Mariska Hargitay discovered parental truth from head of her mom's fab club
Mariska Hargitay discovered the truth about her parentage from the head of her late mother's fan club.
The 61-year-old actress - whose mom, actress Jayne Mansfield, was killed in a car accident when she was a baby - recently revealed that she had discovered in her 20s that her dad was actually Italian entertainer Nelson Sardelli, who her mother had dated following a brief split from her spouse, Mickey Hargitay, who Mariska had grown up believing was her biological parent.
And she has now opened up on how the truth was first revealed.
Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast, she said: "It was so rough. I had been invited to this guy named Sabin Gray's house, and he was head of the Jayne Mansfield fan club, and he was this lovely guy and just obsessed with Jayne and loved her so much and was a huge collector of memorabilia and movie posters and anything related to her...
"He's showing me all these photos, he's showing me, whatever it is, dresses that she had that he collected, earrings that she wore, things from movies, from the movie set, props or whatever and then he says to me, 'Do you want to see a picture of Nelson?' And I just looked at him, and this jolt went through my body, and I said, 'Who's Nelson?' and then I knew in one second.
"I saw the blood drain out of [Sabin's] face, and he sort of panicked and turned white, and then he said, 'Oh, it's probably not true, it's probably not true.'
"And that's when I knew and I think that he couldn't believe that I didn't know. I was 25. How could I not know? And I understand that, and then, he says, 'It's not true. I'm sure it's not true,' and then he showed me his picture."
But the 'Law and Order: SUV' star realised the truth "on a cellular level, it was just like DNA talking to DNA" when she saw a picture of Nelson, and it made her feel her life was "over".
Mariska - who has August, 18, Amaya, 14, and Andrew, 13, with husband Peter Hermann - spoke with one of her brothers, who didn't know the real story and then went off to speak to Mickey.
She recalled: "I was hysterically crying and in a state and hear about this metaphor; My dad was building me, physically building me, a house, so I drive up to the house that he is building me and confront him, and he was like, 'What? What are you talking about? Are you crazy? That's so not true.
"He kept saying, 'You look like my father, you look exactly like my father. You're a Hargitay to the end,' and the irony is that I'm more like my dad than anyone in our whole family. I am mini Mickey. And so it was just a very extraordinarily painful moment."
The pair never spoke of it again and Mariska is unsure if Mickey - who died in 2006 - ever knew the real truth.
She said: "I pretended that I believed him and we never spoke of it again, and then he used to say, even before he died, 'Remember when you thought that crazy thing?' and I'd go, 'I know, wasn't that nuts?'
"I'll never know [if he knew]. I think that he integrated it [like] 'this is my new reality.' He made a choice, and that was his new truth and whether it's true or not emotionally, it was his truth.
"I understand it because I have two adopted kids, and they are no different, no different than my biological son, and so I go, 'I get it.' It didn't matter. It doesn't matter."
Mariska is now in contact with Nelson and his three daughters.
