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Mariska Hargitay has kept his family a secret for over 30 years.
At the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, the “Law and Order: SVU” star revealed that her biological father is former Las Vegas entertainer Nelson Saldelli in the premiere of her documentary “My Mom Jayne.” She was raised by late actor and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay.
The actress admitted Vanity Fair She was struggling with the idea of ”I know I’ve been lying forever.” However, the answer was eventually revealed to her.
‘Law & Order: SVU’ star Mariska Hargitay’s real life hero TV interview
Mariska Hargitay has a new documentary about her late mother, Jayne Mansfield. (Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images)
“I grew up in the place I was supposed to be, and everyone knows that they made the best choice for me,” she said. “I’m Mickey Hargitay’s daughter. That’s not a lie. This documentary is like a love letter to him, because no one has ever approached this planet.”
“He was everything I was, my idol,” shared about the 61-year-old Patriarch, He passed away in 2006 80 years old. “He loved me so much and I knew it. I also knew other things. I didn’t know what I knew. ”
Jane Mansfield is on display with her husband, Hungarian actor Mickey Hargitay. They were married from 1958 to 1964. (Evening Standard/Getty Images)
Growing up, Harugitay always felt that she was different from her siblings, the outlet shared. It would not have been until her 20s that she learned why.
Mariska Harugitay and her brothers were raised by Mickey Harugitay. (J. Countess/Wireimage from Universal TV Productions)
1963, Jane Mansfield, Hargitay’s mother; He filed for divorce from Mickey. She then embarked on a famous romance with Sardelli. The actress reconciled with Mickey in 1964 a few months before Hargitay’s birth.
Jane Mansfield is seen alongside Nelson Saldelli. (©Globe Photos/zumapress.com/alamy)
When Hargitay was in her 20s, someone showed her a photo of an Italian entertainer. According to the outlet, Hargitai “suddenly knew her bones,” and Sardelli is her biological father.
“It was like the floor fell from underneath me,” she said in “My mother, Jane.”
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Mariska Hargitay and her two older brothers survived a car accident in 1967 that killed her mother, Jane Mansfield (pictured here). (Donaldson Collection/Getty Images)
Mansfield died in 1967 from an injury that occurred in a car accident. She was 34 years old. Harugitay was 3 years old and was asleep in the back seat of the car when he plunged into a truck.
She confronts Mickey after Sardelli suspects her biological father. He denied it. According to the outlet, the encounter was “so crushed” so she never mentioned Mickey to Saldelli again.
Mariska Hargitay is on display with Mickey Hargitay in the American Woman at the Gracie Allen Award Gala on June 22, 2004 in New York City. (Evan Agostini/Getty Images)
At 30, Harugitay went. See Saldelli performing in Atlantic City. He shed tears as she introduced herself and told her, “I’ve been waiting for 30 years at this moment.”
Mariska Hargitey’s biological father is former Las Vegas entertainer Nelson Saldelli. (Evening Standard/Halton Archive/Getty Images)
Hargitay suddenly violently protects the man who raised her and his brother after his father and mother’s death.
“I went to him to Fluoriolivia Benson,” she told Vanity Fair about her first meeting with Saldelli. “I’ve had something about loyalty. I don’t need anything from you… I have a dad.”
Mariska Hargitey will be attending the “Die My Love” red carpet at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, held at the Palais des Festival in Cannes, France on May 17, 2025. (Stefan Card Dinar/Corvis/Corvis via Getty Images)
Hargitai eventually formed a bond with 90-year-old Sardelli and his daughter. But when it was time to tell her story, she said she was hesitant to come out “many people.” But in time, both families gave Hargitay their blessings. The documentary features interviews with Hargitay’s brothers: Jane Marie, Zoltan, Mickey Jr.
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Mariska Hargitay and brothers Mickey Hargitay Jr., Zoltan Hargitay and Jane Marie Mansfield (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Saldelli’s sisters “crying and crying” when they saw a private screening for a Las Vegas documentary, the outlet revealed.
“These two women I love so much – I kept them a secret!” said Hargitay. “That’s so heartbreaking for me… I’m not good at lying, so I made this film to cover all of us too.”
The film also helped Hargitay deal with the loss of his mother.
Jane Mansfield circa 1955 (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
“I don’t remember the accident,” she said. “I don’t even remember being told my mother had passed away. I looked at the photos and I don’t remember anything until I was five.”
Born in Bella Jane Palmer, Mansfield was an aspiring actress who spoke several languages and played the violin and piano. The casting director said that she bleached her hair and put on a tight dress, We adopt a voice inspired by Marilyn Monroe. The “silly blonde” persona got stuck, and Mansfield surged to fame in Hollywood. But like Monroe, Mansfield struggled to be taken seriously as an actress.
Watch: Queen Elizabeth “feels sorry” for Marilyn Monroe: Author
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“When I heard that fake voice, it only turned me over,” recalled Hargitay. “‘Why is she talking like that? That’s not true.” [But] My dad always said, “She wasn’t at all. She was like you. She was funny, profane, fearless and authentic.”
“My Mother Jane” premiered on May 17th at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. It will air on HBO and HBO MAX on June 27th.
