What is the 30-year secret Mariska Hargitay just revealed in her new doc ‘My Mom Jayne’?

Mariska Hargitay is an actress you might know from the show Law & Order: SVU. But now, she has shared a personal story in her new documentary called My Mom Jayne. The movie is about her mother, Jayne Mansfield, a famous actress from long ago. But it also shares a secret Mariska kept for 30 years. The secret is about who Mariska’s real dad is.

For many years, Mariska thought her dad was Mickey Hargitay. Mickey was a bodybuilder and actor who was married to her mom. But now, Mariska says that is not true.

The secret was finally revealed in the documentary, which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2025. Mariska said she only found out the truth 36 years ago. Her real dad is a man named Nelson Sardelli. He is a retired showman from Las Vegas and is now 90 years old. Mariska said learning the truth was hard. She said,

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

Mariska Hargitay's family story and her real father

Mariska Hargitay's mother, Jayne Mansfield, was married to Mickey Hargitay, and they had two sons together named Miklós “Mickey” Jr. and Zoltán. Jayne also had a daughter named Jayne Marie from her first husband, Paul Mansfield. She had another son named Antonio “Tony” with her third husband, Matt Cimber. Mariska Hargitay was born while Jayne and Mickey were married, and for a long time, she believed Mickey was her father.

When Mariska was in her 20s, she saw a photo of Nelson Sardelli. She started to ask questions about whether he might be her real dad. At first, Mickey told her he was her father. Mickey died in 2006 at age 80, and Mariska Hargitay met Sardelli when she was 30. Sardelli was performing in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Mariska said Sardelli told her,

“I’ve been waiting 30 years for this moment.”

Even though it was an emotional meeting, Mariska found it hard to accept Sardelli initially. She told Sardelli,

“I don’t want anything, I don’t need anything from you. I have a dad.”

Mariska Hargitay said she wanted to stay loyal to Mickey Hargitay. Sardelli has two other daughters who are Mariska’s half-sisters. They were part of the documentary, along with Mariska’s other siblings. Mariska said she thought it was time to share the secret with the public. She said,

“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.”

Remembering Jayne Mansfield and Mariska Hargitay's lives today

The documentary is also about Mariska Hargitay's mother, Jayne Mansfield. Jayne was a big movie star in the 1950s, known for being beautiful and charming. But as per Mariska, people did not know everything about her. She said her mom was more than just a pretty face. She played the violin and had a very high IQ of 160. She was also a loving mother with five children. Mariska 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.”

Sadly, Jayne died when Mariska Hargitay was only 3 years old. Jayne died in a car crash on June 29, 1967, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her car hit the back of a trailer truck, where Jayne and two others in the car died right away. Mariska and two of her brothers survived the crash. Losing her mother was very hard for Mariska. But she says she still feels close to her mom.

Now, Mariska is married to actor Peter Hermann. They have three children. Mariska keeps working on TV and directing movies. She made the My Mom Jayne documentary to tell her family story and show who her mother really was. The documentary will be on HBO on June 27, 2025. It will help people learn more about Jayne Mansfield and hear Mariska’s story.

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