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Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
Mariska Hargitay discovered parental truth from head of her mom's fab club
Mariska Hargitay discovered the truth about her parentage from the head of her late mother's fan club. The 61-year-old actress - whose mom, actress Jayne Mansfield, was killed in a car accident when she was a baby - recently revealed that she had discovered in her 20s that her dad was actually Italian entertainer Nelson Sardelli, who her mother had dated following a brief split from her spouse, Mickey Hargitay, who Mariska had grown up believing was her biological parent. And she has now opened up on how the truth was first revealed. Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast, she said: "It was so rough. I had been invited to this guy named Sabin Gray's house, and he was head of the Jayne Mansfield fan club, and he was this lovely guy and just obsessed with Jayne and loved her so much and was a huge collector of memorabilia and movie posters and anything related to her... "He's showing me all these photos, he's showing me, whatever it is, dresses that she had that he collected, earrings that she wore, things from movies, from the movie set, props or whatever and then he says to me, 'Do you want to see a picture of Nelson?' And I just looked at him, and this jolt went through my body, and I said, 'Who's Nelson?' and then I knew in one second. "I saw the blood drain out of [Sabin's] face, and he sort of panicked and turned white, and then he said, 'Oh, it's probably not true, it's probably not true.' "And that's when I knew and I think that he couldn't believe that I didn't know. I was 25. How could I not know? And I understand that, and then, he says, 'It's not true. I'm sure it's not true,' and then he showed me his picture." But the 'Law and Order: SUV' star realised the truth "on a cellular level, it was just like DNA talking to DNA" when she saw a picture of Nelson, and it made her feel her life was "over". Mariska - who has August, 18, Amaya, 14, and Andrew, 13, with husband Peter Hermann - spoke with one of her brothers, who didn't know the real story and then went off to speak to Mickey. She recalled: "I was hysterically crying and in a state and hear about this metaphor; My dad was building me, physically building me, a house, so I drive up to the house that he is building me and confront him, and he was like, 'What? What are you talking about? Are you crazy? That's so not true. "He kept saying, 'You look like my father, you look exactly like my father. You're a Hargitay to the end,' and the irony is that I'm more like my dad than anyone in our whole family. I am mini Mickey. And so it was just a very extraordinarily painful moment." The pair never spoke of it again and Mariska is unsure if Mickey - who died in 2006 - ever knew the real truth. She said: "I pretended that I believed him and we never spoke of it again, and then he used to say, even before he died, 'Remember when you thought that crazy thing?' and I'd go, 'I know, wasn't that nuts?' "I'll never know [if he knew]. I think that he integrated it [like] 'this is my new reality.' He made a choice, and that was his new truth and whether it's true or not emotionally, it was his truth. "I understand it because I have two adopted kids, and they are no different, no different than my biological son, and so I go, 'I get it.' It didn't matter. It doesn't matter." Mariska is now in contact with Nelson and his three daughters.
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Bezos and Sanchez wedding causing ripples in Venice
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez have arrived in Venice ahead of their wedding, which has galvanised an assortment of protesters in the Italian city. Bezos waved from a water taxi as he and Sanchez arrived at the dock of the Aman Hotel on the Grand Canal with two security boats in tow. Their wedding has drawn protests by groups who view it as a sign of the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots, while residents complain it exemplifies the way their needs are disregarded in the era of mass tourism to the historic lagoon city. About a dozen Venetian organisations — including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups — have united to protest the multi-day event under the banner "No Space for Bezos," a play on words also referring to the bride's recent space flight. They were joined Monday by Greenpeace and the British group "Everyone Hates Elon," which has smashed Teslas to protest Elon Musk, to unfurl a giant banner in St. Mark's Square protesting purported tax breaks for billionaires. On Wednesday, other activists launched a float down the Grand Canal featuring a mannequin of Bezos clinging onto an Amazon box, his fists full of fake dollars. The British publicity firm that announced the stunt said it was a protest against unchecked wealth, media control, and the growing privatisation of public spaces." Bezos' representatives have not commented on the protests. The local activists had planned to obstruct access to canals on Saturday to prevent guests from reaching a wedding venue. They modified the protest to a march after claiming their pressure forced organisers to change the venue to the Arsenale, a more easily secured site beyond Venice's congested centre. Among the 200 guests confirmed to be attending the wedding are Mick Jagger, Ivanka Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio. Venice, renowned for its romantic canal vistas, hosts hundreds of weddings each year, not infrequently those of the rich and famous. Previous celebrity weddings, like that of George Clooney to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014, were embraced by the public. Hundreds turned out to wish the couple well at City Hall. Bezos has a different political and business profile, said Tommaso Cacciari, a prominent figure in the movement that successfully pushed for a ban on cruise ships over 25,000 tons travelling through the Giudecca Canal in central Venice. "Bezos is not a Hollywood actor,'' Cacciari said. "He is an ultra-billionaire who sat next to Donald Trump during the inauguration, who contributed to his reelection and is contributing in a direct and heavy way to this new global obscurantism.'' Critics cite Amazon's labour practices, ongoing tax disputes with European governments and Bezos' political associations as reasons for concern. Activists also argue that the Bezos wedding exemplifies broader failures in municipal governance, particularly the prioritisation of tourism over residents' needs. They cite measures such as the day-tripper tax — which critics argue reinforces Venice's image as a theme park — as ineffective. Chief among their concerns is the lack of investment in affordable housing and essential services. City officials have defended the wedding. