Mariska Hargitay, best known for her iconic role on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," has taken a deeply personal step into filmmaking with her feature directorial debut, "My Mom Jayne." Premiering on June 27, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET on HBO and Max, the documentary delves into the life of her late mother, Jayne Mansfield, a Hollywood bombshell whose tragic story has long captivated the public. But this film is more than a biography—it’s a heartfelt exploration of family, identity, and the search for truth.
Jayne Mansfield’s life was cut short in 1967 when she died in a car accident at just 34 years old. Mariska, then only three, was in the car with her two brothers when the crash occurred. Remarkably, all three children survived, but the loss marked the beginning of a complex journey for Mariska and her family. The documentary premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival and later at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it received warm acclaim for its intimate portrayal of Mansfield beyond her public persona.
Mariska’s motivation to create the film came during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when the shutdown of "Law & Order: SVU" gave her space to reflect. She began reading letters sent by people who knew her mother, discovering new facets of Mansfield’s personality. “I was so moved by the generosity and thoughtfulness that people would send me what felt like these precious little pieces of her,” Hargitay told The Hollywood Reporter. One letter described a woman who would sit in Mansfield’s driveway just to listen to her play the violin, revealing a side of the actress rarely seen by the public.
In "My Mom Jayne," Mariska interviews her siblings—Jayne Marie Mansfield, Mickey Hargitay Jr., Zoltan Hargitay, and Tony Cimber—who share memories that paint a fuller picture of their mother. The film also features candid conversations with Nelson Sardelli, the Italian singer and entertainer who is Mariska's biological father, a secret she kept for 36 years. Raised by bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay, Jayne’s second husband, Mariska only learned in her twenties that Sardelli was her biological dad. She kept this knowledge private out of loyalty to Mickey, who raised her with love and never publicly acknowledged the truth.
“It was really a no-brainer for me,” Mariska explained. “I felt at the time because Mickey didn’t admit it to me, because he said it wasn’t true, and he was such a loyal human and [someone] who I thought was the best father — I saw how much it hurt him in the moment of me confronting him. It was like an oath that I took, and I never even entertained it.” This loyalty extended to her relationship with Sardelli, whom she met at age 30 but viewed more as a part of her history than a family figure. “I have a father. I want nothing from you. I just wanted to know. That’s it. We’re not going to be family now,” she shared.
The documentary also explores the tragic details of Mansfield’s fatal car accident. Archival footage and emotional recollections from her brothers reveal the tension and fear in the car that day. Zoltan Hargitay recalls hearing his mother argue with her attorney, Sam Brody, and then comforting him before the crash. “I often think about why she didn’t just stay in the back seat with us,” he says tearfully. The accident, which also claimed the lives of Mansfield, Brody, and the driver Ronald Harrison, left the children orphaned but ultimately brought them closer together.
In a particularly moving scene, Mariska’s siblings watch the film together in a private screening. What began as four separate seats soon became two, as the siblings physically moved closer, holding hands through the entire screening. Mariska’s sister expressed the profound connection they felt, saying, “I feel like we’re four people with one beating heart.” For Mariska, this reaction was the film’s greatest reward. “If this film never sees the light of day, how they reacted to the film was all I cared about — that they loved it,” she told Seth Meyers.
The film also brings in the voice of Ellen Hargitay, Mickey’s wife after Jayne’s death, who shares a touching dream she had about Mansfield. In the dream, Mansfield walks across a football field to Ellen and says, “I’m so glad that you’re taking care of the children. You’re doing a great job.” Ellen remained married to Mickey until his passing in 2006, and her perspective adds another layer to the family story.
Mariska’s reflections go beyond the documentary’s narrative. She has grappled with the legacy of being Jayne Mansfield’s daughter, often feeling typecast and judged by the public. “When I started out, I was so jealous of people who have anonymity, who were free as an artist to try anything,” she said. The shadow of her mother’s image as a sex symbol made it difficult for her to establish her own identity. But through making the film, she found healing and clarity.
“Everything has changed,” Mariska said about the process. “This has been a glorious and surprising and really mind-blowing experience. Cathartic is the word I would use, and there have been so many epiphanies.” The documentary became a vehicle not only to reclaim her mother’s story but also to embrace her own truth, giving her “so much more internal space” and peace.
“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,” Mariska told People magazine. “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.”
As "My Mom Jayne" streams on Max and airs on HBO, it offers audiences a rare, nuanced glimpse into the woman behind the headlines and the daughter’s journey to understand her mother’s complex legacy. It’s a story of love, loss, and the courage to uncover family secrets, told with honesty and heart by a filmmaker who has finally found her voice.
