Mariska Hargitay experienced the loss of her mother, renowned actress and 1960s icon Jayne Mansfield, at the tender age of three. Yet, her mother’s legacy endures through her words and deeds.
34-year-old Mansfield met an untimely end in a June 1967 car accident that inflicted serious wounds on Hargitay. The renowned star of Law & Order: SVU shared intimate details about the tragic event for the first time in her 2025 documentary, My Mom Jayne. This moving production delves into Mansfield’s public and private life using unseen photos, personal home videos, and interviews with her five children.
1950 saw the arrival of Jayne Marie under the starlight alongside Paul Mansfield, followed by Miklós and Zoltán in 1958 and 1960 respectively, with Mickey Hargitay. Tony was born in 1965 to Matt Cimber, while Mariska came into existence a year earlier, in 1964. Interestingly, Mickey raised Mariska before she discovered her biological father, Nelson Sardelli, who had a brief romance with Jayne during a pause in her relationship with Mickey.
In the preview for the HBO Max documentary airing in June 2025, Mariska shared, “I’ve always kept my distance from my mother. Yet, I yearn to comprehend her… I wish to know her as Jayne. My mother, Jayne.
Below, read some of Mariska’s most heartwarming quotes about her mother:
How She Processed Her Mom’s Death
Mariska shared at the 2024 Hope for Depression Research Foundation’s 18th Annual HOPE Luncheon Seminar that she lost her mother when she was just three years old. Growing up, she lived in a household where everyone was dealing with their own grief in different ways. There was so much sadness that there was little room for anyone to focus on anything else. We didn’t have the resources or knowledge we do now to cope and process traumatic experiences effectively back then.
In November 2021, Mariska candidly shared with Glamour some profound life lessons she learned following the tragedy of losing her mother during her childhood.
She shared that she was taught about crises at a very early age, understanding that life is unpredictable and nothing is guaranteed. Yet, we persist and find ways to change and adapt amidst adversity, as she conveyed in her interview.
What She Remembers About Her Mom
In June 2025, on “Call Her Daddy,” Mariska expressed uncertainty about the specific memories she recalls of Jayne.
Mariska said, “I have some recollections that I’m not sure if they’re real memories, vivid images from photographs, imagined events, or remnants of memories. For her, life has been about yearning and attempting to piece together connections.
She mentioned, “In the film, I expressed that losing my mother was like having an empty space in your heart. Therefore, my life has been about learning to cope with this and finding a way to understand it.
Her Mom’s Artistic Side
In an interview with Today.com in June 2025, Mariska described her mother as a woman who was not only kind and compassionate but also had a great sense of humor, empathy, and ambition. She went on to say that her mom was more than just a musician; she was an artist, filled with dreams and a deep love for others.
“I just think she was extraordinary,” Mariska said, noting Jayne was “ahead of her time.”
The Significance of Her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
On the day I received my Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2011, I found myself thinking casually, “Oh, that’s neat. It’s just something people do, right?” I couldn’t quite grasp it at the time, and I must admit I downplayed its significance. However, when I finally saw my star on the ground, right next to hers, I was struck by an overwhelming wave of emotion as I came to truly appreciate this incredible honor. This is what Mariska shared with Alex Cooper on “Call Her Daddy.
In that instant when I saw those two stars bearing both our names, it struck an extraordinarily emotional chord within me – one of the deepest connections I’ve ever felt with her,” she continued. “What surprised me was the intensity of this connection to her and the cosmos; it seemed almost instinctual, as if it resonated at a fundamental level within my very being, down to my cellular DNA.
Learning of the Similarities Between Herself and Jayne Mansfield
In the process of creating this movie and throughout our shared journey, I’ve encountered numerous instances where I recognized our shared traits or aspects of her that resonate with me. The qualities about her that I admire, revere, and respect are those that leave me in awe, as well as those that are strikingly similar to my own character. Essentially, this project has been a wonderful gift, revealing the magnificence of both her and myself.
Mariska confessed that creating the documentary left her vulnerable, revealing aspects about Jayne she hadn’t known before.
She shared: “It was difficult for me due to actions and decisions my mother took that caused me deep pain or left me bewildered, asking questions like ‘Why did you do that?’ or ‘I feel there could have been a different approach,’ often without fully grasping the context of the ’50s. Making this film has provided a fresh perspective on all these experiences.
Getting to Know the Real Jayne Mansfield
Mariska shared with Extra in 2025 that she discovered a different side of the voice actress when making “My Mom Jayne.” She continued, “As the movie goes, I’ve had a void in my heart since childhood. Losing a parent, particularly a mother, at a young age is incredibly challenging to comprehend and heal from. However, as a mother of three myself now, I can relate so much more.
Mariska Herman-Hermann (yes, she’s married to actor Peter Hermann) has three beautiful children – August (age 18), Andrew (age 13), and Amaya (age 14). They’re quite the bunch!
Hearing Her Mom’s Actual Voice
Mariska expressed that her connection with her mother became quite intricate after her passing, since at the time of her demise, Mariska was still young and couldn’t fully grasp who Jayne truly was as she grew older.
In simpler terms, Mariska shared with Today in June 2025 that when she was younger, she felt confused and upset because she didn’t recognize or understand the person behind her mother’s public image. She had this idealized notion of a “June Cleaver” type mom who baked cookies and put notes in lunch bags, but instead grew up with a mother who often appeared in a bikini and heels. As she matured, Mariska expressed a desire to better understand her mother as a whole person.
She added: “I recall a genuine photo of her which caused me to exclaim, ‘Ah, now I understand another aspect of you.’ I’m more interested in knowing her rather than the pose, the iconic figure, and that voice that used to irritate me because I thought, ‘That’s not your authentic voice.’ I don’t want to focus on your measurements. I want to learn about what made your spirit dance, what made you chuckle, what made you weep, what moved you deeply, what wounds did you bear? What shaped you? So this was an extraordinary voyage, as it was a discovery for me to hear her, her true voice, when she shifted to that lower register, I responded, ‘There you are. There you are.’
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2025-06-27 03:55