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro called the event an honour for Venice, and the city denied the wedding would cause disruptions. Meanwhile, a Venetian environmental research association, Corila, issued a statement saying Bezos' Earth Fund was supporting its work with an "important donation." Corila, which unites university scholars and Italy's main national research council in researching Venetian protection strategies, wouldn't say how much Bezos was donating but said contact began in April, well before the protests started. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez have arrived in Venice ahead of their wedding, which has galvanised an assortment of protesters in the Italian city. Bezos waved from a water taxi as he and Sanchez arrived at the dock of the Aman Hotel on the Grand Canal with two security boats in tow. Their wedding has drawn protests by groups who view it as a sign of the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots, while residents complain it exemplifies the way their needs are disregarded in the era of mass tourism to the historic lagoon city. About a dozen Venetian organisations — including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups — have united to protest the multi-day event under the banner "No Space for Bezos," a play on words also referring to the bride's recent space flight. They were joined Monday by Greenpeace and the British group "Everyone Hates Elon," which has smashed Teslas to protest Elon Musk, to unfurl a giant banner in St. Mark's Square protesting purported tax breaks for billionaires. On Wednesday, other activists launched a float down the Grand Canal featuring a mannequin of Bezos clinging onto an Amazon box, his fists full of fake dollars. The British publicity firm that announced the stunt said it was a protest against unchecked wealth, media control, and the growing privatisation of public spaces." Bezos' representatives have not commented on the protests. The local activists had planned to obstruct access to canals on Saturday to prevent guests from reaching a wedding venue. They modified the protest to a march after claiming their pressure forced organisers to change the venue to the Arsenale, a more easily secured site beyond Venice's congested centre. Among the 200 guests confirmed to be attending the wedding are Mick Jagger, Ivanka Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio. Venice, renowned for its romantic canal vistas, hosts hundreds of weddings each year, not infrequently those of the rich and famous. Previous celebrity weddings, like that of George Clooney to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014, were embraced by the public. Hundreds turned out to wish the couple well at City Hall. Bezos has a different political and business profile, said Tommaso Cacciari, a prominent figure in the movement that successfully pushed for a ban on cruise ships over 25,000 tons travelling through the Giudecca Canal in central Venice. "Bezos is not a Hollywood actor,'' Cacciari said. "He is an ultra-billionaire who sat next to Donald Trump during the inauguration, who contributed to his reelection and is contributing in a direct and heavy way to this new global obscurantism.'' Critics cite Amazon's labour practices, ongoing tax disputes with European governments and Bezos' political associations as reasons for concern. Activists also argue that the Bezos wedding exemplifies broader failures in municipal governance, particularly the prioritisation of tourism over residents' needs. They cite measures such as the day-tripper tax — which critics argue reinforces Venice's image as a theme park — as ineffective. Chief among their concerns is the lack of investment in affordable housing and essential services. City officials have defended the wedding. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro called the event an honour for Venice, and the city denied the wedding would cause disruptions. Meanwhile, a Venetian environmental research association, Corila, issued a statement saying Bezos' Earth Fund was supporting its work with an "important donation." Corila, which unites university scholars and Italy's main national research council in researching Venetian protection strategies, wouldn't say how much Bezos was donating but said contact began in April, well before the protests started. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez have arrived in Venice ahead of their wedding, which has galvanised an assortment of protesters in the Italian city. Bezos waved from a water taxi as he and Sanchez arrived at the dock of the Aman Hotel on the Grand Canal with two security boats in tow. Their wedding has drawn protests by groups who view it as a sign of the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots, while residents complain it exemplifies the way their needs are disregarded in the era of mass tourism to the historic lagoon city. About a dozen Venetian organisations — including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups — have united to protest the multi-day event under the banner "No Space for Bezos," a play on words also referring to the bride's recent space flight. They were joined Monday by Greenpeace and the British group "Everyone Hates Elon," which has smashed Teslas to protest Elon Musk, to unfurl a giant banner in St. Mark's Square protesting purported tax breaks for billionaires. On Wednesday, other activists launched a float down the Grand Canal featuring a mannequin of Bezos clinging onto an Amazon box, his fists full of fake dollars. The British publicity firm that announced the stunt said it was a protest against unchecked wealth, media control, and the growing