Mariska Hargitay, best known for her role as Olivia Benson on the NBC crime drama TV series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU), chooses to retell the story of her mother, Jayne Mansfield, who passed away in a car crash on June 28, 1967.
In the new documentary, My Mom Jayne, which explores the life and career of the late actress, Hargitay dropped some bombshell revelations about the car accident that blew her life apart as a young child. The 61-year-old doubles as both director and producer of the documentary, paying tribute to her mom’s life and death.
Mariska Hargitay discovers she was left behind in a car crash that killed her mom
In the upcoming release, Mariska’s siblings, Zoltan, recalled the tragic crash that claimed the lives of their mom. He explained that he and the other kids were asleep in the back seat of the Buick Electra when the collision occurred, miraculously surviving while the adults seated in the front seat sustained fatal injuries.
Zoltan, who was about seven years old at the time, vividly remembered how his skin felt stiff with dried blood as they rescued him and his eight-year-old brother, Mickey Jr., from the accident scene, only to discover that their sister Mariska was missing. However, she was later found trapped beneath a passenger seat with injuries to her head.
Mariska Hargitay talks about her new documentary
Speaking about the reason behind making the documentary, Hargitay revealed that it was born out of a desire to connect with the memory of her late mother and the need to change the narrative, feeling that others had shared her story before she was ready to do so herself.
Reflecting on the creative process, she noted that the experience of making the film reinforced her conviction in the transformative power of embracing one’s truth, a belief she had always advocated for and encouraged others to adopt.