Mickey Hargitay Recalls Being Married to Jayne Mansfield as “One of the Greatest Experiences” of His Life
In a heartwarming and insightful interview with NBC, Mickey Hargitay, the ex-husband of legendary actress Jayne Mansfield, reminisced about his time with the Hollywood starlet. The Hungarian bodybuilder met Mansfield when he was performing in Mae West’s Las Vegas show in 1956, and she spotted him from the audience. According to reports, Mansfield was immediately smitten, famously saying “I’ll have a steak and the tall man on the left” to get his attention. The couple married in 1958 and had three children together, including Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay, before divorcing in 1964.
Mansfield’s tragic death in a car accident in 1967 at the age of 34 left a lasting impact on Hargitay, but he has consistently spoken highly of his ex-wife and their children. In a 1988 interview at his home in Beverly Hills, Hargitay reflected on his marriage to Mansfield, saying, “It was one of the greatest experiences of my life to be married to her. She was one of the greatest ladies in my life I’ve ever known.” As reported by NBC, Hargitay’s admiration for Mansfield extended beyond their marriage, with him describing her as a truly remarkable person.
A few months after Mansfield’s passing, Hargitay married Ellen Siano, who he remained married to until his death in 2006. When discussing his life with Siano, Hargitay fondly mentioned that she had raised Mansfield’s children, referring to them as “her children” today. As quoted by NBC, he said, “Fortunately, not to change the subject, but I’m married to another greatest lady for 20 years… I’ll tell you, she raised Jayne’s children — I would call them her children today—for 20 years and I think if Jayne would see us, she would be very happy, and I’m sure she probably has.”
Hargitay also opened up about the challenges of sharing his personal experiences with Mansfield, given her iconic status. He explained that there were numerous books and articles written about her, making it difficult for him to add his own thoughts without contradicting existing narratives. However, he insisted that his eight-year experience with Mansfield showed her to be a truly exceptional person, far beyond the public image she portrayed. As reported by NBC, Hargitay said, “You must remember that there is so many books written, so many articles have been written [about Jayne]. If I would say anything about Jayne, it would be so contradictive for anything else that has ever been said. I lived with her for eight years, and I met her in 1956, and to me she was entirely different than what people say about her and write about her. She was a great lady, and I’m very pleased to have had this great experience.”
Mariska Hargitay has also spoken about the disparity between her mother’s public image and her true personality. In a 2018 interview with People, she revealed that her mother was a multifaceted person with a 160 IQ, a love for playing the violin, and a passion for life. As quoted in the NBC article, Hargitay said, “My mother was this amazing, beautiful, glamorous sex symbol — but people didn’t know that she played the violin and had a 160 IQ and had five kids and loved dogs. 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.”
In 2025, Mariska Hargitay made a public revelation that her biological father was not Mickey Hargitay, but rather singer Nelson Sardelli. However, she emphasized that this discovery did not change her relationship with Mickey, who she affectionately referred to as her idol. As reported by NBC, Hargitay said, “He was everything, my idol… He loved me so much, and I knew it. I also knew something else — I just didn’t know what I knew.” She continued, “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. [My Mom Jayne] is kind of a love letter to him, because there’s no one that I was closer to on this planet.” With her documentary My Mom Jayne, Mariska Hargitay aims to honour her mother’s legacy and share a more intimate side of Mansfield’s life.
Source link
