Who Is Mariska Hargitay’s Mother? Inside the ‘Law & Order’ Star’s Family Dynamic

Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay may have gained international popularity and mainstream success due to the show, but she has a long Hollywood history due to being the daughter of an icon. Who is Mariska’s famous mother? Let’s dive into the details.

Following a successful run on the pageant circuit and winning multiple titles, Mariska began her acting career with small roles in a variety of films and television shows before ultimately landing the role of Olivia Benson on SVU in 1999.

Mariska is the daughter of none other than Hollywood actor, singer, and former Playboy Playmate Jayne Mansfield. Known for her hourglass figure and blonde bombshell good looks, Jayne was a staple in the entertainment world in the 1950s and '60s.

Growing up, Mariska was raised by Jayne and her father, former Mr. Universe, Mickey Hargitay. Jayne had five children before her tragic and untimely death in June 1967 via a car crash while traveling from Biloxi, Miss. to New Orleans, La.

In 2025, Hargitay publicly revealed for the first time that Mickey was not her biological father despite raising her throughout her life. Her actual biological father is Nelson Sardelli, who was in a publicized relationship with Jayne in 1963 — the year before Mariska was born.

Her mother's former publicist, Raymond Strait, had previously claimed that Nelson was Mariska's father in his 1992 biography about Jayne called Here They Are, Jayne Mansfield. Mariska also shared that she found out who her biological father was when she was in her twenties and recalled meeting Nelson for the first time when she was just 3 years old, which was documented in her documentary about her mother, My Mom Jayne, which premiered in June 2025.

In a May 2025 interview with Vanity Fair, Mariska candidly spoke about her childhood and finding out her true paternity. “He was my everything, my idol. He loved me so much, and I knew it,” she said of her father Mickey. “I also knew something else — I just didn’t know what I knew.”

After admitting to the outlet that she always felt different from her siblings, but was unsure why, Mariska shared that once she saw a photo of Nelson when she was in her twenties, she instantly knew that he was her biological father.

Later, while in her thirties, Mariska said she sought out Nelson in Atlantic City and introduced herself. “I’ve been waiting 30 years for this moment,” she recalled to the outlet. “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.”

“I grew up where I was supposed to, and I do know that everyone made the best choice for me,” Mariska 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.”