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Mariska Hargitay Shares Striking Unseen Photo of Jayne Mansfield & Mickey Hargitay
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star gave fans a rare glimpse into her family life.
Mariska Hargitay recently shared a striking, never-before-seen photo of her late mother Jayne Mansfield and father Mickey Harigtay.
To celebrate the 65th birthday of Hargitay's brother, Mickey Hargitay Jr., the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star took to her official Instagram page to post a vintage photograph of Mansfield gathering around a table with family and smiling. In the picture — which appears to have been taken in 1960 — Hargitay's father, Mickey, cradled her then-newborn brother Zoltan, while Mickey Jr. blew out some candles, and Hargitay's older sister, Jayne Marie Mansfield, grinned at him and held dolls. Meanwhile, Mansfield looked stunning in a blue checkered sweater.
"Happy Birthday to my kind and gentle and generous and wise brother. @mickeysplants I love you crazy brother. #NowThat’sACake #GoldenChild ✨🎂😘," Hargitay captioned the post, tagging Mickey Jr.
See the rare photograph of Hargitay's family here.
Mariska Hargitay speaks about her parents Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Harigtay
Hargitay's mother was an iconic Hollywood actress and model who was known for her "blonde bombshell" status in the 1950s and '60s. Her discography includes films such as The Girl Can't Help It (1956), The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958), Too Hot To Handle (1961) and more.
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Mansfield met actor and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay in 1956, when Hargitay was performing in The Mae West Show as one of West's musclemen, according to the New York Times. The two wed in 1958, and had three children together: Mickey Hargitay Jr, Zoltan, and Mariska. Mariska also has two half sister and a half brother. Jayne Marie Mansfield was Mansfield's daughter from her first marriage to Paul Mansfield, while Tony Climber was born in 1965 to Jayne Mansfield and her third husband, Tony Climber. Meanwhile, Mickey Hargitay's daughter Tina was born under his first marriage to Mary Birge (via StyleCaster).
Jayne Mansfield was killed in a car accident in 1967 at the age of 34. Mariska, Mickey Jr., and Zoltan were all in the car at the time, but came out with just minor injuries.
In a 2018 interview with People, Mariska opened up about her mother's wonderful attributes. “My mother was this amazing, beautiful, glamorous sex symbol — but people didn’t know that she played the violin and had a 160 IQ and had five kids and loved dogs,” she said. “She was just so ahead of her time. She was an inspiration, she had this appetite for life, and I think I share that with her.”
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Then, in a 2018 interview with Closer Weekly, Hargitay also revealed how her father has guided her through life. “The message I got from my father was that life is hard, but you just don’t quit,” she said. “I’d get an audition and he’d say, ‘How hard are you going to work for it?’
