Mariska Hargitay, the acclaimed star of Law & Order: SVU, has brought her late mother Jayne Mansfield back into the spotlight with a poignant new HBO documentary titled My Mom Jayne. Premiering on June 27, 2025, the film delves into the life and tragic early death of the 1950s and '60s Hollywood icon, offering audiences a rare, intimate portrait of a woman often misunderstood behind her glamorous public image.
On the June 26 episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers, Hargitay shared heartfelt details about the making of the documentary and the emotional journey it entailed. She revealed that before embarking on the project, she flew to Los Angeles to seek her siblings' blessing to tell their mother’s story. "Well, first of all, it was very sweet, because I flew out to L.A. to go meet with them and say, 'I want to do this. You know, I want your blessing. I don't want to do it without your blessing,'" Hargitay recalled. Though her siblings were initially hesitant, they ultimately placed their trust in her. "None of them are in ... you know, they don't make movies. They're not actors, they're not in show business at all. But they ended it with, 'We trust you,' which was pretty an extraordinary thing to hear from your siblings," she said.
Jayne Mansfield, a vibrant and glamorous actress, had five children with three different husbands. Jayne Marie Mansfield was born in 1950 to her first husband Paul Mansfield. With her second husband, Miklós "Mickey" Hargitay, she had three children: Miklós "Mickey" Hargitay Jr. (1958), Zoltán Hargitay (1960), and Mariska herself (1964). Her youngest son, Antonio "Tony" Cimber, was born in 1965 to her third husband, Antonio “Tony” Cimber. Tragically, Mansfield died in a car crash in 1967 at just 34 years old, with Mariska, then only three, and her brothers Mickey Jr. and Zoltán in the vehicle. Mariska was pulled from the wreckage, a traumatic event that shaped much of her early life.
After completing the documentary, Hargitay arranged a private screening for her siblings, flying out once again to share the finished work. The experience was deeply moving. "There were four seats across, and so with one brother, then my sister, me and my other brother, and within 10 minutes in, the four of us were sitting in two seats. We held hands through the entire film, and it was just really beautiful," Hargitay recounted. The siblings cried together, and her sister poignantly observed, "I feel like we're four people with one beating heart." This intimate moment underscored the documentary’s power to unite the family through shared memories and healing.
The film itself offers a nuanced look at Jayne Mansfield beyond the blonde bombshell stereotype she was often reduced to. Hargitay shared a clip on Meyers' show featuring rare 1962 footage of Mansfield responding to comedian Groucho Marx during an appearance on his show Tell It to Groucho. Marx remarked, "You're actually, and I've told this to other people, you're not the dumb blonde that you pretend to be. And I think the people ought to know that you're really a bright, sentimental, and understanding person." Mansfield responded graciously, explaining, "I think it's just all part—it's a role I'm playing as an actress." This candid exchange reveals the deliberate nature of her public persona, crafted to meet audience expectations while masking a more complex individual.
Hargitay described the process of making My Mom Jayne as "getting to do a movie with my mom," a chance to see her mother as a three-dimensional person. "She certainly got to be seen as a three-dimensional person, which she was, and to learn about all the different facets of her—her musical ability, how serious of an actor she wanted to be, and the fact that she navigated five children and a career and the glamour of it all. I mean, it's hard getting it together, guys!" she said with a touch of humor. The documentary showcases not only Mansfield's talents but also her determination to balance the demands of motherhood with the pressures of stardom.
Host Seth Meyers revealed that he was moved to tears watching the documentary, noting that it revealed a side of Mansfield that was "very funny," a quality that often got lost beneath her sex symbol image. Hargitay echoed this sentiment, expressing joy at uncovering archival footage that captured her mother’s candid moments and expressions rarely seen by the public. "The gift of making this movie was that there was so much archival [footage]. That was the gift, for a filmmaker but also when you're looking to know your mom and seeing these sacred, candid moments of her and these expressions that I never got to see, because so much of it was a pose and being a sex symbol and an icon and playing 'the dumb blonde,' which, you know, I was not a fan of growing up," she explained.
While Hargitay acknowledged that the film wasn't about rehabilitating her mother's image, it certainly offers a fresh perspective on a star often misunderstood and pigeonholed. "I do a good makeover," she quipped, highlighting how the documentary peels back layers to reveal the real woman behind the public facade.
Ultimately, My Mom Jayne stands as a heartfelt tribute that bridges decades of silence and misunderstanding, allowing Mariska Hargitay and her siblings to reclaim their mother's legacy on their own terms. It’s a story of family, resilience, and the search for truth beneath Hollywood’s glittering surface.
