Mariska Hargitay Reveals Shocking Family Secret: Actress Unveils Biological Father Nelson Sardelli After 60 Years

Mariska Hargitay has captivated fans for decades as the star of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. However, in May, she dropped a bombshell that turned the narrative of her family history upside down. The actress disclosed that her biological father is not the late Hollywood icon Mickey Hargitay, but rather Nelson Sardelli.

Jayne Mansfield, Mariska's mother, first married Paul Mansfield in 1950. The couple welcomed a daughter, Jayne Marie Mansfield, before divorcing in 1958.

That same year, Jayne tied the knot with Mickey, a Hungarian-American actor and bodybuilder who had made the move to the U.S. in 1947. The pair showcased their love in both films and public appearances, welcoming two children, Miklós "Mickey" Hargitay, Jr. and Zoltán Hargitay, before their divorce was finalized in 1964.

During the unraveling of her marriage with Mickey, Jayne began dating Nelson in 1963. Although she and Mickey briefly reconciled, Mariska was born in 1964 amid their ongoing tumult. To the public, Mickey was recognized as her father, yet Mariska felt uncertainty about her true lineage.

In her 20s, a family resemblance became apparent to Mariska when she saw a photo of Nelson. She confronted Mickey about her paternal questions, but he remained firm in claiming his fatherhood.

"He was my everything, my idol. He loved me so much, and I knew it," Mariska told Vanity Fair in May. "I also knew something else — I just didn't know what I knew."

After Jayne married director Matt Cimber in 1964 and welcomed son Antonio "Tony" Cimber, their marriage began to falter. They divorced in 1966.

Tragically, just one year later, Jayne died in a car accident at age 34, during which Mariska and two of her siblings were present in the vehicle but survived with minor injuries.

"I don't remember the accident. I don't even remember being told that my mother had died," Mariska recalled. "I look at photos, and I don't really remember anything until I was 5."

Following her mother's death, Mariska and her brothers were primarily raised by Mickey, who passed away in 2006 at age 80.

At age 30, Mariska decided to meet Nelson, a Brazilian-born performer. When she introduced herself, he said, "I've been waiting 30 years for this moment."

Despite the moment's importance, she admitted she approached him with a defensive attitude.

"I went full Olivia Benson on him," she said, referencing her Law & Order character. "I was like, ‘I don't want anything; I don't need anything from you. … I have a dad.' There was something about loyalty. I wanted to be loyal to Mickey."

Nelson has appeared in a handful of films, including 1970's Myra Breckinridge and 1982's Fake-Out. A former army veteran, he now resides in Las Vegas, where he built a career as a comedian and entertainer.

"I came to the United States in 1956, to Pontiac, Mich., because in Brazil I worked for General Motors, but they were laying off people all over Michigan," he explained in Norm Clarke's Vegas Diary in October 2019.

Delving deeper into her family history, Mariska produced the documentary My Mom Jayne, which celebrates her mother and reveals long-buried family secrets.

"This documentary is kind of a love letter to him, because there's no one that I was closer to on this planet," she shared.

Mariska held a private screening for Nelson's daughters in Las Vegas. "They just wept and wept and wept," the Emmy winner explained. "These two women that I love so much — I made them secrets! It's so heartbreaking to me."