Mariska Hargitay fought back tears while basking in a four-minute standing ovation at Saturday’s Cannes Film Festival premiere of “My Mom Jayne,” a new HBO documentary about her mother, Jayne Mansfield.
The film is Hargitay’s feature directorial debut, and marks the first time she publicly dives into Mansfield’s story and legacy, nearly sixty years after her death. It’s also the first time that Hargitay shares the truth about her rumored parentage. Her biological father is an Italian singer named Nelson Sardelli, not Mickey Hargitay, the Hungarian bodybuilder who was her mother’s second husband.
More from Variety
Mansfield died in a car accident when Hargitay, who was a passenger in the vehicle with her brothers, was three years old. She was raised by Mickey Hargitay.
”Tonight I’m celebrating the power that film has for me to remember — somebody I didn’t have the good fortune to know or grow up with,” an emotional Hargitay said while introducing the film.
Mansfield was a Hollywood pin-up who rose to fame in ’50s Hollywood, appearing in the likes of “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?,” “The Girl Can’t Help It,” “The Wayward Bus,” and “The Loves of Hercules.” At times, her sex symbol status overshadowed her intellect and talent. After her film career cooled, Mansfield reinvented herself as a nightclub performer.
Hargitay is the Emmy-winning star of NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The post Mariska Hargitay Tears Up at Cannes Premiere of ‘My Mom Jayne,’ Shares Bombshell Secret About Real Biological Father appeared first on Variety.
