During a recent event hosted by the Hope for Depression Research Foundation, “Law & Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay candidly discussed the grief she experienced after losing her mother, actress Jayne Mansfield, at a young age.
Hargitay, 60, recounted how the unexpected loss deeply affected her entire family, while speaking at the charity’s 18th Annual HOPE Luncheon Seminar, held at New York City’s Plaza Hotel on Nov. 12.
The seminar, which drew more than 300 philanthropists, socialites, celebrities, psychiatrists, and neuroscientists, among other attendees, sought to raise awareness for mental health and secure funding for continued research into the complexities of depression.
“On a personal note, I’ve also gone through my own journey of learning how to respond to the various traumas that I’ve experienced in my life,” the Emmy Award-winning actress said, according to People.
“I lost my mother when I was three years old and I grew up in a house of people dealing with the tragedy in their own way. And because there was so much grief, there wasn’t room to prioritize anyone.”
Hargitay’s mother gained prominence in Hollywood throughout the 1950s and 1960s, captivating audiences with her roles in films such as “The Girl Can’t Help It” (1956), “The Wayward Bus” (1957), and “Panic Button” (1964).
However, on June 29, 1967, Mansfield tragically lost her life in a car accident at the age of 34. Hargitay and two of her brothers—who were all seated in the backseat of the vehicle—were also injured in the crash.
Addressing the attendees at the luncheon, Hargitay—who was honored with the organization’s 2024 Hope Award for Depression Advocacy at the event—said her family struggled to navigate their feelings of grief in the aftermath of the devastating tragedy.
“We didn’t have the tools that we have now to metabolize and understand trauma, understand all the levels, understand that it goes in on the cellular level,” she said.
Navigating Loss
The “Lake Placid” actress has previously spoken about her experience mourning the loss of her mother, telling People in March 2018 that she learned to “lean into” the grief.
“As the saying goes, the only way out is through,” Hargitay said. “In my life, certainly, I’ve tried to avoid pain, loss, [and] feeling things. But I’ve learned instead to really lean into it because sooner or later you have to pay the piper.”Hargitay said navigating her emotions following her mother’s death was an arduous process.
“I’m not saying it’s easy, and it certainly hasn’t been for me,” she said. “There’s been a lot of darkness. But on the other side things can be so bright.”
Reflecting on Mansfield’s legacy, Hargitay described her mother as being an “amazing, beautiful, [and] glamorous” symbol in Hollywood while she was alive.
“But people didn’t know that she played the violin and had a 160 IQ and had five kids and loved dogs. She was just so ahead of her time. She was an inspiration, she had this appetite for life, and I think I share that with her,” the actress told the publication.
“Someone once said about [remembering] my mother: ‘All you have to do is look in the mirror.’ She’s with me still.”
Mansfield shared one daughter, Jayne Marie Mansfield, 74, with her first husband, publicist Paul Mansfield, later welcoming three children, Mickey Hargitay Jr., Zoltan Hargitay, and Mariska Hargitay—born in 1958, 1960, and 1964, respectively—with her second husband, bodybuilder-turned-actor Mickey Hargitay.
The Old Hollywood star went on to have another son, Antonio “Tony” Cimber, 59, with her third husband, Italian film director Matt Cimber.
Mansfield took home a Golden Globe award in 1957 for her performance in the musical comedy film “The Girl Can’t Help It,” earning her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame three years later.
In 2013, Hargitay received her own star on Hollywood Boulevard, which was placed right next to her mother’s.
“The thing about our stars is that they exist in constellations. ... They exist with each other; they have more meaning together than they do alone. Now, most obvious to me is the constellation that I make with my mother.”