privatisation of public spaces." Bezos' representatives have not commented on the protests. The local activists had planned to obstruct access to canals on Saturday to prevent guests from reaching a wedding venue. They modified the protest to a march after claiming their pressure forced organisers to change the venue to the Arsenale, a more easily secured site beyond Venice's congested centre. Among the 200 guests confirmed to be attending the wedding are Mick Jagger, Ivanka Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio. Venice, renowned for its romantic canal vistas, hosts hundreds of weddings each year, not infrequently those of the rich and famous. Previous celebrity weddings, like that of George Clooney to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014, were embraced by the public. Hundreds turned out to wish the couple well at City Hall. Bezos has a different political and business profile, said Tommaso Cacciari, a prominent figure in the movement that successfully pushed for a ban on cruise ships over 25,000 tons travelling through the Giudecca Canal in central Venice. "Bezos is not a Hollywood actor,'' Cacciari said. "He is an ultra-billionaire who sat next to Donald Trump during the inauguration, who contributed to his reelection and is contributing in a direct and heavy way to this new global obscurantism.'' Critics cite Amazon's labour practices, ongoing tax disputes with European governments and Bezos' political associations as reasons for concern. Activists also argue that the Bezos wedding exemplifies broader failures in municipal governance, particularly the prioritisation of tourism over residents' needs. They cite measures such as the day-tripper tax — which critics argue reinforces Venice's image as a theme park — as ineffective. Chief among their concerns is the lack of investment in affordable housing and essential services. City officials have defended the wedding. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro called the event an honour for Venice, and the city denied the wedding would cause disruptions. Meanwhile, a Venetian environmental research association, Corila, issued a statement saying Bezos' Earth Fund was supporting its work with an "important donation." Corila, which unites university scholars and Italy's main national research council in researching Venetian protection strategies, wouldn't say how much Bezos was donating but said contact began in April, well before the protests started. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez have arrived in Venice ahead of their wedding, which has galvanised an assortment of protesters in the Italian city. Bezos waved from a water taxi as he and Sanchez arrived at the dock of the Aman Hotel on the Grand Canal with two security boats in tow. Their wedding has drawn protests by groups who view it as a sign of the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots, while residents complain it exemplifies the way their needs are disregarded in the era of mass tourism to the historic lagoon city. About a dozen Venetian organisations — including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups — have united to protest the multi-day event under the banner "No Space for Bezos," a play on words also referring to the bride's recent space flight. They were joined Monday by Greenpeace and the British group "Everyone Hates Elon," which has smashed Teslas to protest Elon Musk, to unfurl a giant banner in St. Mark's Square protesting purported tax breaks for billionaires. On Wednesday, other activists launched a float down the Grand Canal featuring a mannequin of Bezos clinging onto an Amazon box, his fists full of fake dollars. The British publicity firm that announced the stunt said it was a protest against unchecked wealth, media control, and the growing privatisation of public spaces." Bezos' representatives have not commented on the protests. The local activists had planned to obstruct access to canals on Saturday to prevent guests from reaching a wedding venue. They modified the protest to a march after claiming their pressure forced organisers to change the venue to the Arsenale, a more easily secured site beyond Venice's congested centre. Among the 200 guests confirmed to be attending the wedding are Mick Jagger, Ivanka Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio. Venice, renowned for its romantic canal vistas, hosts hundreds of weddings each year, not infrequently those of the rich and famous. Previous celebrity weddings, like that of George Clooney to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014, were embraced by the public. Hundreds turned out to wish the couple well at City Hall. Bezos has a different political and business profile, said Tommaso Cacciari, a prominent figure in the movement that successfully pushed for a ban on cruise ships over 25,000 tons travelling through the Giudecca Canal in central Venice. "Bezos is not a Hollywood actor,'' Cacciari said. "He is an ultra-billionaire who sat next to Donald Trump during the inauguration, who contributed to his reelection and is contributing in a direct and heavy way to this new global obscurantism.'' Critics cite Amazon's labour practices, ongoing tax disputes with European governments and Bezos' political associations as reasons for concern. Activists also argue that the Bezos wedding exemplifies broader failures in municipal governance, particularly the prioritisation of tourism over residents' needs. They cite measures such as the day-tripper tax — which critics argue reinforces Venice's image as a theme park — as ineffective. Chief among their concerns is the lack of investment in affordable housing and essential services. City officials have defended the wedding. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro called the event an honour for Venice, and the city denied the wedding would cause disruptions. Meanwhile, a Venetian environmental research association, Corila, issued a statement saying Bezos' Earth Fund was supporting its work with an "important donation." Corila, which unites university scholars and Italy's main national research council in researching Venetian protection strategies, wouldn't say how much Bezos was donating but said contact began in April, well before the protests started.
