Mariska Hargitay Talks Being Raised by Her Stepmom After Jayne Mansfield's Death
The Law & Order: SVU star's family history, explained.
While Mariska Hargitay may be one of the most famous parents at school drop-off, the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star comes from Hollywood roots herself.
The actress behind Captain Olivia Benson, who shares three children with husband Peter Hermann, often reminisces about her famous parents, who were the talk of Tinseltown in the '50s and '60s through their own accomplished careers. They not only share a top-notch acting gene, but Mariska also looks so much like her mother, who she lost at a very young age.
Mariska Hargitay was raised by famous parents and a loving stepmom
Born on January 23, 1964 in Santa Monica, California, Mariska was raised by her parents — Hollywood icon and bombshell Jayne Mansfield and accomplished bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay — during the early years of her childhood.
Mariska's stepmother and Mickey's third wife, Ellen Siano Hargitay, also raised the SVU star following Mansfield's tragic death in 1967.
After Mariska's parents divorced in 1964, Mickey went on to marry Ellen in 1967. Having been in her life for decades, Mariska has a close relationship with her stepmother. "I called her Mom. She really claimed us," Mariska told Good Housekeeping, per E!. "We were blessed that she really embraced us and loved us so quickly. And I was very fortunate to have a maternal figure in my life after such a horrific accident."
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3-year-old Mariska Hargitay was in the backseat when her mother Jayne Mansfield died in a car crash
On June 29, 1967, Mariska's mother died in a car crash when she was just 34 years old. On that night, Mariska, along with her two older brothers, were traveling with their mother to New Orleans when their car struck the rear of a trailer truck, The New York Times reported at the time.
Mariska, who was 3 years old, had been sleeping in the backseat of the car with her two brothers — Mickey Jr. Hargitay, 8, and Zoltan Hargitay, 6 — who all survived the accident. Because she was so young, Mariska told Vanity Fair, "I don’t remember the accident. I don’t even remember being told that my mother had died.”
Her brothers, however, do. In Mariska's documentary about her mother, My Mom Jayne, Zoltan recalls what he remembers about that tragic night, including that his baby sister was left behind at the scene of the accident. In the film, as detailed by People, Zoltan shares that he remembers hearing his mother "scream so loud" and then asking the adults who helped save them where his little sister was, prompting them to go back and get her. According to Mariska's stepmother, Ellen, the 3-year-old had been stuck under the passenger seat of the car and had suffered a head injury.
"Thank God Zolie woke up," Ellen says in the documentary.
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Having to cope with tragedy and loss at such a young age, Mariska learned to handle "crisis" after her mother's death. "I learned very young that s--- happens and there’s no guarantees, and we keep going. And then we transform it,” she told Glamour. “That’s been kind of my superpower, and the gift of having trauma early in life."
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Mariska Hargitay's late father Mickey was her "first hero"
Mariska's father Mickey died in 2006, and the SVU star continues to honor his memory. On Fathers Day in 2025, Mariska shared a heartfelt post on Instagram, sharing that she carries him with her every day.
"Happy Father’s Day to my first hero, my cheerleader, and the man who taught me love, strength, gentleness, commitment and devotion," she wrote. "Mickey Hargitay wasn’t just Mr. Universe—he was my universe. Thank you, Dad, for your love. Your strongest muscle was your heart. I miss you every day. I carry you with me. ALWAYS and FOREVER."
Indeed, Mariska's dad had an incredible career that included earning the Mr. Universe title as a bodybuilder and a long list of acting credits. In fact, Mickey and Mariska starred in an episode of Law & Order: SVU together in 2003. Growing up, Mariska's father taught her a "we don't quit" motto that she's carried on throughout her own iconic career. Through the years, Mickey was really his daughter's biggest cheerleader. For instance, at the 2005 Golden Globes, Mariska's dad was overcome with emotion as she accepted the award for Best Actress in a Drama TV Series.
Mariska Hargitay is "loyal" to her dad Mickey after learning about her biological father
In My Mom Jayne, Mariska details learning the truth about her biological father, revealing that she found out his identity when she was in her 20s. “I pulled out this picture, couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” she says in the documentary’s trailer. “It was like the floor fell out from underneath me.”
Ahead of the film's release, Mariska told Vanity Fair that Italian singer Nelson Sardelli was her biological father, which her dad Mickey denied. Years later, Mariska met Sardelli in person and told the magazine she "went full Olivia Benson on him" and made it clear that she already had a father. “I was like, ‘I don’t want anything, I don’t need anything from you.… I have a dad,'" she said. "There was something about loyalty. I wanted to be loyal to Mickey.”
Four of Mariska's' five siblings — brothers Mickey Jr., Zoltán, and Tony Cimber, as well as sister Jayne Marie Mansfield — participated in the documentary. They discuss this revelation with her. “Something that I’ve also realized,” Mariska says in the trailer. “Keeping a secret doesn’t honor anyone.”
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In addition to her SVU co-stars, Mariska's family supported her at the documentary's premiere, though they all watched it together before then. “I showed my family the film and when I did, we all held each other for an hour [and] 45 [minutes], and we didn’t let go,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “And they were so happy.”
