‘My Mom Jayne': Mariska Hargitay is reclaiming her family story in HBO doc about her iconic mother
Mariska Hargitay was just 3 years old when her mother, Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield, died in a car accident at the age of 34. Nearly six decades later, the Emmy-winning actress makes her feature directorial debut with the documentary My Mom Jayne, which explores her personal journey to understand, honor, and embrace her mother's legacy.
Through intimate interviews and an extensive collection of never-before-seen photos and home movies, Hargitay grapples with her mother's complicated public and private legacy, uncovering the surprising layers and depth of who Mansfield was, not only to her fans, but also to those closest to her. The HBO documentary premieres June 27 (8 p.m. ET/PT) and will be available to stream on Max.
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Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings — who each has their own memories of their mother — and an excavation of the photographs, letters, and cherished belongings Mansfield left behind, Hargitay assembles a new picture of the extraordinary, complex woman whose image and legacy she resisted for so many years. With courage and vulnerability, the Law & Order: SVU star engages in the process of opening herself to a new, hard-won collection of memories — and a deeper level of truth.
"I've spent my whole life distancing myself from my mother," Hargitay says in the trailer. "Her career made me want to do it differently, but I want to understand her now."
Hargitay also delves into family secrets — including the discovery that her own biological father wasn't who she believed him to be. For most of her life, Hargitay thought her father was Mickey Hargitay, a Hungarian-born actor who was married to Mansfield from 1958 to 1964. In the documentary, the actress confirms her real father is singer Nelson Sardelli, whom she first met when she was 30 years old.
Featuring film clips from Mansfield's work in the 1950s and '60s, archival footage from her many talk show appearances and interviews, as well as striking personal footage, the film contextualizes the dazzling star power of the most photographed Hollywood celebrity of her day. A story of loss and longing, healing and transformation, My Mom Jayne is a testament to the rewards of an unflinching search for truth, unveiling Hargitay's journey to reclaim her mother's story — and her own.
Featured participants in the documentary include Hargitay's siblings Jayne Marie Mansfield, Mickey Hargitay, Jr., Zoltan Hargitay, and Tony Cimber; stepmother Ellen Hargitay; and Jayne Mansfield's press secretary Raymond 'Rusty' Strait.
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