprisingly, this role makes people feel as if they know her without them ever getting to know her. She’s so good that no one bothers to look at her personal life or what she’s been doing outside of Olivia Benson. She is Olivia Benson. It turns out, however, that Mariska Hargitay has a fascinating life – including the story of her mother, who taught her everything she knows.
Mariska Hargitay as a Child
Did you know that Mariska Hargitay is a California girl born on January 23, 1964, in the Santa Monica area? Maybe you knew that, but did you know that her parents are also both famous? You did not know that. Honestly, we did not know that. This talented beauty is the daughter of a former Mr. Universe and a 1950s sex symbol. Her father is Mickey Hargitay, and her mother is Jayne Mansfield, and now you know who we are talking about.
Mariska Hargitay’s Mother
Mariska Hargitay’s mom is Jayne Mansfield. Mansfield is famous for many things, but mostly for her life as a star. She was born in 1933, and she spent her life acting, singing, and entertaining. Jayne was also a Playboy Playmate. She was the sex symbol of the 50s, and she worked hard to make sure she was famous. In her tragically short life, she was able to earn a Golden Globe Award. However, it was her personal life that kept her in the spotlight.
Credit: @therealmariskahargitay
She was famously written about in Variety magazine. Whitney Williams was a movie critic, and she said of Mansfield, “her personal life out-rivaled any of the roles she played,” and she is not wrong about that. Mansfield was notorious for her many relationships with famous men. She was allegedly involved with both JFK and Robert F. Kennedy, Jorge Guinle, nelson Sardelli, and many more. She and her son are also the reason the Jungleland USA theme park in Thousand Oaks closed. A Lion mauled her son in 1966. The attack caused young Zoltan to need brain surgery (six hours worth) as well as numerous other surgeries. The young boy also contracted meningitis following the attack and subsequent surgeries, and the family sued, putting the park out of business.
The Tragic Death of Mariska Hargitay’s Mother
Something that many people do not know about Mariska Hargitay’s mother is that the actress only had her mother in her life until she was three. It was a June night in 1967 when Mansfield, her attorney/boyfriend, a driver, and three of Mansfield’s children – including Mariska – were traveling in Mississippi. Their car slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer and instantly killed all three adults in the car. The three kids in the backseat were sleeping and survived with minor injuries.
Hargitay is close to her father. He raised her and her siblings following the death of their mother. She has said more than once that losing her mother at such a young age was tragic, and she will never get over it. Sadly, she also lost her father in 2006. He was 80 at the time of his death, which was caused by multiple myeloma, a form of cancer.
Mariska Hargitay on Learning from Loss
She was not quite four when she lost her mother. Hargitay was involved in the accident that took her mother’s life, and she likely saw her mother in the moments following the crash. She may not remember it, and that’s probably for the best. However, being a little girl and going through what she went through has taught her many things.
Credit: @therealmariskahargitay
“I think I learned about crisis very young, and I learned very young that shit happens, and there’s no guarantees, and we keep going. And then we transform it. That’s been kind of my superpower, and the gift of having trauma early in life. I’ve spent the last 50 – how old am I? – 57, so 54 years sort of trying to figure out what happened and why, and what am I supposed to do with it?” she said of her early loss and the life she’s lived. She didn’t have her mother growing up, but she’s learned from that.
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