Mariska Hargitay revealed a bombshell family secret she has kept hidden for over 30 years in her new documentary about her iconic late mother Jayne Mansfield.
Hargitay’s documentary, My Mom Jayne, which marks her feature film directorial debut, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.
In the film, the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star revealed that her biological father is not Mickey Hargitay, the man who raised her.
She later opened up about the revelation in a Vanity Fair interview published on the same day — just shortly after premiering the documentary about her late mother, who passed away in a tragic car accident at the age of 34, when Mariska was just three years old, in June 1967.
She told the outlet that she learned about the secret when she was already an adult. At age 25, she found out that her biological father is a former Las Vegas entertainer named Nelson Sardelli.
She later confronted Mickey, the man who raised her, but he insisted that he was her father.
Mariska Hargitay, 61, revealed a bombshell family secret she kept hidden for over 30 years in her new documentary about her iconic late mother Jayne Mansfield; Mariska pictured May 17
Mariska shared that her biological father is not Mickey Hargitay, the man who raised her; Mickey pictured with Jayne, baby Mariska, sons Zoltan, Mikos, and daughter Jayne from Mansfield’s previous marriage
They never discussed it again, but she recalled how she continued to question her lineage, wondering if she was truly Hungarian like her father Mickey — who passed away at the age of 80 in 2006 — and her brothers, Zoltan and Mickey Jr.
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In her interview with Vanity Fair, Hargitay said she went to see Sardelli perform in Atlantic City, New Jersey when she was 30 years old and introduced herself to him as his daughter.
She told the outlet that he was moved to tears when he told her: ‘I’ve been waiting 30 years for this moment.’
Hargitay said that she ended up giving him a hard time and went ‘full Olivia Benson’ on him, as she referred to her Law & Order: SVU character.
‘I was like, “I don’t want anything. I don’t need anything from you… I have a dad”,’ she recalled telling him. ‘There was something about loyalty. I wanted to be loyal to Mickey.’
After that meeting, she said that she struggled with learning the secret about having more family members, ‘knowing I’m living a lie my entire life.’
Sardelli, who is now in his late eighties, also appeared in her documentary alongside his other two daughters, Hargitay’s half sisters.
Hargitay told the outlet that she eventually opened up to Sardelli and his daughters after understanding and accepting that her mother returned to Mickey because she knew he would provide a stabler home life for her.
At age 25, Mariska found out that her biological father is actually a former Las Vegas entertainer named Nelson Sardelli; Jayne and Sardelli pictured in 1963
Mansfield had a total of five children and was divorced three times. Her second husband, Mickey, was a Hungarian-American actor; Jayne pictured in 1957
Mariska later confronted Mickey, but he went on to insist that he was her father. Mickey passed away at the age of 80 in 2006; Jayne pictured with Mickey, Zoltan, Mickey Jr., and Jayne circa 1960
Mariska told Vanity Fair she went to see Sardelli perform in Atlantic City when she was 30 years old and introduced herself to him as his daughter, and he told her he’d been ‘waiting 30 years for this moment’; Jayne pictured kissing Nelson
‘I was like, “I don’t want anything. I don’t need anything from you… I have a dad”,’ she recalled telling him. ‘There was something about loyalty. I wanted to be loyal to Mickey’; Mickey and Jayne pictured 1969 in Los Angeles
Hargitay told the outlet that she eventually opened up to Sardelli and his two daughters, her half sisters, after understanding and accepting that her mother returned to Mickey because she knew he would provide a stabler home life for her; Janye pictured in 1950
She said that she gathered her sisters in Las Vegas for a private screening of the documentary before the premiere and recalled their emotional reactions.
‘They just wept and wept and wept. These two women that I love so much — I made them secrets! It’s so heartbreaking to me.’
In the documentary, Hargitay explained why she was unveiling her family secret now and said that because she is now 61 years old, she felt she could finally tell the truth and didn’t have to hide it anymore.
‘I grew up where I was supposed to, and I do know that everyone made the best choice for me,’ she said. ‘I’m Mickey Hargitay’s daughter — that is not a lie.’
‘This documentary is kind of a love letter to him, because there’s no one that I was closer to on this planet,’ she said.
She explained that she wanted to make the documentary to ‘unburden all of us.’
Jayne was not only an international sex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s, but an award winning actress – winning a Golden Globe Award and a Theatre World Award.
She tragically died at age 34 in a car accident in Biloxi, Mississippi on June 29, 1967.
Mariska was in the car with her mom during the horrific accident; Mariska was three years old at the time, along with her siblings Miklos, then eight, and Zoltan, then six.
Her late mother passed away in a tragic car accident at the age of 34 , when Hargitay was just three years old, in June 1967; Jayne pictured holding six-weeks old baby Mariska in 1964
Mansfield was a trailblazer sex symbol in the fifties and sixties – at a time where many actresses were afraid to embrace their sexuality; pictured on set of Too Hot To Handle
The accident took place on US Highway 90 on June 29, 1967 in Biloxi with Jayne, her attorney and partner Sam Brody (who was 40), and the driver (Ronald B. Harrison, 19) in front row with two of her dogs, and her three kids Mariska, Miklos and Zoltan with her other two dogs in the back.
They left the Gus Stevens Supper Club after midnight to head to New Orleans for an appearance Jayne was set to make the next day.
However at 2:25 am on June 29, 1967, the car crashed into the back of a tractor trailer that had slowed down in front of it – which occurred because of a insecticide fog spraying truck flashing a red light ahead of them.
The front row (Jayne, Sam and Ronald) plus two dogs died instantly – with the back row – her three kids and two dogs – only had minor injuries.
The kids were sleeping in the back of the car.
Jayne had five kids total – daughter Jayne Marie with first husband Paul Mansfield, three children (Miklos, Zoltan and Mariska) with her second husband Mickey Hargitay – and one son Antonio with third husband Matt Cimber.
Jayne, who was born on April 19, 1933, first appeared in Playboy magazine as the February 1955 Playmate of the Month, and multiple other issues after.
As an actress, she starred in The Girl Can’t Help It, The Wayward Bus, Too Hot to Handle and Promises! Promises!, as well as the Broadway play Will Success Rock Hunter?
Hargitay followed into her famous mother’s footsteps as an actress. She’s been playing Detective Olivia Benson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 1999; seen in a still
Hargitay and her mother were united on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame when their stars placed stars were placed side by side in 2013
My Mom Jayne, which will air on HBO, will follow Mariska as she ‘seeks to know, understand, and embrace her mom for the first time,’ per the outlet.
Mariska has made a name for herself in Hollywood – most known for her iconic role of Olivia Benson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
She has played Olivia in the hit series since 1999.
She is a Globe Globe winner and a two-time Emmy winner, with her own Hollywood Walk of Fame star, which she received in 2013.