Mariska Hargitay was welcomed into Hollywood royalty by prominent parents in the entertainment industry. They gave her several siblings, who walked in their iconic parents’ career footsteps by having stints in Hollywood.
At one point, Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay were the Hollywood couple no one could stop talking about. As a couple, the pair welcomed three children, and their other trio were born from previous relationships. One of their shared children, Mariska Hargitay, went full into Hollywood.
Although she is the most famous of the Hargitay-Mansfield siblings, the others also have acting credits. At UCLA, Mariska Hargitay majored in theater, and since the 1980s, she has used her qualifications to get television and film roles.
Her first movie feature was in the cult classic “Ghoulies,” but she is best known for her recurring appearances on the shows “ER” and “Law & Order.” After being in the industry for fifteen years, Mariska Hargitay finally got her most significant break in her role on the “Law & Order” franchise.
She’s received Emmy and Golden Globe awards for her performance and was once named the highest-paid actress on television. Despite having a prominent career, the actress’ mother and father’s marriages have also interested fans.
When Jayne and Mickey first met, the latter was already famous after being 1956’s Mr. Universe and working as one of Mae West’s musclemen in her shows. Meanwhile, the actress was well on her way to stardom.
On the night of their first meeting at a show, Jayne requested two things: an introduction to Mickey and a six-dollar steak for her dog, and she got both! Mickey recalled performing on stage before noticing a girl drinking a milkshake in the crowd.
“I fell in love! And so did she,” he said. The pair met briefly when the show was done and exchanged phone numbers. Their busy schedules made meeting up hard, but that didn’t stop the media from noticing them on their rare joint appearances.
Mae West, who at the time worked with Mickey, asked to call a press conference where she ordered him to discredit rumors of his relationship with Jayne. However, her plan failed because he confessed to being in love with Jayne.
By January 1958, the couple were married in Palos Verdes, California. Jayne’s career was at its peak at the time, starring in several hit films and having a Las Vegas residency while raising her children with Mickey.
In 1964, the couple divorced due to Hollywood’s pressures and demands straining their marriage. Amid their divorce, the actress accused Mariska’s father of “cruelty” but later confessed to having nothing but “respect and admiration” for him.
In the end, they remained good friends and married other people. Jayne once mentioned that separating rather than continuing the marriage is best if two people don’t get along. Opening up about their divorce, she said:
“Our paths in life might be smoother separately.”
Jayne also thought it better for their children to have them separate and be harmonious. The star was previously married to Paul Mansfield before Mickey, and together they had a daughter. She was only sixteen years old during their marriage and decided to keep her union and pregnancy a secret.
After getting married, Jayne would be with Paul in an apartment they rented until she had to hurry home every night in time for her 11:00 p.m. curfew. Their union ended in divorce, but she decided to keep the Mansfield last name as she felt it was suitable for an actress.
Years after her marriage to Mickey concluded, Jayne married Matt Cimber, a producer, director, and writer, whom she met on the set of “Bus Stop.” Together, they shared a son named Tony Cimber. Meanwhile, Mickey was first married to Mary Birge, with whom he shared a daughter named Tina.
By early 1956, they’d filed for divorce, a few years before he married Jayne. Ellen Siano was his third spouse, who stayed with him until he passed, and was the one his children called “mom,” a role she embraced wholeheartedly.
Mickey worked as a carpenter, plumber, and contractor after immigrating from Hungary to the US. After settling in Cleveland in 1948, he married Mary, and the pair welcomed their daughter the following year.
Not much is known about Tina, but her parents’ divorce was shrouded in controversy. After separating from Tina’s father, Mary was awarded $20 weekly in child support, which was later increased to $300.
Jayne also had a child before her union with Mickey. She and Paul Mansfield shared a daughter named Jayne Marie Mansfield, who followed her famous mother’s footsteps into the industry.
Jayne Marie is best known for her work on “Olly, Olly, Oxen Free” and “Blond in Hollywood.” Recently, she’s preferred to keep a low profile with her family on the west coast.
During their marriage, Mickey and Jayne welcomed their eldest son, Miklos “Mickey Jr” Jeffrey Palmer Hargitay. He dabbled in acting, starring on “The Merv Griffin Show” and “New York, New York” but also liked staying out of the limelight.
It was last reported that he runs a plant shop after calling the entertainment industry “phony” and “chaotic.” Miklos once elaborated on his choice to abandon Hollywood, saying:
“[My family] made decisions to reach for the stars, and I’ve wanted to keep my feet on the ground.”
He explained how he’d wished for something more grounded and real. After Mickey Jr., they welcomed Zoltan Anthony Hargitay. Like the rest of his family, he also has acting credits for “Retroactive,” “T-Force,” and “Shrunken Heads” from the 1990s. When he was just six years old, a lion severely mauled him at the Jungleland Zoo in Thousand Oaks, California.
He underwent two surgeries after suffering a skull fracture and multiple puncture wounds. Zoltan ultimately recovered from the traumatizing incident. Mariska, the most well-known of the siblings, was born after him.
Mariska’s husband is Peter Hermann, and together, they have Amaya, August, and Andrew. Jayne had one more child with Matt Cimber before her death — Antonio “Tony” Raphael Ottaviano Cimber. Sadly, he was still a toddler when his mother died in a car accident. Tony works in the entertainment industry as an actor and director.
Some of his works include “The Original Ladies of Wrestling,” “GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling,” and “Married… with Children.” He is also a proud father to Jianni Alexandra Cimber, born in 1998.
According to reports, Jayne Marie’s mother was 16 when she met Paul, who was 20. She fell for him immediately at a Christmas party, and while heavily pregnant at 17, she married him on May 6, 1950, months before graduating from Highland Park High School.
Jayne Marie was welcomed into the world later that same year in November, and she is now 72. The mother and child joined Paul in Austin, where he attended the University of Texas.
Despite taking some classes, Jayne worked as a door-to-door saleswoman and a receptionist at a dance school to help support her family. Little Jayne Marie tagged along with her mother to work or class because Paul and his wife couldn’t afford a babysitter.
On November 8, 2013, Jayne Marie showed how close she was to her half-sister, Mariska, by being by her side when the famous actress was honored with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. The duo shared hugs and kisses while celebrating Mariska’s achievement.
A YouTube channel shared the short clip of the pair’s interaction, leading social media users to comment. Several people thought Jayne Marie looked like their mother, while another noted how they both looked “amazing,” and a social media user added:
“Such a sweet thing to see two half sister’s (sic) get along. Jayne Marie, for being in her 60s, looks great. Mariska is a sweetheart.”
Someone else believed Mariska is a mix between her parents and shared how nice it was that the half-sisters “seem really close.” Another YouTube user felt Jayne Marie looked great for her age and recalled seeing her in an interview when she was still a “plump young teen.”
The person remembered thinking how hard it was for Jayne Marie when her mother looked glamorous and pretty at that age. The social media user also noted that Jayne Marie appeared close to her sister.
