Why did Jayne Mansfield and Nelson Sardelli break up? Split explored as Mariska Hargitay reveals Sardelli is her biological father

In a May 2025 exclusive interview, Mariska Hargitay, 61, revealed that her biological father is Nelson Sardelli. During her latest conversation with Vanity Fair, she opened up about "living a lie" her entire life.

The actress spoke about Mickey Hargitay not being her biological father. Her mother, Jayne Mansfield, had her with Nelson Sardelli.

In the early 1960s, Mansfield was romantically linked to Sardelli in a brief relationship.

However, their romantic association did not last long, and the exact reason for their drifting apart remains limited.

Jayne Mansfield and Nelson Sardelli's breakup, explored

In a 1963 interview, the Hollywood icon spoke about Sardelli, according to Vintage Paparazzi. Appreciating her partner, Jayne called Nelson a "fine person" with heart and soul.

During the conversation, Mansfield also came forward, stating that Nelson Sardelli was thinking of becoming a priest.

During that time, he revealed his decision to Jayne and shared,

"If you leave me, I'll enter the priesthood."

Jayne also revealed:

"I never said I was going to marry him. Never."

Their relationship dates back to the time when Jayne was married to Mickey. Per a Classic Blondes report, she filed for divorce after meeting Sardelli.

However, she decided to settle differences and reconcile with Hargitay, knowing she was pregnant. With Mickey, the late actress claimed to stay married in public, to sidestep social judgment of being an unwed mother. This likely complicated her relationship with Nelson (Faris, 1994).

Though she returned to Mickey, she left him for Matt Cimber after giving birth to Mariska.

Mariska Hargitay spoke at length about meeting Nelson Sardelli

On June 29, 1967, Jayne Mansfield died in a car accident at the age of 34. Mariska Hargitay was only three when she lost her mother. Speaking about the tragic incident, she shared during the interview,

"I don’t remember the accident. I don’t even remember being told that my mother had died."

She further added:

"I look at photos, and I don’t really remember anything until I was five."

While reflecting on her life and looking back at meeting her biological dad, Mariska spoke about seeing Nelson Sardelli's photo and having a gut feeling about him being her father. She shared in her My Mom Jayne documentary,

"It was like the floor fell out from underneath me. Like my infrastructure dissolved."

When she enquired of Mickey about the truth, he simply refused and denied the claim. At the age of 30, she learnt her life's biggest truth upon meeting Nelson Sardelli in Atlantic City.

Knowing about her daughter, he felt emotional and started crying, saying,

"I’ve been waiting 30 years for this moment."

Recalling that interaction, Mariska Hargitay chimed in,

"I went full Olivia Benson on him. I was like, 'I don’t want anything, I don’t need anything from you.… I have a dad.' There was something about loyalty. I wanted to be loyal to Mickey."

Later, Hargitay acknowledged the experience of "knowing I’m living a lie my entire life." Over the years, her relationship with her biological dad strengthened. Meanwhile, she also understood why Jayne moved back in with her stepfather.

Delving further into her life story, she continued,

"I grew up where I was supposed to, and I do know that everyone made the best choice for me. I’m Mickey Hargitay’s daughter—that is not a lie."

Teary-eyed Hargitay went on to say,

"This documentary [My Mom Jayne] is kind of a love letter to him, because there’s no one that I was closer to on this planet."

Later, she brought her adopted kids into the conversation and explained,

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"They are my kids. Now I understand so much, and, boy, is it sweet."

On May 17, the world premiere event of Mariska's My Mom Jayne documentary was hosted at the Cannes Film Festival. It is set to release in the theatres on June 20, 2025

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