Mariska Hargitay has revealed a family secret she kept for over 30 years in her new documentary about her late mother, Jayne Mansfield. The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star disclosed that her biological father is not Mickey Hargitay, the man who raised her, but former Las Vegas entertainer Nelson Sardelli.
Sardelli, 90, was photographed for the first time since the paternity bombshell became public. He was seen exiting a beige minivan and walking with a cane up to a white iron fence in front of a house.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hargitay said she met Sardelli when she was 30 years old, after going to see him perform in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She introduced herself as his daughter, and he was moved to tears, telling her: 'I've been waiting 30 years for this moment.'
Hargitay recalled going 'full Olivia Benson' on him, saying: 'I don't want anything. I don't need anything from you... I have a dad.' She explained that she wanted to be loyal to Mickey Hargitay, who raised her. She learned the secret at age 25 and confronted Mickey, but he insisted he was her father, and they never discussed it again.
The documentary, titled My Mom Jayne, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last month. Hargitay's mother, Jayne Mansfield, died in a car accident in June 1967 when Mariska was three years old. Mariska was in the car at the time of the crash, along with her siblings Miklos and Zoltan.
