Mariska Hargitay’s Shocking Family Secret: 12 Moments That Change Everything

[{"selector":"#anim-5646b4b4-07dc-4388-8c47-c787286b994f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-25.414156477320088%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Mariska Hargitay Reveals Stunning Truth About Her Father!

[{"selector":"#anim-09631e50-3582-4085-a711-6b2bb2685c49 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-20.438507885138137%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Mickey Hargitay isn’t her biological dad.

[{"selector":"#anim-df4fe95c-1f80-4523-9be2-f5ba59ffffe0 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-26.17389881915471%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Mariska says she instantly knew the truth when she saw a photo of Italian singer Nelson Sardelli in her 20s.

[{"selector":"#anim-f04357ad-5fde-48b5-a488-e385b5d44b62 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-30.318708489846212%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Mickey Hargitay, who raised her and whom she deeply loved, isn’t her biological father

[{"selector":"#anim-d3d4cdf7-3c72-4a16-8000-14848694e268 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-22.90083570182472%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Sardelli and Jayne Mansfield had a brief romance in 1963. Mariska was born just months later

[{"selector":"#anim-f8bf6c73-2076-4eb8-bc77-0afb290bbbdb [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-21.60543113760701%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] At 30, Mariska tracked Sardelli down in Atlantic City and introduced herself after one of his performances.

[{"selector":"#anim-bc70b7fa-2078-4d9c-af89-f5abd47dc80d [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-27.001582138927503%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] “I have a dad,” she told him. But over time, a bond formed between them, which she explores in the film.

[{"selector":"#anim-98bca8da-6920-4067-bb21-4a92df5b8879 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-19.938524407752077%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Mariska was only 3 when her mother, actress Jayne Mansfield, died in a horrific car crash in 1967.

[{"selector":"#anim-bdd8ac79-d5eb-4469-b8ab-0054e3cd7da4 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-22.529069600749317%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] The film, premiering at Cannes, explores Jayne’s legacy, Mariska’s identity, and the healing power of truth.

[{"selector":"#anim-bd4997c5-b593-4481-9048-aad4654fb5e2 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-22.314452957005166%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] “There’s no one I was closer to,” she says of Mickey. “I’m Mickey Hargitay’s daughter.

[{"selector":"#anim-d8665302-c0a9-418d-ada8-ec29bd22e5fe [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-17.968749805635618%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] The film is a love letter to family, loss, and identity.