The Age
8 hours ago
- The Age
Private jets and power players: Guests arrive for Bezos and Sánchez wedding
US President Donald Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, real estate heir Jared Kushner, were among the first public arrivals in Venice this week. The two were snapped boarding a water taxi on Tuesday evening (Venetian time). One day later, Ivanka Trump shared a series of sightseeing photos to Instagram alongside the caption, 'Da Venezia, con amore'. It's believed her brother-in-law Joshua Kushner and his wife, model Karlie Kloss, will also join them. Bezos' second wedding would not be the first billionaire nuptials the president's daughter has attended. In March 2024, she was among many celebrity guests flown to India to celebrate the wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. Ambani is the youngest son of Asia's richest man. Trump has been a close friend of Sánchez's for years, and has often been seen at events with the journalist and their mutual friend Kim Kardashian. The Kardashians Also at the Ambani wedding was Kardashian, whose Gulfstream G650ER was flying in to Venice's Marco Polo Airport from Los Angeles, according to flight documents seen by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Loading Corey Gamble, the partner of Kardashian's mother, Kris Jenner, was snapped in Venice on Tuesday. Kardashian's sister Kylie Jenner is believed to be flying in from Budapest. The magnates Flight documents cited by American, British and European media outlets suggest Bill Gates is flying in from Brussels, followed closely by Rupert Murdoch's favoured heir, Lachlan Murdoch, from London. Billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones is flying from Tanzania, with film producer and record executive David Geffen travelling from Valencia, Spain. Belgian fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg was also snapped in Venice on Tuesday evening, and it's believed Meta mastermind Mark Zuckerberg will be joining the celebrations. The jury, however, is still out on Bezos' fellow space enthusiast Elon Musk, with whom he had a 20-year-long public rivalry that may or may not be over. The space cadets Speaking of space, it's believed part-time astronaut Gayle King will be in the room celebrating Sánchez's nuptials following their joint zero-gravity frolic earlier this year. King's best friend, Oprah Winfrey, according to flight documents, is flying to Venice from New York. If Katy Perry, who was also aboard the Blue Origin flight in April, somehow makes it from Adelaide to Venice and back in the one-day break between her four Lifetimes Tour shows this weekend, that would be a surprise to TMZ, which has been reporting Perry has split from long-time fiance Orlando Bloom – and that Bloom is 'making his debut as a single man during the festivities' and is 'gonna hit the dance floor hard'. Or, perhaps, 'sneak away with Leonardo DiCaprio for some bar crawling'. If Perry and Bloom have split, however, they have yet to confirm it. Hollywood royalty DiCaprio is one of many famous faces who attended Bezos and Sánchez's August 2023 engagement party, which also counted actors Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire and Australia's own Deborra-Lee Furness among the guests. Actress Eva Longoria, a long-time friend of Sánchez, is another famous face who has been spotted at wedding-related events, most recently in Paris in May for Sánchez's bachelorette weekend. Rumours are also swirling around musicians Lady Gaga, Mick Jagger and Elton John, who are speculated to be performing at the festivities if not attending as guests.
